ESTP Organizing Profile
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Today we look at the organizing style for ESTP, which stands for Extraverted – Sensing – Thinking – Perceiving. If these terms are new to you, you’ll find it helpful to read How does the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® work? before continuing with this post.
ESTP Organizing Strengths
Individuals who prefer Perceiving seek to experience life rather than control it. Detailed plans and final decisions feel confining to them and they prefer to stay open to new information and last-minute options. Despite this, people with the ESTP type preferences tend to finish what they start, and have strong decision-making abilities.
ESTP Organizing Challenges
ESTPs sometimes consider themselves disorganized, and specifically identify the following problems:
- Being considered disorganized by other people
- Procrastination
- Hoarding and clutter issues
- Forgetting about birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions
Other reported difficulties include lack of satisfaction with their filing and storage systems, leading to constant rearrangement, as well as stopping work when someone wishes to talk to them, being easily distracted, and overextending themselves.
ESTP Time Management Systems
Some ESTPs use electronic calendar systems; many don’t use a calendar or planner at all. Here’s what one ESTP shared:
“My ex-wife tried her darndest to get me to keep a pocket organizer and to be more punctual. It didn’t work, though I felt guilty more. I don’t think we ESTP’s really care all that much about time management, and we would prefer that the punctuality freaks get off our case.”
They often record only their most important activities, or only those which are work-related. Some think and work in terms of chunks of time rather than hour-by-hour.
Learn More
For more insight into the ESTP organizing style, read about Fun Structures on Pixies Did It.
For a broader view of the ESTP personality type, check out the following resources:
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 ESTP?
Help others understand your personality type and organizing style by answering one or more of the following questions in the Comments:
- What are your organizing strengths?
- What are your organizing challenges or weaknesses?
- What organizing strategies work well for you?
- What are your time management strengths?
- What are your time management challenges or weaknesses?
- What time management strategies work well for you?
- What type of calendar(s) do you use?
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Okay, I’m laughing about the phrase, “punctuality freaks.” Being on time is actually something that matters a lot to me, and I find it difficult to get along with others who keep people waiting. So interesting to read through this series and realize how different we really all are!
I really think the personal anecdotes are the most interesting part of this series!
So this reminds me of my father. As you can imagine, I didn’t get his genes in this sense! Lol…!
That’s funny. He must have been a little perplexed by his “neat freak” daughter!
I tend to be a planner, but the idea of being more spontaneous has always appealed to me. Is it odd to say that I plan for spontaneity? That is, I plan to leave certain blocks of time open without being scheduled so that I can take advantage of last minute things that arise. I like to plan, but don’t like to over plan. Does that make sense?
That sounds like a perfect blend to me, Linda!
Just thought I’d answer these real quick..
1.What are your organizing strengths?
Im not good at organizing unless it’s work related, cooking in the kitchen, or getting stuff done and it’s with the intent to be efficient and with quality. I’m a barber and I enjoy giving an excellent haircut. But to do that I need all my tools to be in it’s place and I keep my station clutter free so I can efficiently grab what I need quick. And when I go about giving a haircut, it’s very specific. I don’t steer from to ensure that I’m paying attention to detail. It’s similar with cooking. I just don’t like working in a mess. So i guess in general, if I don’t have too much stuff then it’s easy to keep things in their place. If there’s something I do often and it needs to be well done, then it’s important to me to be organized.
2.What are your organizing challenges or weaknesses?
Dude I just like having stuff. So I always run out of room of where to put it. So my closet, wardrobe, dresser.. id day it’s an organized mess. I keep buying planners and note pads to make lists, cuz I want to be organized.. but then i always forget that I don’t like planning and writing things down. It’s just one more thing to keep up with and it just feels like it’s too much effort.
3.What organizing strategies work well for you?
I’m a really busy person.. so paying attention to how clean I can keep my house tells me if my life is getting too disorganized. So when it does get a little out of control, then I stop and take a day to reorganize everything
4.What are your time management strengths? When I know I have to get things done, i block out all the other stuff that really isn’t priority. I leave it for another day.
5.What are your time management challenges or weaknesses? When I know I have more than enough time to say, turn in an assignment, I fool around a bit while time is escaping me.. then Im go go go on the last minute.
6.What time management strategies work well for you?
A Check list for the day works for me. I’m a procrastinator but if I have a checklist, i can catch up with everything I’ve been meaning to do in one day. Seeing how productive I’m being motivates me to get things done quicker.
7.What type of calendar(s) do you use? Probably just the one from my phone. i don’t use any calendars really. I’m usually really good about remembering future events or engagements.
Thank you for sharing! You sound a lot like other ESTPs I have spoken to.