Informal

• You like keeping your options open, ready to change your plan as things evolve.
• You often underestimate how long things will take.
• You appreciate flexibility when scheduling things.
• You are often a bit late, having tried to squeeze too much into your schedule.
• Interruptions or last-minute changes don't freak you out.
• You troubleshoot well.
• You struggle with long projects or commitments, preferring variety and short-term tasks.
• You wish folks would be less hung up on getting things done on time and more focused on enjoying the process.

Formal

• You like working on a single task or project, seeing it from beginning to end before starting on something else.
• You get great pleasure from crossing an item off your to-do list.
• You are usually on time or early.
• You enjoy finishing up loose ends or tidying up before starting something new.
• You get overwhelmed and stressed when things keep changing, and you can't focus enough to get things accomplished.
• You are known to be dependable and good at following through on your commitments.
• If someone shows up late, you see them as disrespectful or unreliable.

Your relationship with time is wired upon birth and remains stable throughout your lifetime. You can develop skills to become more versatile, but when it comes to making a career choice, it's critical to consider your time-related preferences.

For example, emergency services personnel like firefighters and ambulance drivers have an informal relationship with time. They remain calm in a crisis, use their amazing ability to focus in the moment, and brilliantly take action under pressure. Other careers that support informal approaches to time include athletes, sales professionals, and lobbyists. 

If you have a formal relationship with time, you appreciate a more structured work environment, like elementary education, accounting, or public service in the government. You are attracted to a steady paycheck in a stable environment.



Other careers that capitalize on a more formal time preference include civil engineers, patent attorneys, and estimators. You work well within a clear structure, often satisfied to stay with a career direction for long periods of time.