Are you an Introvert or an Extrovert? Or maybe an Ambivert? Many people have not heard of Ambivert, but a study performed at the University of Maryland determined that “Ambiverts make up the majority of the population, nearly 68%”. This study was discussed in an article on Medium about how your personality style can be exploited to boost your productivity.

For those of you still wondering what an ambivert is, it is someone who falls between introvert and Extrovert. One who may act comfortably like an introvert one day, then sweep to extroversion the next day and then settle back down into easy neutral.

Luckily, these are categories into which you can easily sort yourself, but it is important to note that which style you are can change throughout your life due to various factors.

If you were one of many children and found yourself introverted growing up, you may suddenly learn how exciting it is to be extroverted when more independence and freedom is gained in school. Our community manager at WorkHive, Taylor, reflects “It was the opposite for me. I was quite extroverted throughout my younger years until college in which I became much more introspective and reserved.”

Consider this shift in your work or your small business. It is common for introverted individuals to design products or start businesses but then force themselves to become extroverted or at least ambiverted for the sake of networking, marketing, sales, and recruiting.

That change can be quite challenging, though. This is why the aforementioned article provides a helpful list of suggestions for each personality type to be successful in their respective workplaces. A few examples from the article include:

Introverts:

• “Control your environment: The open floor plan was created to foster collaboration, but along with ease of communication comes your neighbor’s dubstep music and dozens of daily side conversations. The open floor plan doesn’t work for everyone, so don’t feel stuck at your desk. If you need quiet time, seek out a calm office corner or cafe. Or, ask your office manager to designate quiet rooms specifically for people to concentrate.”

Extroverts:

• “Seek out activity: A quiet office can be deafening. You need the white noise of music, chatter, and movement to get the creative juices flowing. If you aren’t feeling inspired at your desk, slip out to a coffee shop. Yes, just like your counterparts (the introverts), a coffee shop can work for any personality type. After all, who can say no to coffee and pastries while working? Another option: take a break, get outside, and walk around the block. Sometimes all you need is a change of scenery to feel refreshed.”

Ambiverts:

• “Experiment and find what works for you: Depending on where you fall on the introvert and extrovert spectrum, you may find that some of the above tips resonate more with you. Or, your mood may change depending on the day. Pick and choose from tips for both introverts and extroverts to find what suits you. Or, you could try them all out and see what works.”

WorkHive is unique in that it maintains such a low level of ambient volume despite the high number of desks and overall square footage, which plays well to an introvert’s productivity, while offering offices, conference rooms, phone booths, and a great variety of coffee shops and restaurants nearby to accommodate the extroverts’ need for socializing and movement. For ambiverts, it’s the best of both worlds.

What personality type are you? And how does it affect your productivity at your respective workplace? What can you do to make that workplace serve your personality more effectively?