Organizational philosophies: visible vs put away
January 15, 2019 11:15 AM Subscribe
Trying to remember where I heard that people are divided into two organizational philosophies: those who like things displayed so they can find them and those who prefer things filed but hidden so they can find them.
Someone recently insisted that this wasn’t a thing and since I’m having trouble googling it, help me figure out if I’m misremembering or if it is indeed a thing.
Someone recently insisted that this wasn’t a thing and since I’m having trouble googling it, help me figure out if I’m misremembering or if it is indeed a thing.
Best answer: The last letter in a Myers Briggs Type Inventory refers to how people prefer to structure their world, Js on one end of a continuum and Ps on the other. I once heard the distinction referred to as Filers (Js) vs Pilers (Ps). It's a real thing if you think the MBTI is credible.
Personally, I find it useful, but YMMV.
posted by angiep at 11:49 AM on January 15, 2019 [3 favorites]
Personally, I find it useful, but YMMV.
posted by angiep at 11:49 AM on January 15, 2019 [3 favorites]
When I tried a session with a professional organizer in the late 90s, she called me a "visual organizer". But googling that term now seems to give mind mapping study guides, so I don't know if it was just her personal phrasing.
It did make me realize that I don't trust that I will be able to lay my hands on a thing, unless I can see it all the time. If the thing belongs in a drawer but I think I will need it any time soon I leave it on my work surface instead. Until my work surface has so many things on it I can't find anything. So I've gone to pegboards for tools and clear boxes for things that can't hang up as much as I can, and that means I have less piles.
posted by buildmyworld at 12:48 PM on January 15, 2019 [2 favorites]
It did make me realize that I don't trust that I will be able to lay my hands on a thing, unless I can see it all the time. If the thing belongs in a drawer but I think I will need it any time soon I leave it on my work surface instead. Until my work surface has so many things on it I can't find anything. So I've gone to pegboards for tools and clear boxes for things that can't hang up as much as I can, and that means I have less piles.
posted by buildmyworld at 12:48 PM on January 15, 2019 [2 favorites]
The euphemism I sometimes use, which I remember getting from some pop psych article at some point, is "horizontal organizing style" — as in "everything I own is spread out horizontally across all available surfaces." If that sounds familiar maybe google the phrase to see if articles turn up.
posted by nebulawindphone at 12:51 PM on January 15, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by nebulawindphone at 12:51 PM on January 15, 2019 [3 favorites]
"Out of Sight, Out of Mind" is an old saying because it is true for some people but it is not true for everyone. I agree with you and with dancing leaves that this is an odd thing for them to deny. Googling for proof might be difficult, but I think the term "visual clutter" might be good and maybe even "a place for everything and everything in its place".
posted by soelo at 1:50 PM on January 15, 2019
posted by soelo at 1:50 PM on January 15, 2019
I googled "organizing styles" and got this, which lists multiple organizing perosnalities including "everything out" - meaning keeping things visible where they can be easily found - vs "nothing out" - keeping things out of sight.
There are several other hits including this Washington Post article that looks interesting and that I can't access thanks to the paywall. Maybe you'll be able to get through.
posted by bunderful at 6:23 PM on January 15, 2019 [1 favorite]
There are several other hits including this Washington Post article that looks interesting and that I can't access thanks to the paywall. Maybe you'll be able to get through.
posted by bunderful at 6:23 PM on January 15, 2019 [1 favorite]
> "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" is an old saying because it is true for some people but it is not true for everyone.
I hadn't thought about it, but this is a key part of how I keep track of my things: I get the sense that a lot of people put things away so they can stop thinking about them but I do the opposite more often than not.
I tend to have trouble remembering where I put something or if I remembered to bring it with me. Being reminded of its physical presence lets me stop thinking about it because I don't have to spend the mental effort of keeping track of where it is.
posted by cwill at 8:13 AM on January 16, 2019
I hadn't thought about it, but this is a key part of how I keep track of my things: I get the sense that a lot of people put things away so they can stop thinking about them but I do the opposite more often than not.
I tend to have trouble remembering where I put something or if I remembered to bring it with me. Being reminded of its physical presence lets me stop thinking about it because I don't have to spend the mental effort of keeping track of where it is.
posted by cwill at 8:13 AM on January 16, 2019
As someone who can't remember the existence of objects if they're not visible, this is totally a thing. I've seen it discussed as right-brain vs left-brain organizing styles. I can't find any formal articles about it at the moment, but I know of at least a couple of books on the subject that talk about using open storage, storing things near where they are most frequently used, keeping papers in piles instead of shut away in filing cabinets, etc. that are basically about not putting stuff where it will be forgotten for the sake of being tidy.
posted by camyram at 1:05 PM on January 16, 2019
posted by camyram at 1:05 PM on January 16, 2019
Response by poster: I think the “pilers vs. filers” dichotomy is what I was looking for.
I asked this question because a coworker laughed in my face when I brought up the concept.
Thank you all for confirming that I wasn’t making this up.
posted by sciencegeek at 4:09 AM on January 17, 2019
I asked this question because a coworker laughed in my face when I brought up the concept.
Thank you all for confirming that I wasn’t making this up.
posted by sciencegeek at 4:09 AM on January 17, 2019
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posted by neroli at 11:29 AM on January 15, 2019 [1 favorite]