Organized World | Lanna Writes

Organizing for Your Brain Type turns the task of managing your life into an enjoyable experience.

Forbes.com

GlobeAndMail.com Required Reading
It's a sign of the times. There are so many clutter-busting books out there, they've become part of the problem. In the past couple of months, half a dozen guides promising transformation-by-filing have crossed my desk, only to end up gathering dust along with the unanswered mail and unwashed Gladware. The shame!

I did try cracking one or two, but lines such as the following frightened me off: "Handle paper immediately. Take action, file or discard" (from Unclutter Your Life by Katharine Gibson).

I did what I always did, which is push the clutter books into a pile of stuff I might need some day. Then a new book landed. Organizing for Your Brain Type posits the sensible idea that different kinds of people need different kinds of systems.

According to the quiz at the beginning of the book, I'm an "innovating" type - as opposed to a "maintaining," "harmonizing" or "prioritizing" type. My lack of interest in filing cabinets, author Lanna Nakone says, is the fault of my creative, non-conformist right brain. She quotes Malcom Gladwell: "It isn't a sign of disorganization, but rather a sign of complexity."

Phew. I am spared from the label maker, but a bigger desk would help, since I need to be able to see everything. Maybe a "harmonizing" friend could give me a hand. Oh right. There's advice for the other three types, too. But I don't have to read those bits.

Sheree-Lee Olson

Library Journal review for July 2005

NAKONE, LANNA. Organizing for Your Brain Type: Finding Your Own Solution to Managing Time, Paper, and Stuff.Griffin: St. Martin's. 2005. c.224p. ISBN 0-312-33977-1. pap. $13.95. SELF-HELP In this useful guide, professional organizer Nakone maintains that organizing systems work best when tailored to one's personality. A quiz at the beginning assigns readers to the maintaining, harmonizing, innovating, or prioritizing style. Nakone then describes the strengths and weaknesses of each type and matches a prescription for how that type can best manage time. For example, innovators see the big picture but put off handling life's little details. Nakone recommends that this person schedule one hour a week to straightening up paperwork. Since organization seems to be a fairly common problem, this book should do well in most libraries.

Self-Help column by Deborah Bigelow

"In Organizing for Your Brain Type, Lanna Nakone manages to take the task of organizing your life, a subject which seems dreary to many, and make it not only possible, but enjoyable as well. I laughed out loud; I cringed when I recognized my bad habits and then smiled when I discovered easy ways to solve them. I now understand why I do things the way I do, and how to make those traits work for me. My desk has never looked better!"

Jim Brumm, Editor
Napa Valley Life Magazine

"Lanna teaches you a life skill with an understandable approach to how you think and how you can get organized."

- Barry J. Izsak
President, National Association of Professional Organizers

"This very clever (and well-organized!) how-to, helps you to identify your personality type, and then gives you easy step-by-step solutions for getting and staying organized. It is instructional and revealing."

- Lillian Vernon
Founder, Lillian Vernon Corporation

"Every busy person in the world doesn't have enough time to be totally organized. This book helps."

-Ken Hamlet
Former chairman and CEO of T.E.C. Worldwide

"Unlike many readers who will be reading this book, my family had the experience of Lanna's work one-on-one in our home. She used different organizing approaches and techniques with different members of the family. Now all are in this book. Organizing can be a primordial, gut-wrenching and finally a freeing experience. Read the book and find out for yourself how you and your family can take individualized approaches to get and stay organized!"

-Margret McBride
Co-author "THE ONE MINUTE APOLOGY" with Ken Blanchard

"Finally, a refreshing book that doesn't lump us all together and finds fun, yet effective solutions for each of us to deal with clutter on our own terms. A must!"

- Dr. Tom Hill
Founder of Eagle Institute
Co-author of "Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneurial Spirit"

"No wonder typical approaches haven't worked for me! I need to go vertical and visual! Perfect for us artistic, passionate, non-conformist types. If your desk or home is a mess, get this book. Lanna's fun quiz nails how we function. Her solutions fit perfectly! Problem solved!"

