Personality Based Time Management©
What is personality based time management? It is finding and/or creating a planner or time management system that works with your personality.
How does your personality affect your time management skills? Let’s take a look at how The Busy Woman’s version of four, fun personality types manages their homes and time.
Type A Compulsive
I am a recovering “Type A Compulsive”. I used to clean the house before anyone ate in the morning. I had the compulsion to keep things very clean all of the time. There used to be boxes or buckets for everything. The diaper bag always had something to wipe dirty faces and hands with. I was never late for anything unless there was an extreme emergency.
Type A Casual
My next phase of life developed after I had a sick baby, my third child. This took a lot of extra time and keeping the baby upright but not stuck in one place for too long. Perfection was not the priority. Then, we moved for the first time. I could not possibly get everything done, so I left boxes that were not needed right away, in the garage. Trying to find a place for everything was not possible, so I went out and bought three bookcases to file and store what we needed for homeschooling and every day life. There still was not a place for everything, so a few or more piles of papers and stuff had to be left on a shelf here, counter there. I still cared about having things neat and organized, but there were more important things than keeping a perfect home.
Type B Motivated
Have you ever gotten frustrated because you could not get to your appointments on time know matter how hard you tried? Are you late because a friend stopped by to chat? (A chat with a friend is usually more important to the Type B woman.) Are you continuously making lists, only to lose them? Do you make wholehearted efforts to get things accomplished, but don’t because of numerous distractions?
These women long to be organized but aren’t the type to give up quality time with family and friends to get there. But you can manage your time better while being polite if you have to say no. You and your time are as important as your family and friends.
Type B Messy
Type B Messies would also love to be more organized, but just haven’t found how to manage it. These women have homes that look like hurricanes have just blown through. If they have children, their clothes don’t need to match, as long as they are dressed. They usually secretly wish that their lives were more in control. But people are often more important to them than cleaning.
There is an attainable balance, but it takes time and hard work to get there. The Type B Messy personality just isn’t wired for perfection, but that is what makes them such great friends (“when” they show up for your scheduled time.).
What’s your time management personality?
You might not fit into just one category. Some women are a combination of two time management styles, but they usually have tendencies toward one or another. But figuring out your time management personality will help you know what you’re looking for in a daily planner system. The Busy Woman’s Daily Planner© was created in 1990 with all of these personalities in mind. The founder was a Type B Messy and had to find a way to juggle five children, a husband and ministry. She developed the planner, her husband had it printed at his work, then I purchased the company in 1999 and updated it even further. This was definitely a team effort!
The Busy Woman’s Daily Planner©–or any planner for that matter–can be adapted to your personality. Start out simple. If you’re a Type B Messy or Motivated, try only a few different types of planner pages to begin with. See if you can stick to it and move on from there. If you’re a Type A Compulsive or Casual, you probably know what you want in a planner system, but we might have some new ideas you haven’t thought of. Read our Personality Based Time Management© E-book for more ideas, tips, and tricks in making more out of the time in your day and schedule. If you have questions, please email me and I’ll try to help. I try to respond within 72 hours due to the volume of email I receive.
E-book Coupon Code & Giveaway
The 21-page Personality Based Time Management© E-book guides you through the Busy Woman’s Daily Planner© quiz with some simple, fun, unscientific questions that provide details you need to apply the knowledge to your life. Subscribers, click through to enter via the Rafflecopter form below. Or use the coupon code KindredGrace777 for $2 off the $4.99 E-book from thebusywoman.com.
Need a little encouragement? Visit The Busy Woman Facebook page to ask your questions!
Susie Glennan has been happily married to her best friend since 1982, is mom to 3, grandmother, Home Maker, Nurturer, Teacher, Author, Professional Speaker, Toastmaster, Owner of The Busy Woman, and The Busy Woman’s Daily Planner©. She’s been teaching time management seminars and organizing for more than 25 years and has operated many successful home-based businesses and is now pursuing a career in accounting. The Busy Woman has been published in magazines worldwide and throughout the Internet. You can reach Susie at [email protected], or visit her website at: http://www.thebusywoman.com. Article ©1999-2013 Susie Glennan.
