It seems like you’ve been enjoying my series about Organizing for Personality Types! I’m glad you find this topic as interesting as I do.

Today we’re going to look at ESFJ, which stands for Extraverted – Sensing – Feeling – Judging. For an explanation of these terms, please refer to How does the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® work?

ESFJ Organizing Strengths

People who prefer Sensing like to take in information that is real and tangible – what is actually happening. They notice details about what’s going on around them and are especially tuned in to practical realities. People who prefer Judging like to live in a planned, orderly way, seeking to regulate and manage their lives. They value sticking to a plan and schedule, and are energized by getting things done. As a consequence, organizing comes naturally to people with SJ type preferences, and the ESFJ is no exception.

Their desire for order is evidenced by their well-organized bookshelves and storage space. Because they keep things in an orderly fashion, they have no difficulty finding places to put things, getting rid of things, or finding what they need, nor do they waste a lot of time constantly rearranging things.

They make decisions easily and have clear goals and priorities. They finish what they start and typically remember meetings, appointments, special events, and tasks to be done, due to their effective use of a calendar system.

ESFJ Organizing Challenges

Like ISFJs and ISTJs, ESFJs can become frustrated when something interferes with their scheduled plans, and some have a tendency to see themselves as disorganized.

ESFJs sometimes experience the following problems:

• Prioritizing tasks and activities
• Relying too heavily on their “to do” list, and forgetting to complete tasks that aren’t on the list
• Procrastinating, when they don’t want to do something
• Hoarding items that may be useful “some day” and those with sentimental value
• Clutter resulting from not knowing where to put things, leading to a reluctance to have visitors

ESFJ Time Management Systems

ESFJs are natural planners and tend to work their way systematically through their priorities. They enjoy checking things off a list, and generally use calendars and planners in the manner prescribed by the manufacturer.

Because they are people-oriented, they often choose a system which relates to how they interact with others. The following quote (from pre-smartphone days) illustrates this.

“I have used both a paper planner, and a Palm synched with Outlook. My preference is my Palm because of its efficiency in areas such as auto-synchronization, huge data storage capability, and instant search and retrieval. It also fits my personality and the way I prefer to carry out my work day. Not having it would cause me a great deal of stress and frustration – adding about 90 minutes to each day. For some things I prefer to use paper. This includes notes that I need to “sketch” ideas visually, and face-to-face situations with clients where the Palm would seem a distraction, and somewhat rude.”

Learn More

For more insight into the ESFJ organizing style, read about Classic Freedom on Pixies Did It.

For a broader view of the ESFJ personality type, check out the following resources:

• Portrait of an ESFJ: The Caregiver
• ESFJ Personality (“The Consul”)
• The ESFJ
• ESFJ in a Nutshell

Keep in mind that we are all unique, and even people sharing the same type preferences will not be the same in every way. Personality type is only one factor to consider when developing organizing solutions for your clients.

Are you an ESFJ?

Help others understand your personality type and organizing style by answering one or more of the following questions in the Comments:

1. What are your organizing strengths?
2. What are your organizing challenges or weaknesses?
3. What organizing strategies work well for you?
4. What are your time management strengths?
5. What are your time management challenges or weaknesses?
6. What time management strategies work well for you?
7. What type of calendar(s) do you use?

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