Each generation has a different perspective on organizing their lives. After all, they come from different backgrounds. In the last few years, I have surveyed several people from different generations to see what is similar and different about organizing their homes and lives. I will share the generational differences when organizing their lives as the results of this survey with you.
Backstory
Working with different generations over the 20+ years in the Professional Organizing Industry, I found that some generations differed from others. But, because my approach was always specific to my client's needs, I never looked at the generation as having a specific trait or characteristic when it came to organizing the home. So, I decided to create this Generational Differences When Organizing Their Lives survey.
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Based on the data, it's clear that different generations approach organizing their lives with unique attitudes and motivations. Note: When researching, I found that there are subsets of generations' names and decided to include them. So, the recipients were able to select their specific generation. When I tabulated the results, I wanted to include the subsets instead of combining them with the larger generation that overlaps them. I wanted every generation name group to have a voice. Let's break it down:
Generation Z (born 1997 or after)
They feel overwhelmed or excited before decluttering, motivated by the negative impact clutter has on their mental health.
Emotional feelings before organizing their home.
Gen Zers feel overwhelmed but excited right before organizing their spaces.
What area of the home do you struggle with most?
Gen Zers have a few areas they have problems with. Below is their list.
- Bedroom
- Basement
Do you prefer to declutter/organize with others or alone?
Gen Zers prefer to declutter/organize on their own. They will organize and declutter monthly and yearly.
Generation X (born 1965 to 1980)
They seem to feel various emotions before organizing, from overwhelmed to excited or tense. Their motivations include a desire for a more peaceful and functional space and a dislike for clutter driving them.
Interestingly, they're most likely to work with a Professional Organizer. It is probably because the professional organizing industry emerged when we were raising kids, and home-organizing TV shows were popular then.
Emotional feelings before organizing their home.
Most Gen Xers feel excited, energized, a little overwhelmed, and determined to organize their spaces.
What area of the home do you struggle with most?
Each generation struggles with a particular area of organization. Below is a list of those areas for Gen Xers.
- Kitchen
- Garage (Affiliate Link)/attic
- Bedroom
- Office
- Basement
Do you prefer to declutter/organize with others or alone?
Gen X will declutter/organize, both independently and with others. They like to organize monthly, daily, and quarterly.
Xennials (born 1977 to 1983)
Xennials are motivated by the need for peace of mind and a functional space.
Emotional feelings before organizing their home.
Xennials feel excited and motivated right before organizing their home.
What area of the home do you struggle with most?
Xennialers' issues are similar to those of other generations. They only mentioned this area.
- Garage (Affiliate Link)/attic
Do you prefer to declutter/organize with others or alone?
This group prefers to declutter on their own. They will organize weekly and monthly.
Millennials (born 1981 to 1996)
Millennials often feel overwhelmed or frustrated by clutter, driven by a dislike for clutter and the need to alleviate anxiety.
Emotional feelings before organizing their home.
Millennials feel overwhelmed, annoyed, frustrated, and stressed, but they also feel motivated and energetic just before they organize a space.
What area of the home do you struggle with most?
Millennials have a different list of places that they have trouble organizing.
- Bedroom
- Kitchen
- Garage/attic
- Front door into the living room area
- Toy room
Do you prefer to declutter/organize with others or alone?
Millennials mostly prefer to declutter and organize independently, but a few will do a little of both. They will organize and declutter weekly, quarterly, and yearly.
Baby Boomers (born 1946 to 1964)
This generation experiences various emotions, from excitement to distress, often driven by frustration with clutter or the desire for a visually pleasing space.
Emotional feelings before organizing their home.
Baby Boomers feel ashamed, nervous, anxious, distressed, overwhelmed, and excited right before organizing their home.
What area of the home do you struggle with most?
The Baby Boomers have a longer list of spaces they struggle with.
- Kitchen
- Bedroom / Closet
- Coat closet
- Family Room / Living Room
- Basement / attached garage (Affiliate Link)
Do you prefer to declutter/organize with others or alone?
Baby boomers prefer to have help and declutter on their own. It is pretty evenly distributed. They will organize weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly.
Generation Jones (born 1955 to 1964)
Feeling energized or exasperated, Generation Jones seeks peaceful space and peace, often driven by frustration or the need to find lost items. They donate their stuff frequently and prefer decluttering alone.
