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In today's labor market, maximizing your productivity is more important than ever. Whether you're trying to survive a round of layoffs or just working with fewer support staff than usual, making the most of your time is essential. However, maximizing productivity is something we all do in different ways. Some of us are inclined to micromanage our time, scheduling every minute of the day and adhering closely to lists and schedules. If you're familiar with Myers Briggs personality type concepts, you probably recognize these people as Judging types.

With news about the economy growing more dire each day, you may be wondering how well your job will fare in a recession. Some industries have already been hit hard: real estate agents, mortgage lenders, construction workers, and others in the housing industry are likely to be searching for their next move.

The boom economy of the past few years brought me many clients who were doing well financially--in some cases, very well--but felt a longing for more satisfaction in their work. They had good salaries and job security, but didn't feel fulfilled by what they were doing. They took the MBTI and other career assessments to try to find what was missing, and often our work together helped them understand why a "good job" wasn't making them happy. They realized that some of their dreams had been pushed aside as they saw the opportunity for financial gain in a strong labor market.

Intuitive Thinking personality types are the most likely of all of the types to be argumentative, according to research led by Donald Loffredo, Ed.D, at the University of Houston. ENTJs in particular tended to score as highly argumentative. Intuitive types are more likely to approach argument as a means of exploring possibilities, while Thinking types often enjoy argument as an exercise to think things out logically and analyze a situation. Thinkers are also less likely than Feeling types to get emotionally involved in an argument, and so are more likely to approach conflict without reservations.

Recently, Time Magazine published an article about the happiest workers (and unhappiest workers!) in America. The happiest workers? Clergy, followed closely by firefighters. This may seem an odd combo, but consider how fulfilled people in these careers must feel in their work. Connecting to God and a congregation, saving lives in crisis... sounds like a recipe for happiness to me!

Okay, analyzing presidential candidates' personality types is interesting and instructive, but perhaps it's time for something a little more lighthearted? After sifting through the superhero movie deluge this summer, I started thinking about our iconic heroes and their personality styles. Some are more apparent than others, but here are my guesses.

Everyone's doing it--from Slate to Keirsey, journalists and type professionals are all weighing in on the personality types of John McCain and Barack Obama. The writers at Keirsey.com, including Dr. Keirsey himself, argue that personality type has exerted a powerful force in presidential elections over the history of our nation. He makes a case for the idea that Sensors have an advantage when communicating with their constituents because they tend to be more concrete and factual.

If you're a true Myers Briggs nerd (as I'm afraid I am) you find yourself trying to type people wherever you go--and that includes in the movie theater! Here are my thoughts on the Myers-Briggs type of some of our most famous summer movie heroes.