They say that “practice makes perfect,” but sometimes even with practice, things don’t go quite as planned. Can you deal with being less than perfect? Or are your perfectionist tendencies preventing you from being happy? Take this quiz to find out.
1. Your intern is helping you set up for an important meeting and you notice that she’s lining up the chairs in crooked rows. How do you react?
a. Wait until she leaves the room and frantically rearrange the chairs so they’re perfectly aligned.
b. Show her the floor plan for the event and suggest that the two of you straighten up a few chairs.
c. Stay mum. They’re just chairs, after all.
2. Your little sister is visiting for the weekend. What are your plans?
a. You’ve already cleaned your apartment and typed up a weekend itinerary. You want to make sure she has a great time, so you’ve carefully planned out every minute of her visit.
b. You’ll treat her to brunch at your favorite restaurant, then let her call the shots for the rest of the weekend. After all, this trip should be about her, not you.
c. You don’t have any plans, and, frankly, you don’t really care.
3. You’re giving a presentation for a potential new client and their rep asks a question that you didn’t anticipate and don’t know how to answer. What’s your response?
a. You make something up but have a meltdown after the presentation. How could you have forgotten to research that angle?
b. Compliment the client for asking such an insightful question, and tell her you’ll need a little more time to compile some data. You’ll follow up in the next few days with additional information.
c. Shrug and quickly change the subject.
4. Your best friend is stressing out about her wedding, so you agree to handle the invitations for her. What’s your strategy?
a. Spend an entire weekend tying tiny white bows and hot-gluing fake flower petals to all 200 invitations. Martha Stewart has nothing on you!
b. Invite several of your mutual friends over to your apartment so you can address the envelopes (purchased already assembled) and catch up on each other’s lives. It’ll be fun and productive.
c. Shorthand it with an Evite. Not the most personal approach, but it does the job.
5. A project that your boss needs by Monday morning is taking a little longer than expected. What do you do?
a. Spend the weekend camped out in front of your laptop creating elaborate charts and full-color graphics to accompany the written portion of the project. You are so getting a promotion after this!
b. Check in with your boss on Friday and let her know that you’ll do everything you can to finish on time. Also ask her which components are most important, so you can focus on those.
c. Ditch the project and call in sick on Monday morning.
6. You’re getting ready for a night out when one of your dress straps snaps. How do you deal with your wardrobe malfunction?
a. Show up (fashionably) late to dinner because you took an extra 45 minutes to choose a different outfit and redo your makeup.
b. Hastily sew the strap back in place and arrive just in time for drinks.
c. Rip off the other strap so you can go strapless. Much sexier!
7. Your department has been asked to come up with a slogan for a new product. What happens during the brainstorming session?
a. You arrive with a proposed list of options and grow impatient when other people try to add suggestions.
b. You have a few ideas already but when someone suggests going in a different direction, you agree.
c. You doodle on your legal pad and let the people around you pull your weight.
8. You and your roommates are hosting a dinner party. What’s your role?
a. Buying matching plates, napkins, and flatware. Plus, writing place cards with a calligraphy pen and making a four-course Italian dinner. Your roommates wouldn’t know how to mix the pesto the way you do.
b. Helping your roommates plan the menu and making a pitcher of your famous sangria.
c. Breezing into the party halfway through dinner with a bottle of wine and a smirk. Like you’d be caught dead cooking!
Mostly A’s: Type A
Whether you’re making wedding invitations for a friend or working on a project at work, you won’t sleep until things are just right. It’s great that you strive for perfection, but you need to learn to let go. Sometimes it’s okay to be less than perfect.
Mostly B’s: Perfectly Balanced
You know when to go the extra mile and when to back off. You’re also willing to let other people call the shots, even if it means that things might not run as smoothly. Good for you! Keep up the good work and remember not to sweat the small stuff.
Mostly C’s: Oh-So-Apathetic
Your nonchalance is admirable, but you can afford to be a little more attentive. If it’s something that is important to other people in your life (your boss, your little sister, or your best friend), then you should put in the effort to do things right.
