Are you a categorical or contextual thinker?
From Judith Kolberg’s blog post called Category is King: “I think chronically disorganized people tend to think contextually rather than categorically. Contextual-thinking means considering the situation or meaning that surrounds an item in order to file or retrieve it. Categorical-thinking means storing and finding information and items based on what it is called not its context.”
I took the above from her blog, but first read it in her newsletter. In the newsletter, she went on to tell about an ADD client’s three file drawers called: “Keeping People Off My Back”, “Me”, and “Staying Out of Jail”. For real! Talk about thinking outside the box. A lot of organizers work with people with ADD ( I wonder how many organizers have ADD???) and I know not all of them can wrap their order-loving heads around how an ADD brain functions. I’m always fascinated to read about solutions for organizing that are totally outside the organizing 101 box.
Also in the newsletter, she made a direct connection between contextual thinking and the ADD mind. Most of the people I work with deal better with a contextual-based info system. I think the categoricals can break down the steps to methodically get themselves organized.
I saw Judith speak at a NAPO conference in October. Funny sense of humor, hers. Rather on the dry side–just my style. She’s also written several books on organization as well as solutions for ADD folk. She’s contributed quite a bit to the industry–thank you!



