Organizing for the Creative Person: Right-Brain Styles for Conquering Clutter, Mastering Time, and Reaching Your Goals

by Dorothy Lehmkuhl, Dolores Cotter Lamping (Contributor)

The right-brain way to conquering clutter, mastering time, and reaching one's the first book to show creative people how to arrange their desks, their time, and their lives in a style consistent with their unique way of perceiving the world. Suggests a host of practical solutions, all in harmony with the way creative people think and act. 20 line drawings.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Psychology, Reference, Productivity, Health, Art

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay - I know this is a funny one to put on here, but it really has helped me to read it. I always feel so inept when it comes to organization. I love to BE organized, but have trouble with the traditional ways of doing so. This helped me think about organization a little differently and the approach is much more practical for the way my brain works.

[reading is my hustle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember reading once (after taking one of those "team-building" tests at an in-service) that my co-workers and boss should focus on my results and not my process. Ahem.
This book attempts to help right-brained folks to get organized. It has some good ideas and also speaks to the differences between the LB folks (organized) and RB folks (not-so organized). Here is the thing though- in the end, I GET IT DONE.

I'm just saying.

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have right brain tendencies, are creative and unorganized this book is for you. It takes you through goal setting, time management and spacial organization. If you consider yourself a slob or have problems creating structure for yourself it will help you see that nothing is wrong with you. Your brain just works differently and you need a different set of rules.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

From my point of view this book make me think, "This is what alcoholics must feel like when they confront their disease." I know they are saying creative people aren't "bad" just "different" but part of me wanted to go to "creative person" rehab. Strong if sobering read.

[Maria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Remember when pop psychologists liked to divide everyone and everything into "left brain" and "right brain" traits? This book is a nostalgia parade of early 90s pseudoscience drivel.

It doesn't even tell you how to organize your desk. Or maybe it does, but there was no one holding a gun to my head and forcing me to keep reading, so I'll never know. When a book tries to tell me I can't properly organize my desk until I have discovered my purpose in life, I saddle up my nopetopus and swim off into the sunset.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was in group therapy about the time this one came out. We had homework: to read a spiritual book. I wanted this one. My therapist said, "For you, Carol, this is spiritual." Along with The Artist's Way, it helped me to accept my own way of doing things as valid. No more belittling myself for not being like those "neat people." My biggest take-away was understanding my need for transparent containers and open shelves. I'm very visual. If something is in a closed box, I may as well never have had it.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obviously outdated with multiple chapters on paper (that we just don’t have anymore). And not necessarily a book only for right-brain dominant people. (Is that even a thing people talk about anymore???) Several good tips and techniques throughout the book.

[Ruthmgon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a well designed book but once you put some time into this --many of the ideas are surprisingly astute.

The need to have things visible is real for many creative people, so this author spends a lot of time explaining ideas for stowing things away.... Right there in front of you. Gives permission to do things differently...etc. I admit that some suggestions are pretty stupid, but most really are not.

Left brained skills are more difficult to develop for some people (like decision making and filing) This book does not forgive right brainers for being messy, but acknowledges that it is difficult and why and then says it really is important to do it--to free you for your fabulous rest of your life.

Other than that it has pretty standard advice. Good but not great.

[Dogsandbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rereading. Definitely have other much better organizing de cluttering books but does have some good suggestions and good reinforcement for my style. Keeping (for now)

Reread again. Earlier comments still hold. Most helpful this time through--using mind mapping charts of next steps on projects. They are never linear, and mind map really helps visualize all the things that need to happen together.

[Car · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! It was written in 1993, so it was a little dated (in the time management section, it talked about using a daytimer vs. Outlook or a Blackberry). However, the concepts were solid and insightful.

For more information, view my full review here:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/arti...

[Barry Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exceptional little book on “Arbies” and “Elbies” (right- and left-brain folks) and how to approach organizing and structure from the right brain. Very practical and useful, with examples from handling daily mail to cleaning out your basement.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I might be more of a right brain person than I thought!

[Mycala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of stuff I already knew, but very motivating and it never hurts to review.

[Rene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book, now I just have to implement the lessons I learned.. lol

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

If only there was a chapter about how to motivate the right brained person to use these techniques. (This review was written by the left brained spouse who is the one upset by clutter!)

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful to a point. But maybe it was just me. It did help me understand my own quirks and realize I'm OK being me!

[Melissa Omolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an amazing book.Honestly words can't express how timely this book came to me....This is the book you need if you want to get your life to the next level.

This is not only a book on how to organize your personal space, but how to get your life in order, so you can have more time to focus on the things that money really can't buy like your spouse, children, parents and other loved ones.

When thinking about settling down with the love of your life it really is important to understand their personality type as that greatly determines their organization style.This affects their perspective on how they look at their personal space.Important to have conversations on how you will go about how to conquer clutter, how you will keep your possessions as all these affect our abilities to achieve our goals in good time.

Learnt amazing nuggets of advice from this book:
-Use an organization system that works for you that is fun to keep you motivated.
-Procrastination and clutter go hand in hand.
-If you wanna read something, keep it in plain view.
-The sooner you do a task, the better.
-Love yourself
-Forgive yourself.
-Do what you can with what you have.
-You don't have to do it all at a go, give yourself a break
-Take each day as it comes...
-Be thankful for what you have.
-Marry someone who understands you and allows you to be yourself and you allow him or her to be themselves.
-Be a partner to your spouse not their parent.
-Any challenge between a couple can be solved with good communication.

