A concept that I will always believe is that the more you know about yourself, the easier time you’ll have doing just about anything. One thing most people may not have articulated about themselves is their mental processing style — are you an external or an internal processor?
I realized a little while ago that I’m an external processor, and specifically a verbal processor — which I used to call talk thinking before I learned better. This realization has helped me understand why certain work situations felt challenging and others energizing.
Understanding my natural processing style has dramatically improve how I work, communicate, and solve problems. Whether you realize it or not, how you process information affects nearly everything you do — from how you approach meetings to how you write content and collaborate with others.
Let’s get into the two mental processing styles and systems that each style can use to make their workflows smoother.
The two processing styles: external and internal
Most people fall into one of two categories when it comes to processing information:
External processors: These thinkers clarify their thoughts by expressing them outwardly. They often need to speak their ideas to fully understand them and find clarity emerges during conversation rather than before it. If you prefer talking through problems or feel that your thoughts become clearer once you’ve shared them, you’re likely an external processor.
Internal processors: These thinkers develop their ideas thoroughly within their own minds before sharing. They prefer quiet reflection and typically present more polished thoughts. If you need time alone to think before meetings or if interruptions disrupt your thinking flow, you’re probably an internal processor.
Neither style is better – they’re simply different approaches to processing information. What matters is recognizing your natural tendency and creating systems that work with it rather than against it.
Which style are you?
Reading the definitions, you may already have a strong sense of which processing style you are. In which case, you can move on from here. If not, here are a few signs you can use to help you identify whether you are an internal or external processor.
Work and productivity systems for each processing style
By understanding and working with my natural processing style instead of against it, I’ve been able to set up systems that play to my strengths rather than forcing myself into workflows that don’t align with how I think.
Systems for external processors
Knowing I’m an external processor, I’ve been adjusting my systems accordingly to set myself up for success in several areas of work and life. Here are some approaches that work well for external processors:
Recording meetings: When possible, I record my meetings so I can have a written account of my verbal processing later. This is useful not only for notes and assigning myself tasks, but also because I can reread what I said and use that to keep thinking through ideas and problems with more specific thoughts.
Voice memos to writing: If I need to do any writing, I usually start by talking first. I’ll either use the Mac shortcut to start speaking my message directly, or if I don’t know what I’m saying yet, I’ll record an audio clip in Apple Notes and talk it over. I can then look at the transcript to pull out the main message, or give the transcript to AI and prompt it to summarize or analyze it from there.
Collaborative thinking: Finding thinking partners who understand your style can be incredibly helpful. The people I collaborate with most closely know that I’m a verbal processor. If I’m trying to process something that is a bit more complex, I can ask someone else to jump on a call with me and help me process.
Setting context cues: I’ve learned to announce “I’m thinking out loud” or “I need to talk through this quickly” to help others understand that I’m still processing and haven’t reached a conclusion.
Systems for internal processors
If you’re an internal processor, your systems will look different, but the principle remains the same: design your work to complement your thinking style. For example:
Buffer time between meetings: Create space to process before and after meetings. This gives you time to prepare thoughts in advance and digest information afterward.
Dedicated thinking spaces: Establish quiet zones for uninterrupted reflection. This might be a specific room, a favorite coffee shop, or even a particular chair that signals to your brain it’s time to think.
Preparing thoughts ahead of time: Take time to organize your ideas before important conversations so you can present them clearly and confidently.
Request agendas in advance: Prepare mentally for upcoming discussions by knowing what topics will be covered.
The superpower isn’t the systems, it’s the self-knowledge
The super power in this situation is not the systems themselves, but knowing yourself well enough to know what kind of processing works best for you and then proactively setting yourself up to do that processing when you need to.
By understanding your processing style, you can:
- Design your work environment to complement your thinking style.
- Reduce miscommunications with colleagues by being clear about how you process.
- Use this knowledge to your advance and play to your strengths every day at work.
Understanding my processing style has truly unlocked my productivity with content creation and helped me show up better in meetings because I’m clear that I’m thinking our loud and not making decisions just yet. It’s also helped me better understand others and make space for them to process either verbally with me or on their own if they need to internally process. This truly feels like a shortcut to better productivity and collaboration.
These systems work for me but different ones might be better for you — if you have any that come to mind, comment and let me know which strategies have been most effective for your thinking style.