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Frequently Asked Questions => EASY => Topic started by: Lªuren on July 04, 2006, 13:30:15 pm

Title: What is your WPQ? (Are you a planner or a winger?)
Post by: Lªuren on July 04, 2006, 13:30:15 pm
Some of us are planners by nature, others like to live on the edge and totally wing it, and most are somewhere in the middle. What about you? To find out, I’ve devised a brief question¬naire that can help you figure out where you fall on the Wing It/Plan It continuum. Each item is based on what I’ve seen in the homes of the many different families I’ve met over the last twenty years. By observing how parents keep house and conduct their aaiiy lives, I can pretty much tell how well they’ll adapt to a struc¬tured routine once the baby arrives.


To find out your WPQ (Wing It/Plan It quotient), add up your scores and divide by 12. Your total score will range somewhere between 1 and 5, which indicates where you fall on the continuum. Why is this important? If you’re too much at either extreme, you might be one of those parents who initially has trouble with my E.A.S.Y. method, either because you’re a bit on the rigid side or too laissez-faire. That doesn’t mean you can’t implement a structured routine, only that you might have to give a little more thought and patience to E.A.S.Y. than parents who fall somewhere in the middle. The descriptions below explain your score and what challenges you might face:




WPQ (wing it/Plan it Quotient)

For each question, answer by chosing the number that best describes you. Use the following key;

5 = Always
4= Usually yes
3= Sometimes
2 = Usually No
1 = Never


1.  I live by a schedule
2.  I prefer people to call before they drop in
3.  After shopping or laundry, I immediately put everything away
4.  I prioritise my daily and weekly tasks
5.  My desk is very organised
6.  I shop weekly for food and other supplies I know I will need
7.  I hate it when people are late
8.  I am careful not to overbook myself
9.  Before starting a project, I lay out whatever I'm going to use
10.I clean out and organise my closets at regular intervals
11.When I finish a chore, I put away whatever I was using
12.I plan ahead   




5 to 4: You’re probably a very organised person. You have a place for everything and like everything in its place. I’m sure you have no trouble with the idea of a structured routine-_you even wel¬come it. You might find it difficult, though, to incorporate flexibility into your day and/or to make changes in your usual practices that factor in your baby’s temperament and needs.

4 to 3: You’re fairly organised, although you tend not to be a fanatic about neatness or structure. Sometimes you let the house or your office space get a bit cluttered, but you eventually put things away, straighten up, file, or do whatever else is needed to restore order. You probably will have a relatively stress-free time put-ting your baby on E.A.S.Y. And because you seem to be somewhat flexible already, you won’t have trouble adapting if your baby has other ideas.

3 to 2:
You tend to be a little scattered and disorganised, but you’re far from a lost cause. To manage a structured routine, you may ac¬tually need to write down your routine so that you don’t lose track. Note the exact times every day when your baby eats, plays, and sleeps. You might also want to make lists of things you need to do. (On page 62, I’ve provided a form to help you.) The good news for you is that you’re already used to a little chaos, so life with Baby might not be that much of a surprise.

2 to 1:
You’re a real winger, a type. Managing a structured routine is going to be somewhat of a challenge. You definitely have to write everything down, which means a radical change in your lifestyle. But guess what? Having a baby is just that radical!


Taken from Secrets of the Baby Whisperer