[Doni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh man! I have a love-hate relationship with this book. The authors rely on the completely reductionist and cognitively inaccurate binary between "left-brain" and "right-brain" people to describe people's organizational tendencies. I'm a little of both and neither and therefore, do not find it a helpful analysis of people's behavior. BUT once it got into more of the nitty, gritty details of organizing, I found it extremely motivating and helpful. Organizing is a chance to exercise your decision muscles and build up your self-esteem. I sorted through many personal items that I never dared touch before while reading this book. So overall, it was a worthwhile read. I just wish they had stuck with the titular "creative" person rather than dealing with all this left-brain/right-brain crap.

[Sherry Conrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am definitely more creative than analytical and organizing can definitely be a chore for me. This book shows the differences between right and left brained thinking and offers some interesting ideas for the creative person to get organized. I have put a few of them into practice, and so far, so good.

[Lauren Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just say "NO" to traditional folder-and-cabinet systems!

These organizers make it easier for people who aren't comfortable with "traditional" folder-and-cabinet organizing structures to understand why those systems don't work for them. And why that's OK!!

Lauren Williams, Owner, Casual Uncluttering LLC, Woodinville, WA USA

[tatterpunk · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stuff that didn't pertain to me or modern life was, of course, unhelpful.

But the psychology and emotion stuff? EXTREMELY HELPFUL. Also the book knows what it has to offer and doesn't wear out its welcome in barely 200 pages. Yes, it cribs a lot from other, more famous books -- but why not? Now I don't have to read all those books. :D

A definite keeper for now.

[Pinguino · Rating 5 out of 5]

So helpful

I read half this book and re-rented it from the library just to get the rest of the tips from it.

[Earl Pestano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical self-help book.

[luv4pez · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book made a couple of interesting points about right-brain people and clutter. Mostly that right-brain people are visually motivated, so if we put something away where we don't see it all the time, then we forget about it. That's why right-brain people leave their ongoing work and projects sitting out. The authors try to give advice on how right-brain people can organize, but then they say that you should get organizational systems from stores and unfortunately those systems were designed by left-brainers for left-brainers to use. It felt hopeless that a right-brain person could go buy systems that work for them.

Much of the other advice is standard advice when it comes to organizing and de-cluttering. It seemed like 25% of the book was dedicated to dealing with all the different types of paper that come into a person's life. There's not a whole lot for someone to take away from this book.

[Margaret B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing else has ever worked for me. It's the only book that didn't make me feel like a freak because I could never get organized, no matter how many books I read. This book spoke to ME, the person who has a rich creative life but is extremely organizationally challenged. It's the only book I've read that delves into the psychology of creative people's disorganization by approaching it from the aspect of right or left brain dominance. It was a lightning bolt of recognition, seeing myself as an "arbie" - a right-brain dominant person with creative-yet-chaotic tendencies. That established, the book then lays out a system of organization that's tailor-made for "arbies." It's the only system I've ever been able to do. Do I sustain it? Not always. But I keep working on it. The book's always nearby.

[Gigi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this organizing book. I didn't finish it because many of the chapters didn't offer new advise. On one hand the first few chapters dealt with organizing for a creative person, on the other hand, about 85% of the book seemed to just rehash what all organizing books state and to tell the "creative" person that they needed to just bite the bullet and make a plan.

I read it to help one of my "creative" sons and did not find it very enlightening except for the first few chapters. Also I feel organizing books need to have visual pictures and this book had almost none.

Now it would be interesting to see if I was a "creative" person if this would connect more with me.

[Daniel G Keohane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book over 20 years ago and I remember it being very helpful. Found the old copy and decided to reread, cover to cover. This is an amazingly helpful book for those "Arbies" (RB's - right-brained) folks who find that left-brained organizational skills just don't come naturally. Great ideas and tips throughout, and never condenscending, only positive and encouraging. I highly recommend this to anyone who hears "you're so disorganized." The version I read was early 90's, so I'd be very curious how later editions hold up, with the advent of so much electronics in the world.

[Sarah Lee]

I thought it would be good for me, but according to the book I use my right and left brain pretty equally. It did talk a lot about organizing but most of it was your standard stuff that I don't see as being any different than other organizing books and don't see how this one is supposed to be special to the creative type person. I tried reading it, got partway in and couldn't finish it. I did skim through many of the chapters to see what kinds of tips it was giving and all of them are standard organizing tips.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an eye-opener for me. I had not been introduced to the concept of left and right brain organization. It helped me understand myself and others.

There are some great tips about beginning to clean out clutter and organize your life. Not just tips, but ways to go about doing it.

The only drawback, and the reason for the four stars, is that it was written in 1994. Several chapters on organizing your office are outdated due to technology. As we now use mobile phones, some of the filing information, etc. is unusable.

[Deb Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this was a fabulous book that really helped me to think of organization in a different way and why the standard ways of organizing don't necessarily help me. It came up with creative and pratical ways that I can organize my life in a way that it favors the right side of my brain. I would definately recommend this book to anyone who struggles with standard ways of organizing. Now, comes the hard part... doing it! :-)