We all have that friend, yes ‘that’ friend. The one who is always trying to plan things, the one gets upset if you don’t respond fast enough, the one who knows exactly what they want to do with their life, you get the point. If you’re reading (*cough cough* or writing this) and thinking “huh, that sounds a lot like me” chances are you are the type-A person in your friend group. That is by no means a bad thing! Here is a comprehensive list of how to deal with your type-A friend.
1. How to make plans
Let’s be honest, the chances that your type-A friends is going to be the one to reach out first about hanging out are pretty high. When they do reach out do not respond with “yeah, I would love to hang out soon!” Soon is not an actual date, which will drive your friend crazy! Reply with a few different times you are free in the next week or two. Trust me, you will be making them the happiest person ever.
Another way to make plans with your type-A friends is to be the one two reach out first! People with type-A personalities tend to be very organized and punctual, but frankly it gets exhausting to always be the one to reach out to make plans. Give your friend a break and ask them to hang out to show them that you care about them.
*Note: Hello to all of my fellow type-A people reading this, my suggestion to you when making plans with friends is to not get annoyed when someone isn’t as organized as you are. I’m not going to lie, it can feel like your friend is not as invested in the relationship as you are when you’re always the one initiating and making plans. Nine times out of ten that couldn’t be any further from the truth! Your friends love and care about you and they probably don’t even realize that you’re always the one making plans. If it really bothers you, talk to your friends and ask them to make the plans every once in a while!
2. How to respond to texts
The chances that your type-A friend is impatiently waiting by their phone for you to reply is highly likely. So here are a few things that will prevent you from getting a text-chain of messages asking why you’re not responding. Turn off your read-receipts: its just all around bad news if your friend sees that you read the message but chose not to respond. If you don’t have time to respond, use a Tapback. Tapback is a feature on iPhones that allows you to like, dislike, love, emphasise, or laugh at a message with a single tap. This is an easy and fast way to respond to your friend!
3. Type-A People: How to deal with your less organized friends
My people, just know that I appreciate how much of an insistent planner you are but that’s not to say your other friends don’t! It takes most people a few years into adulthood to develop the skills necessary to plan and communicate effectively. Be patient with your friends and try not to get frustrated when they aren’t as on-top of things as you are. My recommendation to you is that if their lack of communication really bothers you, talk to them! They’re your friend they should understand where you’re coming from. Now, that’s not to say they will get any better at planning and responding but it will make them more cognizant of it. Your brain is just ahead of the game!
Overall the most important thing for everyone is to come from a place of understanding. Type-A people, be patient, and everyone else, just try and put it a little bit of extra effort. It will go a long way, I promise.