Left-Handed Tricks for Organizing in a Right-Handed World

Left-handers unite!  Ok, I’m not actually left-handed, but I did use to practice writing with my left-hand to see if I could do it.  I also heard it’s a good exercise to keep one’s brain sharp.  I’m not sure if that’s true, but I am sure that left-handers have some unique challenges when it comes to setting up work stations and office spaces.  As Professional Organizers working with a wide range of clients, we Maniacs try to look at each space from the perspective of the person who will be using it.  Below is a list of left-handed tricks for organizing in a right-handed world.

Office Supplies

I was working with a left-handed client one afternoon but I didn’t know this until I tried to use her scissors.  For the life of me, I couldn’t get them to cut the paper!  This made me think about my other clients and how frustrating it must be to have to cut with their non-dominate hand and what other obstacles there are in the common office space.  Scissors, computer mice, notebooks, pens, and even staplers are often contoured to fit the right-handed user.  After a Google search or two I found there are a lot of tools out there to solve this problem. Amazon carries a lot of left-handed office supplies and there are specialty stores such as Lefty’s that carry both office and school supplies.

Placement of Items

A right-handed default would be to place frequently used items on the right side of a desk or arrange bins of the shelf from left to right to mimic our reading patterns.  However, studies show that left-handers often times have trouble following the typical left-to-right pattern and may in fact prefer their high traffic goods to be set up right-to-left.

Learning Styles

It’s likely that your left-handed client has been at some point forced to use their right-hand for tasks they would have preferred to use their left.  It’s also thought that left-handers use the right side of their brain for things like language which are generally found in the left hemisphere.  There is some debate on whether or not this means left-handers are more creative or visual than right-handers, but it certainly makes it worth considering your own learning style when setting up your office or study space.

Happy Left-handed Organizing!