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Have you ever picked up one of the popular best-selling self-help books that promise to make you more effective at work? Or maybe you’ve gravitated toward one offering advice on honing your leadership skills. In any case, did it occur to you as you poured over the book that it seemed to be speaking to a single audience? That is, it seemed to presume that all readers thought about the world in the same way, were capable of imagining solutions based on a similar set of skills or, for that matter, possessed the same basic capabilities.

That assumption just intuitively seems to be in error. People don’t think about the world the same way, don’t imagine the same set of solutions to problems and don’t have the same capabilities. That’s why a recent article in Psychology Junkie offering tips to improve your daily life is so intriguing. It features different tips based on your Myers-Brings personality type.

As a little refresher, Isabel Briggs Myers and her mother, Katharine Briggs, identified four different ways of perceiving and judging the world which in various combinations form basic 16 personality types.

• Extraversion vs. Introversion
• Sensing vs. Intuition
• Thinking vs. Feeling
• Judging vs. Perceiving

Writing for Psychology Junkie, Susan Storm offers advice for developing 16 micro-habits directed to the 16 personality types. She adds that each micro-habit might also be valuable for other personality types, but the premise is that each personality type will identify most closely with the one directed to them specifically.

For example, one bit of advice — “Do One Thing You’ve Been Avoiding” — is directed to INTPs (the Introversion/Intuition/Thinking/Perceiving personality). The logic behind this tip is that INTPs are prone to analyzing the complexity of a situation to the point that they put off minor tasks. This procrastination can be counter-productive, so one way to break that cycle is to simply commit to doing something (almost anything) that you’ve been avoiding in order to develop a new micro-habit.

Another example is directed to the ENTJ (Extraversion/Intuition/Thinking/Judging personality). This personality is a natural leader with ambition and drive. The drawback to this personality type is that they can ignore the need to recharge and group. The tip for them: “Sit In Silence for a Few Minutes Each Day.” It just may help them de-stress and even allow for recognition of new insights or ideas.

If you’re not sure of which personality type you are, Storm’s article includes a link to a personality questionnaire — or you can take the questionnaire here. The only caveat is that you’ll need to give Psychology Junkie your email address to receive the result of the questionnaire.  

Taking simple steps to change or establish a micro-habit is an excellent way to improve productivity in your professional life — and increase satisfaction with your personal life. Read Storm’s complete article here, with all 16 micro-habits.