Every now and then, a friend shares a link on Facebook that is totally relatable and describes me better than I can sometimes describe myself.  Tonight, my friend Amy shared a link titled “11 Things Every ‘Type A’ Person Wants You To Know”  and I couldn’t help but immediately identify with the list of things that author Lindsay Holmes identifies at the attributes of Type A individuals.  Here is a condensed version of Holmes’ list (for the full version, follow this link:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/11/type-a-frustrations_n_7213668.html ) and how I think each one of them relates to me.

1. We’re not impatient, just efficient. It’s true that I absolutely loathe activities that waste my time (waiting in lines, slow traffic as described by Holmes).  Even as I type this now, my keyboard keeps freezing and slowing down my writing process, and it’s driving me crazy!  Although most people use the line “Ain’t nobody got time for that” as a joke, I honestly believe in it.  Don’t waste my time, or we can’t be friends. And if you’re driving slow in front of me…. well let’s not even go there…

2. Arriving late to anything is agonizing. I’ve never been able to understand how people can constantly arrive late for things.  Some people (such as my husband) like to wait until the very last minute to leave for events and this just drives me insane!  Whether it’s a wedding or a dentist appointment, I like to be on time, if not several minutes early.  I know the frustration of having my time wasted (see above comment) and therefore don’t like to waste anybody else’s time either by being late for an event.  Also, the stress of leaving late and then hurrying to get there just isn’t worth it, if you ask me.                       

3. We live by to-do lists. I am definitely the kind of person who writes to-do lists for my to-do lists.  As you may have noticed, I even have a category on this blog called Lists which should tell you how much I love them.  There’s not much that I find more satisfying than writing a list and checking off each item as it’s completed.  I will admit, I’ve even been one of those people who add things to my to-do list after they’re already completed, for the sole satisfaction of being able to place that neat, tiny little check mark beside it.  Whether it’s a grocery list, a list of household chores, ideas for my classroom, or even a bucket list, I love, love, love to-do lists.

4.  Each task we’re assigned is urgent.  To me, this goes along with the point about being efficient.  If there is a task that needs to get done, there’s no time like the present to complete it (after all, then I can hurry over to my to-do list and happily check it off). But seriously though, procrastination irks me.  Work, and then play – that’s my motto.  I can’t truly enjoy myself if I know there are “tasks” that need to be done, therefore there’s generally a feeling of urgency  when it comes to completing them.

5. We’re extremely goal-oriented. I would say that’s a pretty accurate description of myself.  Throughout my life, I have set goals and have worked hard to complete them, both big and small.  While there are always challenges in reaching any goal, I like to think that my stubborn streak and determination is what helps me in overcoming them.  Whether it’s losing weight, passing a class, or finding Mr. Right, when I set a goal, I am bound to meet it.

6. It’s hard for us to relax.  I am pretty sure I’ve already written about this in a former blog post, as I am well aware that I can not relax easily. Again, this goes back to the idea mentioned above about a sense of urgency with anything and everything that needs to be done.  Like most Type As, my to-do list is never-ending and since I can’t relax until all the tasks are completed, I often find myself in a vicious cycle of feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and unable to relax. I do acknowledge this as a potential hazard to my mental state and have it written on a to-do list somewhere to take more yoga and learn how to meditate 😉

7. We get stressed out easily. Along with the difficulty in relaxing and the never-ending lists of tasks that need to be done now, comes the obvious fact that Type As get stressed out easily.  Blame it on the pressure we put on ourselves, our constant strive for perfection, or our slight anal-retentiveness, but I think we can safely say that most Type As live in a constant state of stress.

8. We have nervous habits.  At first, I thought this was one of the few points that didn’t directly relate to me.  Until I read Holme’s first example: hair twirling.  Yep.  And her second example: nail biting.  Yep.  I guess this article is even more accurate than I had first assumed.

9. We’re emotional. Now here’s one I can relate to.  I used to like to describe myself as laid-back until I really understood what the term meant and then got to know myself better.  I am not laidback.  In fact, I am usually pretty high-strung, and I am always emotional.  I wear my heart on my sleeve and cry a lot.  And once the emotions start running high, it’s nearly impossible for me to get control of them.  Usually I end up in some kind of teary, snotty, irrational and uncontrollable mess.  So when Holmes’ says we’re emotional, I say, amen sister and thanks for the understatement.

10. We’re constantly ruminating over something. Like the emotional spirals I send myself into, I often cause undue stress to myself by worrying about things that are out of my control.  I believe this relates directly to Type As’ need to control everything.  If it’s something I know that I can’t have complete control over, I tend to worry.  If you don’t believe me, just ask my husband who constantly has to reassure me and get me thinking rationally again.

11. We have a competitive side. I always thought that my competitive streak was because I am a Sagittarius but I can also see how being Type A makes me competitive.  I can vividly remember those girls in gym class who preferred to pick dandelions in the field instead of playing their positions in our baseball games and how much it used to irritate me.  And now, my Mom gets annoyed with me because I yell at the TV during baseball games.  Sorry, Mom, it’s not me, it’s the Type A 🙂

 

So there you have it.  If there was ever any doubt that I am a Type A, I think we can safely say that it’s been squashed.

Oh and remember that point that was made earlier about each task being urgent? Well, although I was feeling pretty tired about halfway through writing this post and really should have just saved my work to finish tomorrow, I felt much too unsettled to leave it incomplete and therefore forced myself to stay awake to finish it.  Check.

Also, my keyboard is still freezing on me. So annoying.