Aaron Fedor
We like to think of her as the patron saint of introverts.
But amidst all the new and exciting things projects Cain is taking on, including starting a company and designing smarter office spaces for the working world's quieter types, we began to wonder: How does the person who helps introverts help herself?
What does a typical day look like for our patron saint?
Though Cain says the idea of a "typical" day makes her go "um," she was nice enough to come up with a basic outline.
"I remember when I was writing 'Quiet,' I didn't even own a daily calendar - I didn't need one," she says. "My schedule consisted of: Write and research 'Quiet.' That was a very blissful time."
These days, things look a little different:
7 a.m.-8:30 a.m.: Hang out with my family.
8:30 a.m.-12 p.m.: Head for library or cafe for blissful time, alone with my laptop, in a state of flow, with a latte on hand. Look around periodically and think: "I can't believe how beautiful this library/cafe is." (I choose my work locales very carefully). Then think, I can't believe how lucky I am to do work that I love so much.
12 p.m.-1 p.m.: Answer reader mail. Share especially poignant or inspiring stories (with names removed) with various Quiet Revolution colleagues, so we can all remember why we do this work.
1 p.m.-3:30 p.m.: I usually schedule meetings and media interviews for afternoons. I'm pretty fanatical about scheduling them in chunks, back to back, thereby preserving the rest of the day for flow-time and family.
3:30 p.m.-7 p.m.: Kids get home from school/camp, and it's dedicated family time.*
7 p.m.: In the early evening, I try to go for a run or get in a quick game of tennis. Then it's back for the kids' bedtime.
8:30 p.m.: After the kids go to bed, I usually hang out with my husband or go back to work.
* "Also, a few times a year I try to like cooking," Cain says. "This happens to be one of those times. So tonight will involve my attempt to make Moroccan chicken."