Brain Dominance
Right vs. Left Brain Toolbox
Know your brain. Plan your way.
Years ago, when we lived in Tyler, Texas, my husband and I would head to Oklahoma to visit family. I’d always ask, “Which way are we going?”
To him, it sounded like I was trying to be in control. I wasn’t. I just needed to see it. Were we going up through Dallas? Or winding our way up from East Texas through the back roads? Once I could visualize the route in my mind, I could relax.
That’s what being a right-brained person feels like. I needed the big picture before I could move forward.
Sadly, I didn’t know any of this when I was an elementary school teacher in my late 20s.
I had the best intentions, but I couldn’t figure out why certain students were constantly asking, “What are we doing next? What’s after this?”
Now I get it.
The left-brained kids? They were fine. They handled one step at a time. But the right-brained kids? The right-brained kids were asking questions because they needed to understand the whole picture in order to relax and feel safe enough to begin. If I had known, I could have started the day off with an overview of it.
Left Brain Toolbox
Know your brain. Plan your way.
🔘Left-Brained (Logical) Thinker
🔘Thinks in steps, sequences, and order
🔘Loves structure, checklists, and routines
🔘Learns best with words, numbers, and repetition
🔘Prefers quiet, focused, linear work
🔘Excellent at breaking things into parts
🔘Comfortable with abstract thinking and analysis
🔘Likes knowing what’s next
🔘Finishes tasks in order and on time
🔘Rarely needs the big picture to get started
🔘Gets overwhelmed when things are vague or unstructured
Right Brain Toolbox
Know your brain. Plan your way.
🔘Right-Brained (Gestalt) Thinker
🔘Strong emotional intuition
🔘Learns by doing, touching, and feeling
🔘May struggle with step-by-step instructions
🔘Adds task as they go; they had the big idea, not the full plan
🔘Feels deeply but can’t always explain it
🔘Great with creativity, empathy, and spontaneous insight
🔘Hates being boxed in—give them space to figure it out their way
🔘Often feels scatterbrained when using left-brain tools
🔘Needs the big picture to get started
Planning Tips Based on Brain Dominance
Don’t try to be the brain you’re not.
Right-brained people love the idea of being “list people,” but trying to squeeze yourself into a left-brained system will eventually make you feel behind, broken, or just stuck.
Left-brained people don’t usually try to go right-brained. Left-brained people would never say, “I’d really like to just stare at the whole puzzle first—then I’ll start filling in the corners.” They’re too busy labeling the corners and timing themselves.)
Stick to your natural tools.
If you’ve always worked digitally, don’t force yourself into paper planners just because someone said it’s better. And if you’re a paper person, don’t try to manage your life in Trello or Notion.
Start in the modality where your brain is most productive and run with it.
Why This Matters
Knowing how your brain works helps you build systems that actually work for you.
If you’re left-brained, start with structured to-do lists, logical steps, and tidy boxes.
If you’re right-brained, please take a moment and visualize the whole puzzle first—then start writing your list.
It’s not about fitting into one box or the other. It’s about understanding your natural tendencies so you can stop fighting what doesn’t work.
When you understand your Brain Dominances, you can finally build systems that work with you, not against you.