They’re the people who just love to check things off a list. Their idea of heaven is The Container Store. And they sure know their way around a spreadsheet. They’re the ultra-organized, and to those who prefer things a little less tidy, their ways are mysterious.

But they’re also onto something. More than 80 percent of people polled in a 2010 survey said being organized improved their work performance. Being organized may lead to feeling more in control and having more mental energy. Not to mention, who really needs the stress of misplacing the car keys one more time?

The good news is that anyone can be (or at least become) an organized person. “There really is no organizing ‘gene,'” says Annette Reyman, president of the greater Philadelphia chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers and CEO of All Right Organizing and All Right Moves, professional organizing and unpacking companies, respectfully. “With some people it comes more naturally, [but] it absolutely can be learned.”

While of course, every individual, organized or not, will act differently in different situations, there are some patterns among the highly organized. Here are 14 common habits.

Most organized people aren’t keeping everything in order just for their own amusement — they’re doing it for a reason, says Reyman. Maybe your organized neighbors love to host guests at their home, she says. They’re going to set things up around their house that make it an easy and comfortable environment for new people — and they’ll work to keep it that way. “They can easily let go of things that are not connected to those goals,” she says, “whether that be stuff or time commitments.”

They’re optimistic.
Reyman says she’s observed that organized people tend to be more positive, at least anecdotally. “They have a can-do attitude,” she says, “even if they’re moving forward an inch and not a foot at a time.” Frequently, she explains, disorganized people will decide to consult a professional organizer after something has occurred in their lives that inspires them to be more positive. They reach out for help, saying, “I’m ready to go forward,” she says.

They’re conscientious.
In what’s known as the Five-Factor Model, personality is evaluated along five major spectrums, one of which is conscientiousness, says David W. Ballard, PsyD, MBA, the assistant executive director for the American Psychological Association’s Center for Organizational Excellence. A person who scores high in conscientiousness is likely to be efficient, achievement-oriented and self-disciplined, and to show a preference for planned activities over spontaneous ones, he says. While you’re not necessarily one or the other — this is a spectrum, remember — organized people tend to score higher in this trait.

“While we tend to think that being organized and tidy is a good thing — and it certainly helps people be productive and efficient — there’s also a downside, potentially,” says Ballard. A 2013 study suggested that working in a messier office environment sparks more creative ideas than working in a more orderly space. “Sometimes there’s an upside to being in a little more chaotic environment,” he says. “You don’t want total chaos, but you also don’t want to restrict your thinking.”

They’re decision makers.
“In general, organized people can say, ‘This is good enough,’ and then move forward,” says Reyman. “It doesn’t have to be perfect, and we don’t have to rehash it 10,000 different ways.” Organized people consider their options, choose one and stick to it, without looking back with regret on the paths not taken, she says.

The decision-making process hinges on an organized person’s ability to prioritize, keeping their big-picture goals in mind, says Ballard. Organized people decide what is most important to do immediately, and what is still important but doesn’t need to interrupt their flow.

They let go of perfectionism.
It follows then, that not everything has to be perfect: Sometimes good enough is good enough. In fact, many perfectionists are actually incredibly disorganized, says Reyman. “They concentrate on all the fine details and end up becoming immobilized by [them],” she says.

The final 20 percent in a push to make something perfect “takes a disproportionate amount of time and energy and resources and may not produce the equivalent value,” says Ballard. “Being good but not necessarily having to be perfect is a balance that varies person to person.”