Quiz

You invite six people to a dinner party, to take place in two weeks. Then, you...

Question 1 of 15

You invite six people to a dinner party, to take place in two weeks. Then, you...

• Plan an impressive meal made from scratch and are up until 2:00 a.m. the night before preparing it.
• Give it no further thought until the day before, then spend 24 hours frantically cleaning, shopping and cooking.
• Fret about whether the recipes will work out and whether your guests will enjoy them.
• Spend days searching for splashy recipes and shopping for unusual ingredients, cooking and cleaning.
• Panic the morning of the party because one guest calls to say she's come down with the flu and can't make it.

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To you, an organized schedule is:

Question 2 of 15

To you, an organized schedule is:

• A tool that helps reduce your anxiety about the day's tasks and responsibilities.
• Sacrosanct. Changing appointments or deadlines makes you feel disorganized and off-kilter.
• Critical for juggling a vast number of tasks, projects and commitments.
• A bit of a fantasy: you often make one, only to have it derailed by unexpected demands.
• A good thing, of course, but can create anxiety about deadlines: you like to keep time frames a bit open-ended.

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A friend asks you to join the fundraising committee of a worthy local charity. You:

Question 3 of 15

A friend asks you to join the fundraising committee of a worthy local charity. You:

• Tell her you'll think about it; you hate to tell her you can't find the time when you know the other members are as busy as you are.
• Agree. Someone's got to do it, and you'll manage to fit it in around work, caring for your three children, coaching your daughter's soccer team and sewing the dresses for your niece's wedding party.
• Decline. The committee meets Wednesday nights, which you spend studying for your French class the next evening.
• Agree, although you prefer working on your own to working with committees; that way things get done properly.
• Are torn: the idea of fundraising makes you anxious, but you're afraid your friend might resent you for saying no.

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Your workout regimen of choice is:

Question 4 of 15

Your workout regimen of choice is:

• Aerobic and other exercises that you hope will help disease and other health problems.
• A competitive sport such as hockey -- you love having a goal (i.e., winning).
• The 12:15 exercise class at your gym.
• A brisk early-morning walk or run before the kids get up.
• Whichever one you've just taken up, because this is the one that you can, finally, stay committed to.

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To make up for some unexpected overtime, your boss suggests you take the day off work tomorrow! You...

Question 5 of 15

To make up for some unexpected overtime, your boss suggests you take the day off work tomorrow! You...

• Immediately plan every minute, then spend the day running errands that are tough to get done on weekends.
• Make a long mental list of things you'd like to do, but afterwards feel disappointed that you didn't get much done.
• Wonder if your job is in jeopardy. Could your role be that necessary if you can just abandon it for a day?
• Decide to take work home with you, since the extra time will allow you to really make that report shine!
• Know you should be delighted, but actually feel a bit discombobulated: it will be weird not to not come into the office on a weekday.

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You decide to take a night class in memoir-writing. Typically, you...

Question 6 of 15

You decide to take a night class in memoir-writing. Typically, you...

• Worry that your memoirs or comments will sound foolish to the rest of the class.
• Stay up late the night before every class, polishing and repolishing your work.
• Frequently skip the class because you weren't able to finish the assignment.
• Resent the time that reading the novels takes from your other commitments.
• Are dismayed when the class time is switched to a different day.

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Which of these weekday scenarios sounds most familiar?

Question 7 of 15

Which of these weekday scenarios sounds most familiar?

• The first to get up in the morning, you make coffee, get breakfast on the table, make sure the kids are packed for school and review your to-do list for the day.
• You leap out of bed later than you'd wanted to, frantically feed the kids while ironing your blouse and eventually fly out the door, probably having forgotten something.
• You wake up in a near-panic, worrying about some project that's due this week.
• You rise earlier than you really need to so that you have time to grill your child on her exam questions once more or proofread a report you're delivering that day.
• You get up at precisely the same time as every day; any changes in your morning routine can have an impact that lasts the entire day.

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Your child's report card indicates some problem areas. You immediately:

Question 8 of 15

Your child's report card indicates some problem areas. You immediately:

• Worry that he'll fail in school, drop out and become a teenage criminal.
• Enrol him in twice-weekly tutoring sessions in every subject.
• Juggle your work schedule so that you can help him with homework every night.
• Decide to help him with homework more, but have no idea where you'll find the time.
• Call his teacher: this is so unusual you're lost as to what to do.

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Imagine that an evil genie appears suddenly and demands all your belongings, allowing you to keep just one. Which of these would it be?

Question 9 of 15

Imagine that an evil genie appears suddenly and demands all your belongings, allowing you to keep just one. Which of these would it be?

• Appointment planner/organizer
• Cell phone
• First-aid kit
• Watch (with a second hand!)
• This notion so disturbs me, I couldn't pick one thing.

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A colleague asks for help on a project that's due by 4 p.m. Your day is fully committed to work of your own. You:

Question 10 of 15

A colleague asks for help on a project that's due by 4 p.m. Your day is fully committed to work of your own. You:

• Help him immediately. Now, your own schedule is so disrupted that you end the day frazzled and behind.
• Tell him you're sorry; he'll have to ask someone else.
• Agree to help, deciding to take one of your projects home to finish this evening.
• Tell him you'll help him at 3:00 when your own work is done, then spend the rest of the day fretting about his project and yours.
• Help him with the project, but spend the rest of the day feeling resentful because you don't have time to do your own work well.