Hello Kindred Grace! I wanted to let you know that I’m updating the ebook in this post. I hope to have it completed by the end of June 2015. I’d love to reconnect and see if you and your audience would like to participate in some examples the updated book. Let me know and we can discuss the details. 🙂 Blessings, Susie
I love all of the responses! And honestly, I wasn’t sure I’d see a Type A Compulsive comment. Can you guess why?
These women are following their to-do list. They are making a list and checking it twice. LOL It is a rare occasion that a Type A Compulsive will fall prey to posting online for nothing more than fun, or getting carried away, accidentally following links for 2 hours. Although if it is their “job,” you will see them online.
This is the extreme case scenario of course. But it’s fun to play with and learn about ourselves. 🙂
And while there is ONE professed Type A Compulsive woman who posted, even that sweet woman admitted that life taught her she has to be a little more relaxed. So she’s surfing, or reading, or posting. FYI: You are PERFECT just the way you are. And I kinda like that you’re relaxed enough to hang out with us. 😀
I think I am a type A casual, I like to be organized and have everything in its place but I’m not overly obsessive and slowly, I am learning that there are things more important than having everything so neat (and I do slip and let things slide from time to time).
I’m definitely a type B – sometimes quite motivated, but if life is crazy, just plain old messy. The realization that I am not naturally an organized type helps me to not beat myself up when comparing my house to my type A friends’ houses.
I think I’m probably a Type B motivated, although I have a lot of Type A casual tendencies, too — I’d love to read the book to figure it out and see if there are some helpful tips on making a planner work better for me!
I am definitely the Type B motivated. I’m a junior in college and would love to be more organized and get all of my hw done and get ahead. I think one thing that has helped me (and which is still very hard to do!) is just say “no” sometimes.
After reading through the above list I find that I am a combination of Type B Motivated and Type B Messy. Great post and it looks like a really interesting book.
Looks interesting I’d probably fall into a type B motivated personality
I am the messiest one.
But I am learning to embrace the gifts that God has given me and my ability to make people feel welcome and important. 🙂
I am most definitely a Type A Compulsive personality. 🙂 I like to have a place for everything and everything in its place. But life has taught me that I have to be a little more flexible than I want to be, so I’ve tried to learn to be more relaxed. And, I’m still single. I imagine things may change when I have more than one person to care for. 🙂
I’d say that I’m probably Type B Motivated. I have a lot of things going a lot of the time, but I have a hard time getting everything done.
I’m Type B Motivated. I love to clean, but there are many times that something else comes up and I’m unable to so things pile up and then I get a little {sometimes a lot!} overwhelmed.
This sounds like a great book….thanks for sharing!
This personality-based planning method makes so much sense! It’s definitely part of the explanation why systems that work great for some drive others crazy. I’m definitely a Type B motivated.
Looks like an interesting book! Thanks for the giveaway! (Fingers crossed!)
I think I’m probably a Type A Casual. I really enjoy organizing and keeping things clean, but it isn’t my top priority.
I sound most like the Type B Motivated, but I still haven’t quite figured out how to balance everything yet!
Type B motivated… I’m constantly running late to things because a friend has unexpectedly come over, or called, or emailed. *sheepish smile*
I’m a type B Messy. Unfortunately.
I’d love to read this book. Sounds so interesting. I’ll have to try to snag a copy. 🙂
I am a type B motivated. I have learned to not be too strict in the systems I set up.
I’d like to think I’m Type A Casual. But I’ve learned to accept the fact that, in this season of life, when I’m running on little sleep, I often end up operating as a Type B Motivated.
Thank you for guest posting for us, Susie!
I am Type B Motivated. I really want to be more organized, but I feel guilty in telling people no. I despise hurting people’s feelings. I’ve had to realize that it’s not always rude to tell people no! Sometimes it’s polite, when you won’t be able to really help because you are already so busy.
Jessica