Find Your Productivity Style

It’s been in my closet since we moved into this house over a year ago. A giant whiteboard with sketches to organize my dreams because some “guru” said I needed it. A tool I wasted too much time on because it worked for somebody else. 

GASP! I just took a closer look at those sketches. I date one April 2019!

I love checking off to-do lists and planning the details of my day. I admire those that can easily see the big picture, and if that’s you, I have a giant whiteboard for ya. It’s littering my precious closet space.

Have you ever felt that spending time to organize yourself is an exercise in futility? It’s not you!  It’s the tools.

This assessment helps you find your personal productivity style. Go ahead, take it.  Who doesn’t love personality tests?

Cognitive Style

In school, and as parents, we are told to identify and work with learning styles. They labeled some kids visual learners, while others did better when they got their hands dirty.

Learning is a function of the brain. Productivity is a function of the brain. It’s easy to see how there can’t be a one size fits all productivity fix.

Cognitive style describes how someone thinks, perceives, and remembers information. 

Think back to how you preferred to study for a big test back in high school. Did you talk to yourself while you paced back and forth in your room? Did you make piles of flashcards? Did you reward yourself with ice cream after crushing your study goals? 

These study habits are clues to your productivity style.

What Type of Productivity is Right for You?

Did you take the test? What’s your style?

Prioritizer/Planner/Arranger/Visualizer

For those of you who skipped the test, (I see you) here are the cliff notes:

Which productivity style sounds most like you?

•  Prioritizer: logical, analytical, and fact-based

•  Planner: organized, sequential, and detailed

•  Arranger: supportive, expressive, and emotional

•  Visualizer: holistic, intuitive, and big picture thinking

We take for granted that each of us has a unique personality. As a mom, you confirmed this as soon as you held your newborn. But is this the first time you’ve thought about how this affects how you get things done? 

You probably already knew you were a planner (or one of the other personalities).  You’re drawn to lists, but have you stopped to consider other ways to organize your time?

Beware of the dichotomy of personality tests. They’re FUN, but you’re a unique human.  Just because the assessment labeled you as a planner, doesn’t mean you can’t steal some tactics from other styles (come on, colored pens make life better).

No Pain, No Gain

Designing your life around your productivity style will not be easy. Some things may come to you naturally, while others you will have to test to find out.

For example, a client of mine was struggling with time blocks. Convinced “they don’t work for her.” It took a mindset shift. She had to take back control and make it work for her. We had to dig into each individual time block and find out why it wasn’t working.

I often ponder what is the best time of day for me to write. I know that I’m most alert in the early morning hours. I fiercely protect this time for my writing. But there’s research to show that you are more creative when you are tired. There’s reason to experiment with writing after the lunch lull.

Get to Know YOU

There are a lot of factors that play into your personal productivity style. Don’t get overwhelmed!

Figure out one thing at a time. Moving the needle up a smidge is still moving the needle.

Does this all sound like too much work? You’re in luck because I love this stuff. Let’s make a date and we'll get to work on building your tool belt.