Optimizing for Introverts

I did a Myers Briggs personality test a long time ago, though I can’t remember the final outcome. I can say with some certainty that I was more at home on the Extrovert side of the Attitudes dichotomy than on the Introvert side.

Turns out that Es like me have it easy. Penelope Trunk has a great post up today about Leverage the advantages of being an introvert at work that references Laurie Helgoe‘s book Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life is Your Hidden Strength. Unfortunately for all the Is out there, who apparently make up 57% of the workforce, the workplace is heavily optimized for extroverts like me. (Not sure what you are? Penelope provides a link to a great little Am I an Introvert? quiz).

Penelope has five great tips for optimizing your workplace for introverts. My favorite:

5. Take control of your work.
One of the most popular professions for introverts is being a writer. What this means is that there is a lot of information written about what work is well-suited for an introvert. Here is a list of ways to make an office that will help introverts excel.

There’s almost nothing as important as doing what you love and are well suited to. Life is too short to spend hating every day. Find your sweet spot and, as Gary Vaynerchuk would say, CRUSH IT!