Читать книгу Comfortable Chaos - Carolyn Harvey & Beth Herrild - Страница 18

If this is you, your mantra is “all things in moderation,” including chaos and excitement. You multitask well and can handle a fairly high level of chaos for short periods of time, but prefer moderate levels on an ongoing basis. You may be able to handle heavy chaos in one area of your life as long as you have order and calm in the others.

Carolyn is a classic example of a mid-range CFC. Working from her home, she likes the exhilaration of having multiple projects and enjoys hustling to meet deadlines. But she also is very aware of her need for pockets of time during the day where she can restore order to her desk and home and take a break from her to-do list. In fact for her, updating her to-do list is a form of taking a deep breath — as is cleaning up the kitchen countertops.

This way of operating now feels completely natural to Carolyn. But when she first took the CFC quiz, she was surprised because she had thought she would score as a high CFC. She realized that she had operated as a high CFC in her corporate jobs, but it was hard to get the pools of calm water she craved. Although she could operate as a high CFC, the mid-range is her natural preference.

Many mid-range CFCs tell us that if they get their “excitement quotient” met in one area of their lives, like work, they will purposely shift into a low CFC mode in another area, like home. We have also found in our interviews, that some mid-range CFCs were actually low CFCs who had moved their CFC along the continuum because of the fast pace and current norms of our society. They realize that in order to feel successful in this environment, they need to deal with a certain amount of chaos. They do what they need to, but may not necessarily like it.

Whether you are a true mid-range CFC or have moved your tolerance to this level, pay attention to your mood and energy level when planning your day. You may feel like working without interruption and laying the groundwork for upcoming tasks. Or if you are in a high CFC mood, tackle lots of projects and go full steam ahead. For day-to-day planning, structure your time with alternative periods of high intensity and low intensity. This way you will create the pools of calm water you need so that you can handle, and enjoy, your time in the rapids.