Extrovert Management

Quarantine is not an easy time for extroverts. Cough...Toby.

And that includes my husband/father to my children/business partner.

Yep. Toby is an extrovert to the core.

He thrives off human contact and enjoys good conversation.

So, when we got holed up with quarantine, things went kinda dark in our household.

Toby no longer had an outlet to exert his energy and incessant questions coming from children don't count. Toby needs purpose, contact and connection.

As an introvert, I don't mind the time at home (in fact, I thrive off it). But I have had to navigate helping Toby through this time as an extrovert. Here's what I've learned:

1. He gets to go grocery shopping/essential shopping

Toby happily gets out of the house, even if it means lining up outside the grocery store. It gives him more opportunity to chat with people. I'm not making fun: he completely needs the connection time, even if it's with strangers.

2. He picks up the take-out

We try to get takeout once a week, and he goes on those pick-ups as well. One time, he went to O'Reilly's to grab our order. He returned 90 minutes later. I thanked the O'Reilly's owner later for chatting with Toby. Conversation lifts his spirits.

3. He needs a weekend project

While I'd happily sit inside the house all weekend, Toby. Goes. Crazy. He gets cranky when there's no purpose to the day. A good ol' fashioned garage cleaning or yard work does the trick.

4. Work phone calls don't help.

While I thought he'd embrace the conversation, work time and personal connections are different. That said, he does seem to enjoy Video Conferencing because it's an opportunity for face to face.

These are some tactics we've adopted to help our extrovert feel connected. If you're an extrovert or live with one, I've got to know: what have you done to help through this time?