How Knowing My MBTI Helped Me Optimise My Work Life in Marketing
I never thought a personality test would help me make sense of my marketing career… but here we are.
After years of feeling like I was quietly thriving behind the scenes while the louder voices led the charge, I finally took the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test and landed on ISFJ.
Suddenly, it all clicked.
ISFJ stands for Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Judging, also known as "The Defender." We’re empathetic, detail-focused, calm in the chaos, and often the glue that holds a team together.
We don’t always shout the loudest, but we care deeply, work hard, and show up consistently. In a fast-paced, idea-saturated world like marketing, it turns out being an ISFJ can be a quiet superpower. Reading the description of this does make me cringe a bit…
What is MBTI?
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is one of the most widely used personality frameworks in the world.
It’s based on the idea that we all have natural preferences in how we perceive the world and make decisions. It splits people into 16 personality types, based on four pairs of traits:
→ Introversion (I) or Extraversion (E): Where you get your energy from
→ Sensing (S) or Intuition (N): How you take in information
→ Thinking (T) or Feeling (F): How you make decisions
→ Judging (J) or Perceiving (P): How you interact with the world around you
When you combine your preferences in each of these areas, you get your MBTI type, like ISFJ, ENFP, or INTJ.
It’s not a rigid box or a life sentence. It’s more of a mirror: a tool to help you better understand how you operate, and how you might relate to others.
Tip: If you’re interested in seeing what your results may be - There’s a lot of websites out there that offer the MBTI tests that take 30 minutes to complete - to only allow you to see your results if you sign up to their mailing list and give over a kidney, you can cut through that and ask ChatGPT or Perplexity to give you the quiz instead.
Understanding the ISFJ at Work
According to my results - As an ISFJ, I’m at my best when there’s structure, purpose, and space to do deep work. I thrive on clarity, whether that’s a campaign plan, a well-organised content calendar, or a clear brief. I find a strange sense of joy in making complex ideas digestible and ensuring nothing (and no one) falls through the cracks.
But being ISFJ in a creative industry also comes with its challenges. We can burn out trying to keep everything running smoothly. We may not always speak up first in brainstorms, even if we have a great idea. And we sometimes say yes too often, because we want to help (hiiii, boundary issues!).
MBTI and Marketing: Where Your Type Might Fit
Every MBTI type brings something different to the marketing table:
→ ENFPs bring energy and big-picture ideas, they’re great at campaign launches and brand storytelling
→ INTJs are strategic and analytical, think SEO, data, and long-term growth planning
→ ISFPs are aesthetic and hands-on, perfect for design, social, and content creation
→ ISFJs (Me!) We excel at consistency, brand guardianship, email marketing, and behind-the-scenes structure that keeps the machine moving
Knowing your type can help you lean into your natural strengths, and make peace with the areas that drain you.
Not everyone has to be the loudest in the room to make an impact. Sometimes, the impact is in the structure around the room.
How I Optimise My Workflow as an ISFJ
Here’s what works for me:
Templates are my best friend. From content calendars to email formats, having go-to structures saves me time and brain space, I heavily rely on Canva templates that allow me to copy, paste and rejig to suit the contents needs.
Solo deep work = gold. I allocate days in a week to target different aspects of my role - I.E, Tuesday’s are my content creation days, Thursdays are my Marketing Dev days (I refer to it as my ‘big brain time’ day) and so on, from there I block out my time to plan campaigns or write content without interruption.
Human-first always. I bring empathy into every piece of work where possible, if I’m writing social copy for a post I need to consider the wording, make sure I’m not being offensive (such as not using the word ‘master’ when talking about an entry-level course in a field that takes years to become a skilled medic in that field).
I track everything. I use spreadsheets, Monday, sticky notes, you name it. Externalising the chaos helps me stay calm and clear.
This combo lets me stay grounded even when the creative chaos kicks off… Which, let’s face it, is often.
Finding Your Marketing Flow (Based on Your MBTI)
Your MBTI type simply shines a light on what makes you tick.
When you know how you work best, you can:
→ Choose the right role or specialism in marketing
→ Create habits that reduce burnout
→ Communicate better with your team
→ Say yes to the right projects (and no to the ones that drain you)
We’re all wired differently, and thank god for that. A team of 10 ISFJs might have the cleanest Monday board in history, but someone’s got to throw wild ideas at the wall too.
Final Thoughts
Personality tests aren’t everything, but they can be powerful tools for self-awareness.
Knowing I’m an ISFJ helped me stop comparing myself to louder, faster voices, and start appreciating the value I bring just by being me.
If you know your MBTI, start asking: how does this show up in my work? And if you don’t, maybe it’s time to find out.
Your workflow (and your wellbeing) might just thank you for it.
I don’t really have any references to put here, but here’s some useful links about MBTI:
https://www.verywellmind.com/the-myers-briggs-type-indicator-2795583
https://www.simplypsychology.org/the-myers-briggs-type-indicator.html
