Organized vs. Unorganized Personality Traits

Whether a person tends to be unorganized vs. organized has a big impact on their work style, productivity, and results. But it's not a case of just slobs vs. neat freaks. Most of us fall somewhere on a spectrum between disorganized and organized employees, and there are pros and cons to both styles of working.

Let's take a look at what it means to be organized at work (or not!) and how this personality trait affects an employee's performance in the workplace.

What is an unorganized personality?

At their most extreme, unorganized employees may forget about meetings (or show up late), miss deadlines, and lose track of assignments. A messy desk is another sign of a disorganized person.

But many employees who tend to be disorganized won't be that extreme, and the most successful will have found ways to cope with their tendency towards disorganization. For example, a naturally disorganized employee might rely on writing everything down in a calendar, taking good notes during meetings, or setting reminders for themselves about big deadlines.

In fact, some of the world's best thinkers have had famously messy desks (think: Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, and Steve Jobs).

Disorganized personality types are often more focused on the big picture rather than small details, so they can be very creative thinkers who bring a fresh perspective to the workplace.

What are the characteristics of an unorganized worker?

There are varying degrees of disorganization, and most people who tend to be disorganized won't exhibit all of these signs. However, you likely are working with an unorganized person if you notice:

The employee has a messy desk or workspace.
You have to remind the employee about important tasks and deadlines.
The person is often late, or sometimes misses meetings, even if their schedule isn't full.
They rely on a calendar and reminders, not because they enjoy being orderly, but because it's a strategy for dealing with their disorganized tendencies.
They grow frustrated with rigid systems of organization if it affects their natural workflow.

How to work with an unorganized person

Working with an unorganized person can look very different depending on the person's role, level, experience, and other personality traits. Here are some ideas you can keep in mind when managing a disorganized personality type.

How to train an unorganized person

In training a disorganized personality type, you will want to instill a new mindset and habit, creating systems and structure that support a more productive work style.

Make sure the information is easy to find. Notes and write-ups can be really helpful for disorganized employees to refer back to, but they need to be easily accessible.
Consider a central wiki, employee handbook, or training resource rather than sending out one-off emails or hard copies.

How to motivate an unorganized person

An unorganized person may struggle with reaching their goals and may wrestle with frustration. You can motivate them by understanding what might matter to them personally, and then showing them how a systematic and organized approach can benefit them.

Help them understand how the little details and tasks fit in with the big picture. Project timelines and checklists can help make it clear how everything fits together.
Allow unorganized people opportunities to be unorganized when it doesn't impact others or the project. If they're turning things in on time and communicating clearly, think about whether you really need them to adopt additional organization strategies or if it just comes down to preference or work style.

How to give feedback to an unorganized person

If you start with criticism, the employee may shut down, either refusing to hear what you have to say or internally building their defenses and counter arguments. Strategies that are thoughtful and constructive work better.

Harvard Business Review recommends reflecting on the real impact of the disorganization. Missed deadlines have a real business cost, but if a messy desk just bothers you personally, you may need to let it go.
Make it clear when there is a cost to the disorganization. For example, if the employee is constantly behind schedule getting work done for another team, let them know the impact that has on the other team's schedule.
When you follow up on problems, ask: “How can we make sure this doesn't happen again?” The answer should be a concrete solution (like setting additional reminders or using a different way to track organization), rather than a vague “do better next time.”
Make sure to have regular one-on-one check-ins. Afterwards, send a follow-up email with the main points and action items — or ask the employee to complete that step. This type of help leaves a paper trail of feedback and clearly outlines expectations.

ChatGPT prompts for a performance review of an unorganized employee

Using AI tools is a great way to quickly create feedback that is objective, insightful, and data-driven. AI does the heavy lifting so that you can put your energy into personalizing the feedback.

Sample HR prompt for an unorganized personality:

I would like to provide feedback to an employee during their performance review. This employee has an unorganized personality and tends to lose track of time and tasks, leading to missed meetings and deadlines. They're very capable in their role as a web developer, but I'd like to see them grow their soft skills more by being more focused and organized. Can you share 3-4 sentences about this for their review?

Sample AI-generated response:

“You're highly skilled and capable in your role as a web developer, and your technical contributions are invaluable to the team. However, there have been instances where missed meetings and deadlines have impacted the flow of our projects. I believe with more focus on time management and organization, you could elevate your performance even further. Developing these soft skills will not only help with your current responsibilities, but also enhance your overall effectiveness in future roles.”

Sample HR prompts for direct supervisors to help coach an employee with a disorganized personality on how to show more focus and organization at work include:

How can I balance positive feedback with suggestions for improvement in a performance review for an employee who is disorganized?
Can you help me set realistic goals for an unorganized employee to improve their performance over the next quarter?
What specific examples can I give to an employee to show how their disorganization is affecting the team's productivity?