Emotional feelings before organizing their home.
Generation Jones feels energized, angry, frazzled, and exasperated before organizing a space.
What area of the home do you struggle with most?
Generation Jones struggles with different areas of the home. Below is a list of areas they have trouble tackling.
- Bedroom
- Basement
- Garage (Affiliate Link)/attic
Do you prefer to declutter/organize with others or alone?
Generation Jones prefers to declutter/organize alone, but a few will organize with help from others. This generation also will organize quarterly and yearly.
Similarities with all the generations.
While there are differences, all generations found that selling or donating unwanted items was their top choice. They either donated only or combined selling and donating.
Below are the platforms that most generations use to sell things.
- eBay
- Craigslist
- and a variety of other places.
Many of the generations picked similar places to donate their unwanted items.
- Goodwill
- Buy nothing groups
- Family and friends
- Hell's Kitchen Free Store
- Green Drop
- Relay for Life
- Thrift stores
- Shelters
- Home Works in Birdsboro
- Local Private Charities
- Local outreach or schools
- Local donation places
Also, the majority of participants said that they would work with a Professional Organizer.
Looking for more charity locations to donate your unwanted stuff, visit my page: Charitable Locations To Donate!
My Takeaway
After reviewing the data on Generational Differences When Organizing Their Lives, I found that each generation definitely had a distinct purpose for decluttering and organizing their homes. Each generation approaches organizing their lives with mixed emotions and motivations, but they still have a common thread in their desire for a more peaceful and functional living environment.
Let's continue the conversation. Can you relate to your generation and the survey results? Please leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you.
Feel free to visit our other home-organizing posts to get inspired!
Julie Bestry says
What an interesting perspective. When I started my professional organizing business 22+ years ago, most of my residential clients were either Greatest Generation/GI Generation (my father's era, people who lived through the Great Depression and fought in WWII) or Silent Generation clients (like my mom's generation, people who were kids during WWII), with a healthy dose of older Boomers. Except for young parents, I didn't have many GenXer clients because it didn't feel like we owned enough stuff to have clutter! 😉
I still have quite a few Silent Generation clients, but the bulk of my residential folks are Boomers and Gen Ex, with an increasing number of Millennials, and I can definitely see the differences and commonalities among the generations with regard to what kinds of clutter they have and where they have it. My Greatest and Silent generation clients never had much digital clutter, but had lots of print photos, but the reverse is true for my Millennials and GenXers. Boomers have it ALL, and everyone seems to have inherited clutter. The one commonality? Women are still made to feel guilty for not being able to keep it all organized on their own.
Linda Samuels says
This is a fascinating way to examine how generations approach and feel about organizing. I had never heard of "Generation Jones," which seems to overlap with the Baby Boomers. According to the dates, I am in both categories.
One area I've noticed the younger generations struggle with is digital, electronic, and technology clutter. They have less physical stuff and tend to be more minimalistic.
Seana Turner says
Okay, this was interesting. I've never heard the terms "Generation Jones" or "Xennials" before. We spend so much time talking about Boomers and Millennials it is almost as if the other groups don't exist!
I'm GenX.
The whole idea of different generations facing organizing in unique ways is kind of fascinating. I can see how the needs would differ, as life stages change with age, and hence our relationships with and need for various items also changes. The idea that generations differ in their emotions around the process is interesting. I'll have to pay more attention to this across my client base. Some quantitative research on this would also be neat to see!
Diane Quintana says
This is really interesting data, Sabrina. I've never thought about organizing in this way before. The common areas to organize seem to be identical across the generations. So many people feel stressed, overwhelmed, anxious, and even uncomfortable when faced with disorganization. Since our lives move at an increasingly fast pace, there's no doubt that we all long for more organization and simplicity in our home lives.
Janet Barclay says
I found this very interesting, but am confused because some of the generations you listed overlap. How can I figure out which one applies to me?
Sabrina Quairoli says
When researching, I found that there are subsets of generations' names and decided to include them. So, the recipients were able to select their specific generation. When I tabulated the results, I wanted to include the subsets instead of combining them with the larger generation that overlaps them. I wanted every generation name group to have a voice.