As a textbook example of a Type A personality, I know the struggles of having the personality. I generally walk around like a wind up a doll and one little twist can send me on an impassioned rant. Of course this happens while I'm simultaneously doing homework, planning an even I'm hosting, and mentally scheduling what the next three months look like. Yes, the Type A life is an interesting challenge.
1. A State of Calm Is Not in Us
Calming down means being mildly pensive and only working on one thing at a time. When people tell me to calm down, I just sort of look at them and ask myself “How?”
2. A Watch is Our Best Friend
Not knowing what time it is adds panic to the state of panic Type As already live in. A watch is an easy way to know just how much longer until the next event and mentally plan how to use this time and how to cut down on time in this other thing and yeah, Type A's like time.
3. Schedules Are Life
What is an event or anything without a well-structured schedule?! What do you mean this is just a relaxing hang out? Isn’t there at least a general layout of how this evening is going to go? Schedules are how we navigate everything; please don’t leave a Type A hanging.
4.Never Show the 8,000 Emotions You’re Feeling at Once
Here’s the thing, we don’t really show it, but we feel a lot. Like everything in our life, this is usually at once. We have to work not to show it not because we think it’s bad; we just don’t understand exactly how to deal with it. It’s exhausting to always be internally questioning what we feel and why. It really does create another layer of complexity to understanding us.
5. There’s Always Work to be Done
Even when you think that there’s free time, there’s actually
something to be done. There are always those projects that are due in a few
weeks or that birthday next month you need to plan for. Never working is not an option, and relaxation is knowing that you've gotten a ton of work done today.
6. There is at Least One Internal Freak Out a Day
There is always something out of place or something that didn’t happen exactly according to schedule, and when those add up, internally we explode. It’s sort of like a ticking time bomb; any little thing that seems insignificant could cause a complete meltdown within us.
7. Perfection is the Only Answer
Even if others tell us our work is great, we know it isn't perfect and cannot accept it. I can’t even accept that the earth is an oblate spheroid instead of a perfect circle. We crave perfection and work tirelessly for it.
8. Getting Things Done Early is Getting Them Done On Time
In the great words of Leslie Knope, “If you’re not going to finish something three months early, then don’t accept the job.”
9. Am I Leading This? No. That Will Change.
We may start out accepting that someone else has the leadership role, but at the end of the day we will become leader, be it official or not. We will have our opinion known, and we will become the one who leads this project to perfection! Seriously, we can’t trust others to get things done the way they’re supposed to be.
10. Sleep is For the Weak
Sleep, like showers and eating, is simply a formality that gets in the way of production and work. Sure, the doctor recommends it, but sleep is time wasted. That's eight whole hours! That's enough time to write a novel, and you expect me to just lie there semi-conscious? Ha, sleep is simply an obstacle to productivity.
