This week I took all three surveys created to give individuals insight into their habits and attitudes around stress. It was quite apparent based on my results that I tend to lean more Type A than Type B. In my opinion, this diagnosis makes sense. Aligned with the description of Type A, I often overwork and overbook myself when it comes to my education and work. This frequently leaves me feeling overwhelmed and, sometimes, incapable of finishing all of the tasks on my daily to do lists. For example, in order to finish both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 4 years, I had to enroll in an average of 20 credits per term for the last year. Not only this, but I also am financially independent, meaning that I must work between 20 and 30 hours per week in order to cover expenses like rent, tuition, etc. My tendency to overbook myself is usually sustainable due to my organizational skills and dislike of wasting time. That being said however, this often leaves me anxious and highly focused on my goals, preventing me from taking part in many relaxing and balanced activities. 

After consulting some external sources, I have found a bits of information that can help a type A individual sustain a more balanced lifestyle and advice for people who are managers of individuals with strong type A personalities. 

Advice for Type A Individuals:

1. It is important for type A individuals to recognize their habits and likely responses to specific situations (Babcock, 2023).
2. Proactively identify methods of stress relief that can be used in times of need. Often people who are Type A like to respond to certain signals with certain tasks. Having a stress relief plan can be helpful (Babcock, 2023).

Advice for managers with Type A Employees: 

1. Recognize that often, the negative traits associated with Type A personalities are innate and outside the realm of control for the individual. Extend extra patience with interacting with these employees (Uzair, 2018).
2. Recognize the fact that employee traits can be complimentary, not everyone needs to poses the same characteristics. Creating a team with a variety of strengths will be helpful in the long run (Uzair, 2018).

Babcock, J. (2023, February 21). How to find balance with a type A personality. Leaders.com. https://leaders.com/articles/leadership/type-a-personality/ Uzair, M. (2018). Crucial tips to deal with type A personality at work!. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/crucial-tips-deal-type-personality-work-mir-uzair/