• Action Submit

Vacations are wonderful, of course. But if there's one thing about them that you find stressful, it is:

Question 11 of 15

Vacations are wonderful, of course. But if there's one thing about them that you find stressful, it is:

• Darting around the last two days before your departure, finishing up errands, doing the laundry, picking up essentials and trying to remember everything you need to pack.
• Making sure everyone on the trip is having fun, and trying to see and do everything there is to see and do.
• Worrying about the safety of your home and belongings, or that you'll be sick/injured/robbed in a strange place.
• The first day or two, when you're trying to adjust to a new routine or lodgings.
• Thinking about the work that is piling up at home while you're lazing about enjoying yourself.

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If you won a huge lottery, you would:

Question 12 of 15

If you won a huge lottery, you would:

• Quit your job and retire to a seaside cottage where life would be absolutely calm and predictable.
• Immediately hire a lawyer and an accountant. You've heard those stories of how winning a lottery ruined people's lives.
• Pay off debts and hire a housekeeper, cook and personal secretary.
• Put away enough for your children's post-secondary education and take a nice, long, relaxing vacation.
• Make a big dream come true - the perfect house, the kitchen reno you've always imagined, the ideal back garden.

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You are meeting a friend for lunch. Fifteen minutes after the time you agreed to meet, she still hasn't shown up. You are:

Question 13 of 15

You are meeting a friend for lunch. Fifteen minutes after the time you agreed to meet, she still hasn't shown up. You are:

• Irritated, since the delay means you'll have to reschedule the rest of the day's appointments.
• Relieved; you were 10 minutes late, yourself.
• Fearful: she must have had an accident! Is that an ambulance you hear?
• Embarrassed. Could you have gotten the time wrong, or given her the wrong address?
• Dismayed - you hate to be late getting back to the office.

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When it comes to your health, you:

Question 14 of 15

When it comes to your health, you:

• Google every minor symptom you have, convinced l that it indicates some dread disease.
• Make detailed lists of discussion points prior to every appointment with your health professional.
• Stay up to date with health news, and keep meticulous records of your and your family's medical appointments, test results, vaccinations and medications.
• Think you had a full medical checkup this year. Or was it last year? And you know you should book a mammogram, but who has time?
• Maintain a strict regimen of good nutrition, exercise and other healthful habits to guarantee your future good health.

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Which of these descriptions best describes how you feel about your life?

Question 15 of 15

Which of these descriptions best describes how you feel about your life?

• I'm happiest when everything's going as planned; unexpected changes or last-minute surprises upset me.
• I'm proud of how much I get done and the things I'm involved in, but it takes a lot of organization and focus (and sometimes late nights) to juggle it all.
• So far, so good - but I do seem to worry a lot about what I'd do if I or a loved one got sick, or I lost my job.
• I seem to be always trying to catch my breath - flying from one task to the next, putting out fires and dealing with fresh responsibilities that come at the last minute.
• By-and-large I'm content, but I frequently wonder if I could be handling things better, making more money or doing a better job at work or at home.

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The results are:

The results are:

• Your Stress Personality: Organizationally Challenged
  
  You're a busy woman with a full life. However, you probably believe that you would love your life more if it felt a bit more in control. Making lists and schedules can bring a level of order and predictability to your day, but only if you learn to keep them handy, update them constantly and create them reasonably. For example, be realistic about your time: don't book two dental appointments, a haircut and soccer practice the same day you're hosting the book club. Learn to say no, and say it more often. And plan for at least some time every day to just be still and catch your breath. You'll be surprised at how it can give you a better, more relaxed perspective and make your load more manageable. (For a calming, three-minute break any time of the day, check out our desk yoga series.)

• Your Stress Personality: Worry Wart
  
  Regardless of how well organized you are or the number of commitments you have, you tend to add complication - and stress - by fretting: imagining things that could go wrong and planning for innumerable "What ifs." You might even think that not worrying about mishaps will cause them to happen! Needless to say, this essentially pessimistic attitude saps emotional and mental energy. Try to catch yourself drifting into negative thoughts, or "catastrophizing" (focusing on the worst possible outcome) -- and then redirect your thinking. Meditation can help keep you calm, in the moment and positive.

• Your Stress Personality: Perfectionist
  
  No question, your dedication to doing your absolute best in all areas of your life has stood you in good stead. Alas, your relentless (self-inflicted) focus on flawless results isn't just stress-inducing in itself. In addition, it can drive you to spend so much time on one project that it distracts you from other important items on your to-do list, which in turn raises your stress level because you can't address them properly. Whew! No lesser genius than Leonardo da Vinci said, "Art is never finished, only abandoned." You need to let go, too. When you're scheduling tasks for yourself, it may help to assign a strict time allotment to each, and stick to it.

• Your Stress Personality: Ms. Rigid
  
  Chances are, you're a very well-organized woman indeed. Maybe a bit too much so? While it's great to have routines and schedules, not being able to cope with the occasional curve ball (and they're inevitable in life!) can be extremely stressful. In fact, resilience - the ability to bounce back from setbacks and seamlessly incorporate changes-in-plans into your day - is a key component of mental health. You can build your bounce-back factor by committing to try something new once a week, taking a deep breath when something unplanned knocks your routine off the rails and shaking up your regular routine once in a while. Sometimes, people fall into rigid patterns because it gives them a sense of power and control; but experts suggest there are healthier ways to empower yourself.

• Your Stress Personality: Superwoman
  
  You are the classic have-it-all, do-it-all, highly organized mom-and-career-woman, who still finds time to chair the school Parents' Council meeting and make bread from scratch. While you do pack a lot into life, the downside is that you never have any downtime to catch your breath and reflect. You probably have difficulty saying "no" to people, even when you feel you don't have enough time for what you have on your plate now. Remind yourself once in a while that life is a menu, not a buffet (i.e., you need to make choices and set priorities rather than sampling everything.) You'll find that abandoning some projects makes others -- and life in general -- more fulfilling. And less stressful. Need some help? Learn how to be your own life coach.