The right brained office is actually going to look very different than the left brained office. If you have ever wondered what your office says about you, your right brain or left brain probably holds the answer. If you really think, it’s likely that your office shouts out whether you are a right-brain or left-brain dominant person. One of the quickest ways to improve your productivity is by setting up a workspace supportive of your dominant brain style.

RIGHT- BRAIN RATIONALE

The right-brained person usually has a creative flair, a strong visual sensibility and a holistic approach to putting space together. The right-brain person benefits from a workspace that uses lots of color along with options for keeping work papers out in the open. Tools such as literature sorters, project file boxes and Smead Open Rolling Files give a right-brained person the visual cues they need while keeping papers contained and organized. These options avoid the out-of-sight, out-of-mind syndrome that pushes a right-brained person to create piles instead of files.

Another good method for the right brained office is the use of attractive and colorful file folders, magazine holders, binders and portfolios. This will inspire the right-brained person to organize with products that create a visually stimulating environment. The right-brained person will not only better remember where info is stored; they’ll actually enjoy using these artistic tools.

LEFT- BRAIN LOGIC

While the right-brain dominant person works better with everything out in the open, the left-brain dominant person does better in a well ordered workspace with everything behind closed doors except for the task at hand. Left-brain oriented persons do best when a logical home has been established for everything. They thrive on tools such as divided desk drawer trays, wire step files and labelers.

Since the left-brain identifies easily with either a numbered or lettered index system for filing information, a Smead Desk File Sorter with numbered days of the month is a good choice for sorting and storing categories of information in a file drawer. Suggested categories to contain include upcoming meeting materials or daily To-Do’s prioritized by day of action. Likewise the left-brained will appreciate that the lettered version of the sorter keeps everything from client invoices to vendor catalogs organized yet easily accessible while still out of sight in a file drawer.

WHERE MINDS MEET

Even though there are differences in what works for a right-brain vs. left-brain office, there is one strategy that works in both – the color coded filing system. Using color in files to designate categories of information appeals to the right-brain design mind, while the left-brain benefits from the part-to-whole nature of color groupings. Both will love the sheer impossibility color brings for misfiling documents. Smead Viewables Labeling System makes fast work of setting up a color coded system. Fourteen color options provide enough selection for the discriminating right-brained and left-brained will embrace the easy to use, step by step process.

Whether you favor the right-brain or the left-brain, making changes to support your preferences and dominant style will keep your thinking focused, creative and productive.

by Louise Kurzeka