Left Brain vs. Right Brain Organizing

The article on organizing for your personality type in this month’s Real Simple uses left-brain/right-brain science to explain the differences between people’s organizational styles, but as we’ve discovered — the science hasn’t caught up with the millennia of personality type theory— it just doesn’t explain enough.

Being a left handed person, I already know my right brain is more dominant, and my personality type (Organic Freedom • NFP) also confirms this. But my mom (Organic Structure • NFJ)? She definitely identifies with this: “Right-brain types are visually oriented. They tend to think in images rather than words, focus on the big picture rather than the details,” but when it goes onto explain that right brainers “go through life in a somewhat seat-of-the-pants (a.k.a. scattered) way.” I think anyone who has watched my mom plan a party, refer to her endless check lists, or have had to make a decision about a plan she has for three to four months in advance would disagree with the “seat-of-the pants” assessment. And it is the “mixed” types like my mom where the right brain/left brain personality assessment falls short, especially with organizing.

My sister (Classic Freedom • SFJ) would identify with being left brained “those who think in words (attention, list makers!) who do a lot of advance planning, and approach challenges in a rational, linear way.” but this doesn’t explain my mom, who is NOT detail oriented and is a quintessential list maker. It also leaves my poor sister-in-law (Fun Freedom • SFP) in the dust, because while she identifies with the left-brained habit of keeping things neat, tidy and put away, she’s never written a list in her life and most definitely would agree that she often “lives life by the seat-of-her-pants.”

So, what are the types not served by the left/right brain personality type assesssment? Smart Structures • NTJ, Organic Structures • NFJ, Fun Structures • STP, Fun Freedoms•SFP. So yes you can “benefit from organizing systems designed for either type.” But PixiesDidIt! can tell you EXACTLY which systems will work for you. Organic Structures • NFJs and Smart Structures • NTJs are going to have more stuff and they’re going to actively use lists and schedulers to keep track of their lives. Fun Structures • STPs and Fun Freedoms • SFPs are going to have less stuff, and in general keep what they have more tidy and neat, and will take care of little messes right away. Whereas the Organic Structures•NFJ and Smart Structures•NTJ, who are less present-tense focused will forget about the little messes or a while. Fun Freedoms • SFP and Fun Structures • STP will ONLY use lists if they are overwhelmed and are starting to forget stuff.

Now we love this quote from Melissa Picheny, the principal of the NYC interior design company Declutter and Design  “Pay attention to your personality. Then come up with a plan that conforms to it, rather than trying to work within someone else’s system.” Our favorite organizational story about conforming things to YOU is from our lovely sister-in-law, Becca, who thankfully married our sweet, befuddled Organic Freedom brother. She is practical, so she fights every single parking ticket that she is given, and she files these under “The Man.” Yeah, that’s no one’s organizational system but her own. Pure, perfect Becca, fighting “The Man,” and usually winning, we love her.