Good jobs for people with an unorganized personality

A person with an unorganized personality will thrive in roles that offer flexibility and the chance to be creative. Jobs that don't require a strict routine are ideal. These include:

Photographer
Graphic designer
Writer
Musician
Sales representative
Entrepreneur
Chef
Bartender

What is the opposite of an unorganized person?

On the other end of the spectrum, you have people with employees who are organized.

What is an organized personality?

Just as disorganized people fall along a spectrum, so do organized people. What does it mean to be organized? The typical organized person is neat, prompt, and detail-oriented. They tend to show up to meetings on time (or five minutes early). They're able to keep track of complicated systems and large amounts of data.

At their most extreme, organized people may fall into “perfectionist” tendencies that cause them to lose sight of the bigger picture or fail to prioritize efficiently. However, organization is often a big asset that makes employees more effective, reliable, and in-control.

Many people with organized personality traits are Type D personalities. (Read more about the four personality types here.)

What are the characteristics of an organized worker?

Here are a few signs that an employee tends to be organized:

The employee's desk or workspace is neat and tidy.
You don't have to remind them of deadlines, tasks, or procedures.
They have a system for most information they deal with, whether that's on paper, in a spreadsheet, or following another method.

How to work with an organized person

Organized people can bring big benefits to their teams when they're well supported and given the space they need to keep on top of their own organization.

How to train an organized person

Training that makes the best use of the strengths that organized people possess, yet helps them become more adaptable, is most effective.

Be organized yourself. If you jump all over a topic, don't allow time for notes (or provide notes), or don't have all the right materials on hand, organized people will have a hard time focusing on the content of what you're saying.
Be sure to emphasize priorities. If certain tasks are of low importance and can be pushed back or stopped when other deadlines are approaching, for example, make this clear. Organized people are more likely to stress over getting it all done on time.

How to motivate an organized person

Focusing an organized person on accomplishing goals is a matter of aligning those goals with the tasks and responsibilities of their roles.

Organized people need the time, space, and resources required to be organized. They work best when they have the time they need to get their ducks in a row.
Project timelines and completion checklists are a great way to keep your entire team on-task, but an organized person will be especially motivated by checking off the steps in order.

How to give feedback to an organized person

An organized person appreciates it when you acknowledge their strengths as part of providing constructive guidance.

Organized people are often detail-oriented and may lose sight of the forest for the trees. In feedback, be sure to take a step back and talk about how smaller tasks contribute to a whole.
Organized people are more likely to be perfectionists. If so, they may need feedback on time management and clarity on prioritization. If they do a low-importance task that just needs to be “good enough” and they do it to perfection, but it's not a good use of time and resources, make sure to address that issue. Be clear that the quality of the work isn't an issue (quite the opposite), but that it's about using resources efficiently.

ChatGPT prompts for a performance review of an organized employee

Use AI to develop objective, data-driven feedback that highlights the strengths of an organized employee, while identifying areas for growth. You can then focus on personalizing the evaluation.

Sample HR prompt for an organized personality:

I would like to provide feedback to an employee during their performance review. This employee has an organized personality and tends to work on all tasks to perfection, leading to issues with time management and prioritization. They're very capable in their role as an administrative assistant, but I'd like to see them grow their soft skills more by using resources more efficiently. Can you share 3-4 sentences about this for their review?

Sample AI-generated response:

“You have a strong ability to stay organized and are detail-oriented, which is a great asset to the team. However, your focus on perfecting every task has occasionally affected your time management and prioritization, leading to delays. I encourage you to work on balancing your attention to detail with efficiency, using available resources to complete tasks within set timeframes. By doing so, you'll enhance your productivity and be even more effective in your role.”

Sample HR prompts for direct supervisors to help coach an employee with an organized personality on how to improve their time management and prioritization skills at work include:

How can I provide balanced feedback to an employee who is highly organized but struggles with perfectionism?
Can you help me create development goals for an employee who is excellent at organization but needs to improve time management?
Can you help me set performance improvement goals for an employee who is very detail-oriented but could use more flexibility in their workflow?

Good jobs for organized people

Roles that require attention to detail, the ability to effectively manage time, and naturally think in a systematic way, are well-suited to people that fall into an organized personality type. See good examples of jobs for organized people below.

Project manager
Administrative assistant
Event planner
Accountant
Operations manager
Librarian
Legal assistant
Human resources manager

Which is a better worker: someone who is organized vs. disorganized?

While we tend to think of being disorganized as a negative, there are many roles where these employees will thrive. And if your workplace culture involves a lot of change and an ability to thrive in chaos, the disorganized person might be a better fit!

On the other hand, there are also many roles where organization skills really are crucial — or where someone who is organized will be a lot happier. For example, an executive assistant's tasks are all about organization, details, and follow-through.

For most roles, an organized vs. disorganized personality trait shouldn't be your main criteria. However, knowing which way your candidates trend can help you ask the right questions, especially if the role demands a high level of organization.

It also depends on what other personality traits the person has. Read our other personality trait descriptions for a more complete picture.