- Susan Scott
Author, "Fierce Conversations at Work & in Life - One Conversation at a Time"


	Organizing for Your Brain Type turns the task of managing your life into an enjoyable experience. Forbes.com GlobeAndMail.com Required Reading It's a sign of the times. There are so many clutter-busting books out there, they've become part of the problem. In the past couple of months, half a dozen guides promising transformation-by-filing have crossed my desk, only to end up gathering dust along with the unanswered mail and unwashed Gladware. The shame! I did try cracking one or two, but lines such as the following frightened me off: "Handle paper immediately. Take action, file or discard" (from Unclutter Your Life by Katharine Gibson). I did what I always did, which is push the clutter books into a pile of stuff I might need some day. Then a new book landed. Organizing for Your Brain Type posits the sensible idea that different kinds of people need different kinds of systems. According to the quiz at the beginning of the book, I'm an "innovating" type - as opposed to a "maintaining," "harmonizing" or "prioritizing" type. My lack of interest in filing cabinets, author Lanna Nakone says, is the fault of my creative, non-conformist right brain. She quotes Malcom Gladwell: "It isn't a sign of disorganization, but rather a sign of complexity." Phew. I am spared from the label maker, but a bigger desk would help, since I need to be able to see everything. Maybe a "harmonizing" friend could give me a hand. Oh right. There's advice for the other three types, too. But I don't have to read those bits. Sheree-Lee Olson Library Journal review for July 2005 NAKONE, LANNA. Organizing for Your Brain Type: Finding Your Own Solution to Managing Time, Paper, and Stuff.Griffin: St. Martin's. 2005. c.224p. ISBN 0-312-33977-1. pap. $13.95. SELF-HELP In this useful guide, professional organizer Nakone maintains that organizing systems work best when tailored to one's personality. A quiz at the beginning assigns readers to the maintaining, harmonizing, innovating, or prioritizing style. Nakone then describes the strengths and weaknesses of each type and matches a prescription for how that type can best manage time. For example, innovators see the big picture but put off handling life's little details. Nakone recommends that this person schedule one hour a week to straightening up paperwork. Since organization seems to be a fairly common problem, this book should do well in most libraries. Self-Help column by Deborah Bigelow "In Organizing for Your Brain Type, Lanna Nakone manages to take the task of organizing your life, a subject which seems dreary to many, and make it not only possible, but enjoyable as well. I laughed out loud; I cringed when I recognized my bad habits and then smiled when I discovered easy ways to solve them. I now understand why I do things the way I do, and how to make those traits work for me. My desk has never looked better!" Jim Brumm, Editor Napa Valley Life Magazine "Lanna teaches you a life skill with an understandable approach to how you think and how you can get organized." - Barry J. Izsak President, National Association of Professional Organizers "This very clever (and well-organized!) how-to, helps you to identify your personality type, and then gives you easy step-by-step solutions for getting and staying organized. It is instructional and revealing." - Lillian Vernon Founder, Lillian Vernon Corporation "Every busy person in the world doesn't have enough time to be totally organized. This book helps." -Ken Hamlet Former chairman and CEO of T.E.C. Worldwide "Unlike many readers who will be reading this book, my family had the experience of Lanna's work one-on-one in our home. She used different organizing approaches and techniques with different members of the family. Now all are in this book. Organizing can be a primordial, gut-wrenching and finally a freeing experience. Read the book and find out for yourself how you and your family can take individualized approaches to get and stay organized!" -Margret McBride Co-author "THE ONE MINUTE APOLOGY" with Ken Blanchard "Finally, a refreshing book that doesn't lump us all together and finds fun, yet effective solutions for each of us to deal with clutter on our own terms. A must!" - Dr. Tom Hill Founder of Eagle Institute Co-author of "Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneurial Spirit" "No wonder typical approaches haven't worked for me! I need to go vertical and visual! Perfect for us artistic, passionate, non-conformist types. If your desk or home is a mess, get this book. Lanna's fun quiz nails how we function. Her solutions fit perfectly! Problem solved!" - Susan Scott Author, "Fierce Conversations at Work & in Life - One Conversation at a Time"

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