What's Your O.Q.? (Organizing Quotient)

1. I can find important papers I need within a few minutes

All of the time

Most of the time

Rarely, I have them but they're not in any order

Never. They're scattered all over.

2. My clothes are:

In order and I can get dressed easily. I rarely get behind on laundry.

In order most of the time, but the laundry sometimes stacks up.

In stacks waiting to be washed or ironed or put away.

In piles all over, getting stepped on sometimes.

3. The clothes in my closet and drawers:

Fit me and have been worn within the past year

Fit me but I haven't worn some of them in a long time.

Some fit me and some do not. I don't wear many of them anymore for various reasons.

I have no idea what is in my closet, if it fits, or the last time I wore the clothes.

4. Mail:

Gets read and sorted daily

Gets read most days. Then it sits on the counter or desk waiting for me to make decisions.

Doesn't get read sometimes and gets piled up until company comes. Then it goes into another room until I can get to it.

Some is in the house, some in the car. I don't really know.

5. Bills get paid:

On time every time

On time most of the time, unless there is an oversight

Late sometimes. I don't have a routine for paying bills.

Often they are late and I pay many late fees.

6. In the kitchen:

I can make a meal easily because I can find all the utensils and my pantry is stocked.

I can usually find everything, but sometimes I'm out of the things I need.

I don't cook much. It's too much trouble to put a meal together.

I eat frozen meals, order in, or eat out most days because I can't manage all the stuff in the kitchen.

7. My photographs:

Are all arranged in scrapbooks, photo albums, boxes or organized digitally.

Are mostly arranged but some are waiting until I get to it.

All are together, but in no particular order.

Are somewhere in the house.

8. My desk:

Is always clear on top so I can work.

Is messy while I'm working, but I put papers away regularly.

Is messy almost always until I toss everything in a pile or in another room.

Is somewhere under that big pile of stuff.

9. The attic and the basement in my home:

Are orderly and are used for storing items I don't use very often.

Are somewhat in order, but sometimes things get lost.

Are cluttered with junk I never use and would probably earn me a great deal of money at a garage sale if I cleaned it out.

Are big black holes. Stuff goes in and never comes out.

10. My calendar:

I use it daily to remember appointments and prioritize tasks.

I use it to write down appointments and hardly ever miss one.

I write down appointments most of the time but I forget to check it regularly.

I don't have a calendar I like so I don't use one. Or I have several calendars.

11. I get distracted when trying to organize.

Never

Sometimes

Often

Always

12. I feel overwhelmed by the size of my organizing projects.

Never

Sometimes

Often

Always

13. I know the logical spots where things in my home should be put away.

Always

Often

Sometimes

Never

14. I feel confident that I can pick the right containers for the things I need to organize.

Always

Often

Sometimes

Never

15. I am able to purge items from my home when I no longer love them or need them.

Always. I don't hold onto things.

Often. But I have some emotional attachments.

Sometimes. I can but I struggle with it.

Never. I don't even try anymore.

16. When I start an organizing project, I finish it.

Always. This is not a problem for me.

Often. I usually finish, but occasionally get bored or distracted.

Sometimes. But I sometimes get bored or distracted by something or someone.

Never. I love the idea of organizing but am often to distracted to see it through to the end.

17. My family helps keep the home in order and running smoothly.

Always or does not apply.

Often

Sometimes

Never

18. My home makes me feel happy and comfortable.

Always

Often

Sometimes

Never

19. Being at home and seeing my clutter makes me feel stressed.

Never

Sometimes

Often

Always

20. On a scle of 1-4 with 4 being the most cluttered, my home feels like a:

1

2

3

4