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I was far more productive when I thought I was an INTJ.

[INTJ] 
3K views 42 replies 33 participants last post by  with water 
#1 ·
I dislike this phenomenon. I'm not sure how to interpret this. Just the belief made me far more deliberate and useful. -__-
 
#3 ·
It's possible that you placed higher expectations on yourself as an INTJ, and once you decided/realized (why?) that you are ENFP, you relaxed your standards, or accepted yourself in all your ENFP glory :tongue:
Either way, it's clear that the ability to be more deliberate and "useful" is in you, since you operated with those tools before. Knowing that should be enough to motivate you to utilize these tools again, in your own way.
 
#5 ·
Well, the prior-posters in this thread have mentioned what I think is the most likely cause. Still though, it demonstrates that you have the capabilities to be productive and if you wish to return to being productive, I'm sure you most certainly can. Whatever you believed before is irrelevant as you know you have those capabilities.

If you wish to be more productive, perhaps clarify what that would look like (an easily measurable goal) and then identify the next immediate physical steps to reaching that goal (such as setting an hour aside each night for reading or practicing scheduling work). Once you have the identified steps and the clarified goal, all that's left is to complete those steps and measure your success.
 
#9 ·
^^^^

Couldn't have said it better.
 
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#13 ·
maybe you just thought you were being more productive when you thought you were an intj. personally, i've never been given to think i was anything else, but i've never had that specific delusion myself.
 
#14 ·
Historically, my favorite whipping girl has been myself. When I was very young, I was such a perfectionist, I spent all my play time sorting and organizing my toys rather than enjoying them. In my relative youth, I callously labeled myself things like "failed student", "overeducated slacker", "frustrated perfectionist", and "defeated Type-A".

The more I said these nasty things to myself, the more I believed them, and -- self-fulfilling prophecy -- the more I failed.

And then I turned 40. No, seriously. I'm not gonna get too-too schmoopy and existential on you. Something actually changed in me right around my big 4-0.

Now, if I feel like a failure, frustrated, or defeated about some part of me, obviously I went wrong. I know that. So what? Forgive myself; nobody else is gonna do it. Quit dwelling on it; I potentially have less of my life ahead of me than behind, and living in the past isn't doing me any favors (and, sadly, we don't have hoverboards let alone time traveling DeLoreans to fix this crap properly). Learn from it; yay for learning. Next.

Forgive. Learn. Move on.

Respective of your original post... If there are facets of INTJ to which you aspire, and at which you feel you've (no baggage, this is just a word) failed, set them up and knock them out. Today is just as good as yesterday to start.

Unless you've got Doc Brown gettin' down on a flux capacitor build in the garage, of course.

No? Dang it!

-Sadie
 
#18 ·
I know the feeling, mate. I also dropped out of physics shortly after I realized I wasn't an INTP.
 
#24 · (Edited)
I don't get how this follows at all lol.
Is this assuming that you have to be an NT or NTP to be good at physics?

edit: Or, rather, that you need those 'requisite traits' to be good at it?
Or did you perhaps go into physics because you thought an INTP would be good at it?
I fail to understand this.
 
#19 ·
I find that really weird because I'm a very unproductive person.

Maybe it's a self delusion thing.

If that works for you, I would recommend doing it as much as possible. You're really lucky, imo.
 
#21 ·
Maybe you tried too hard to be a INTJ :happy:. In my opinion, don't take the MBTI testing too seriously since it's just a guideline for behavior than a Torah for life itself. Just enjoy being unique :D.
 
#23 ·
Well it brings up an interesting thought now doesn't it? Are we really typed, or do we choose a type by answering a questionaire the way we'd like to see ourselves and then live up to our chosen type? I've gone hot and cold on MBTI over the years because I tend to think while we might have some innate preferences in dealing with the world, the human brain is so plastic that in effect we can reinvent ourselves anyway we like and succeed. I happen to like the overall theme of INTJ, what it offers and I don't find it's limitations too hideous, I test as one consistently but I'm not fixed on the idea that this is a little box I can't escape from.
 
#25 ·
That doesn't make sense. You were productive at some point, so you are fully capable of being productive again. If you make excuses, you'll fall for the excuses you make. Forget about typology, and go out and do whatever you were doing before. Hell, pretend you're an INTJ if that helps.
 
#26 ·
I do not understand how people mistype, and mistype this significantly.
 
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#33 · (Edited)
I've experienced something troublingly similar to the OP...

As an INTP: Suddenly motivated to learn, not afraid to indulge my interests or even throw myself into a discussion just because it looked interesting, increasingly critical and intellectually discerning in a way I loved. Ready and willing to try to comprehend any subject, and fascinated by how things work in a way I hadn't experienced in a loooong time.

As an INFP: More emotionally open and introspective, with a greater desire to try and "make a difference". Greater attunement to what I "value" and can admit when my thoughts are derived from values more easily. Freer to indulge the artistic, romantic side of myself, but any intellectual confidence I had faded fast.

As an INFJ: Still introspective but now with a greater attunement to "intuitive" knowledge than before. Can finally admit I don't have a constant stream of ideas, but focus more on one or two - and was actually motivated to build on those. Still emotional but it's more balanced since my thinking isn't inferior anymore. Slightly improved intellectual confidence because of assumed Ni-comprehension.

As an ISFJ: Noticing more and more sensory details than previously...but where did the rest of my thoughts go? And all my interests? Any imagination I had is dead, as is any sense of logic which got replaced by just...feels everywhere. Inner world went from frequently dreaming up cool stuff and working through random questions I read or thought up to just mindlessly looping the same thoughts over and over. Feels like I lost something, really.


All of this happening at the same time as a depressive episode isn't helping either. Damn, I'm suggestible.
 
#35 ·
I agree that it may be a source of motivation and knowing who you are or what you are capable of may lead you to make more discoveries about the world around you. Self-awareness is a powerful tool. However, the knowledge of those things shouldn't make him want to fit into the the stereotype of what MBTI says his personality should be. If all INTJs are supposed to be white collar workers, would he give up his career as an artist just to fit into the INTJ stereotype? Why would he want to do that when he could create a niche in himself and be better? MBTI should just be a guiding tool and not his fate.
 
#36 ·
If you feel inefficient, call yourself an INTJ again and get that shit done
 
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