Organizing for Your Brain Type: Finding Your Own Solution to Managing Time, Paper, and Stuff

by Lanna Nakone and Arlene Taylor

Book Overview

Get---and stay---organized Let your natural inclinations guide you toward gaining control of your environment and learn to live life on your own terms. Drawing on the science of brain function and her... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312339771
• ISBN13: 9780312339777
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Finally, someone gets it!

Finally, someone gets it. Not everyone "organizes" the same way, because we don't think or operate the same way. Everyone needs a friend like Martha Stewart, but there are few of us who can organize our homes and offices the way she does. It takes too much energy, and you can't find anything because it's just not how you think. "Being organized means it takes less than 5 minutes to find what you're looking for." YES!!! One of the best parts of this book is at the back, where she makes suggestions for how different people can live and work together. I had borrowed this book from the library, initially, but loved it so much I had to find a copy of my own.

The only place to start

Like so many people, I have read plenty of organizing books. I try to implement the recommended systems, but, if I even get the system in place, I can't sustain an uncluttered environment. In Lanna Nakone's book, I learned that traditional systems of organizing only work for people who are already natural organizers. Only by understanding the way your own brain works, can you begin to implement organizational systems that will last for you. Read this book first, then you can sift through other organizers' advice and select what will ultimately work for you. Raleigh area residents can find free support using Ms. Nakone's system at http://declutter.meetup.com/107.

Useful and Practical Information, Fun to Read

I am very busy, so I do not have a lot of spare time to read. I liked how this book was concise and practical, and yet still fun to read. It is organized well so that I could quickly get the information I needed to help get myself organized, and then go back later and read about other types. I especially liked the section which showed how people with other brain types viewed people with my type; it was uncanny! I liked it enough to order two more copies for friends.

Organizing for your brain type

One of the best organizing books for a chronically messy person! Actually, I'm not messy...I just do things differently. Easy to understand, easy to follow.

Very helpful information

As the reviews say the book consists of looking at how we organize our life using 4 brains types. There is the Prioritizing type, the Maintaining type, the Innovating type, and Harmonizing type. Overall I found the book well written and enjoyed how the author looked at how each brain type functions overall. She talks about ways each brain type can: use a calendar more effectively, use storage space, deal with paperwork, organize your home and office space, and organize your environment. Also, at the end of each brain type chapter, she gives a nice bullet point summary of key points so that you don't have to go back and re-read in detail. My only problem with the book was the testing method in helping to find your brain type. The test was 50 questions (too long) and many of the questions where things I had problems relating to. For example some questions asked: You are reminded about going to the opera when: 1. Check your planner a day in advance 2. Notice post-its over the house 3. Friends shows up at door step 4. Your Palm Pilot's alarm goes off 15 before you are to leave While Typing, you notice your dog is looking at you with those huge hungry eyes you: 1. Tell him you feed him at the same time 2. Your dog never looks hungry there food on the floor all the times 3. Throw him your half-eaten doughnut form breakfast this morning 4. Tell him to lie down and wait until you are done You normally try to avoid conversations that: 1. Involve the future 2. That go into great detail 3. That deal with figures 4. That is too touch-feely For me these questions (and some others) depend on situations. I may talk touch-feely at one time, and depending on the day or my mood, I might feed the dog now or wait. The test would have been more effective had it dealt with typical situations. My guess is she was trying to offer something different than the other books out there on organization that gives tests using every day situations, but her test did not work for me. Also, by her own admission, she says some of the test questions "seemed a little over the top" and what I found was because some of the questions were over the top, I scored in a different brain type category (Prioritizing style) when after reading the other brain types, I am clearly a Maintaining type. My only suggestion would be is to take the test, but make sure you read the other types to see if they don't fit you better. The the book is arranged in a way that you can scan the other brain types easily. Overall the book is very good and offers good tips and info.