I find humans fascinating. I suppose that’s one of the reasons I love writing. I like creating characters that are both like and unlike me. I’ve always said that my dream job would be to follow someone different around every week just to see what their life is like. I want to know all about why they make the decisions that they do. I’m not even just interested in famous people; I’d love to see what the average person’s life is like.
That’s also a reason I love doing personality or behavioural type quizzes and courses. The Myers-Briggs is one of the most well known tests used for trying to better understand ourselves and others. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) puts you into one of 16 types within four categories.
My personality type is the Defender (an Introverted, Observant, Feeling and Judging (ISFJ)). I thought it would be interesting to delve a little deeper into this and figure out if I could restructure my daily routine in a way that would work best with my personality type.
After a bit of a Google, it seems that my personality type can benefit from a morning routine that includes:
- Meditation or prayer
- Writing a to-do list to organise your day
- Working out
- Tracking your time to ensure regular breaks and time to clear your head
As it turns out, I try to do all of these things anyway.
Meditation or Prayer
As you may have read in my book The Boring Job Project, I’ve tried to give meditation a go but it just hasn’t worked for me. However, I find praying to be an extremely helpful tool in remembering to put God first and remembering what you are thankful for. I’ve also started writing what I’m thankful for on a Post It so I can save them and look over them at the end of the year.
Writing a To-Do List
Anyone who knows me well knows that I cannot function without my planner. Every morning (or sometimes the night before), I like to work out all the tasks I need to do for the day. This keeps my terrible memory in check and keeps me on track for organising my household and working on my writing.
Working Out
It’s very important for me to work out five or six times per week for at least 30 minutes with a cool down stretch included. Due to injuries and general ageing, I will be in pain if I don’t exercise for a few days in a row. This could mean going for a walk or doing some weights or a dance workout. Putting my workout in my morning routine always makes me feel energised for the day and pleased that I’ve ticked something off my to-do list.
Ensuring Regular Breaks
I like to break up my day into what I can do while the babies are awake and what I need to do while they are asleep. During their nap time, I like to have some relaxation time for myself since night times are usually a hectic display of getting dinner ready and eaten, and getting everyone into the shower and into bed.
Taking at least a half hour break to eat properly and read or watch something during their nap time helps me to feel like I’ve had me time and stops me from being so stressed out.
What’s your MBTI personality type? Do you think it’s useful to have a morning routine that works well with your personality type?
ANNE NOVEK 
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