There may not be a more fun way to procrastinate than surfing the web’s ever-expanding array of personality tests. To assist you in your work-avoiding/soul-searching, here’s a guide to finding yourself through a variety of filters, paradigms, and diagnostics. (For further reading check out Malcolm Gladwell’s New Yorker piece about the intricacies, applications, and pitfalls of such tests.)

Myers-Briggs: The classic personality test divvies people into 16 types delineated by four letters. Started by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers, it’s based on the theories of Carl Jung. It’s still in use by an increasing amount of companies using personality tests on job applicants. You can try it yourself at: personalitytest.com, humanmetrics.com, or similarminds.com.

Enneagram: Based on a nine-pointed star, the enneagram, also drawing on the work of Jung, divides people into nine archetypes or characters––from the Artist (type 4) to the Adventurer (type 7). Detailed profiles describe each point’s strengths and weakness. It gets very specific with subtypes, but you can get a general sense by taking the test free at EclecticEnergies.com or springing for the $10 official version at EnneagramInstitute.com.

Miscellaneous: You can take Llewellyn’s “Magical Personality Type” quiz to determine the mythical creatures and earth elements that best characterize you. More Cosmo-style tests exist at Tickle.com, ranging from What Kind of Coffee are You? to Do You Believe in Love at First Sight? A particularly beloved device is the Simpsons Personality Test, which helps you determine if you’re more an idealistic Lisa or a martyred Marge. There’s a color quiz that determines your type by the colors you like and eHarmony has a required (free) personality profile for its members that’s one of the richest and most revealing out there.

Photo by Leo Reynolds via flickr