[NF] NFs and procrastination

[Mad Hatter]

This one has been on my mind for quite a while now.
I've frequently read it that procrastination is somewhat common among INFJs, but it's been a personal problem of mine as well that has become worse over the course of my studies.

Is it true that NFs, especially INFs, have a tendency to procrastinate?

If so, my guess would be that it's (in no particular order) due to:
- disability/weakness to judge something by objective or external standards,
- lack of motivation / self confidence,
- fear of being definitive, and therefore self-restricting,
- getting distracted easily.

Can anyone add to the things I've mentioned? Can anyone relate to that? Also, since I guess everyone has experienced this problem every now and then, what do you do about it?
I've fallen way behind on my schedule and begin to have issues writing even smaller stuff since lately. It's really becoming so frustrating to see that I don't utilize my potential. I know that I'm really good at writing papers once I set my mind to it and start to do it, for crying out loud.
But I feel almost paralyzed.
Any input would be highly welcome.

 

[Liquid Swordz]

I'm a huge procrastinator. If I can get away with it I'll put something off as long as I possibly can, even with things I enjoy.

The funny thing is as much as I procrastinate, once I start certain things I have trouble stopping. But it's like I dread having to start in the first place.

It's quite perplexing really.

 

[lost verses]

Yes!

Mostly it's because I just. don't. want to. And so I put it off why? Because I can.

 

[Nyx]

I feel like this all the time. I have a big problem with procrastination. Usually the way things work out .... I start something right away and early, get about half way put it down and for some reason have a paralyzing sensation where I cannot finish it. I could sit and stare at it all day and do nothing. There is a direct relationship with this feeling, and the importance of the task. Usually I just have to mentally kick myself constantly to get things done. I really need structure in my life and when left to my own devices without structure I tend too play this procrastination game intensely. I have come to the conclusions it is a fear of failure. Seeing as I lack practicality, I suppose my brain simply thinks, 'well, if I never do it I will never have to worry about the consequences if I do it and it fails!' 'Why try if I'm going to fail anyway?' Little do I realize that by not doing anything I'm missing out on opportunities. I usually don't let this get in the way though. I always get things in on time, if not early, but have a weird failure freak-out lull in the middle of the process.

 

[Thalassa]

I procrastinate by coming on Type C.

 

[Skyward]

It takes me effort to get 'into gear' if I'm not inspired to do something. Once I get into gear it doesn't last long, but as long as I have the mindset to get a certain distance with the work, I can get it done. I tend to work more efficiently with tangible tasks like organizing and cleaning my room rather than, say, writing an essay.

 

[nzAShadow]

I don't know how not to procrastinate.

I show up for work late every day, I usually don't even start driving to work until I'm supposed to be there. Every time I get a traffic citation, I don't go to the municipal court until a month after the fine is due, and then I ask for extension, whether I have the money to pay it or not. Oh my temp license plate expired last week, I think I can manage another week before a cop will notice....

Then comes school, absolutely nothing done till the day of the test. The only way I know how to study is to cram everything thing I need to know in my short term memory right before a test is coming. When the teacher gives a detailed syllabus about our assignments, and how much everything is worth, I will calculate the bear minimum, then do absolutely nothing in the class until it gets to the point where if I don't get a perfect score on every assignment from then on I will be guaranteed to fail.

Back in high school, I would do nothing until the teacher actually forced me to do assignments, simply cause I knew that the lowest grade a teacher could submit at the end of a grading period was a 50%. Then as the year ended I'd figure out what I need to make on the rest of the grading periods/exams to get my 70% and my credit, or if they offered credit by exam or some other alternative, I would just stop going to class and do that instead.

I am a pathological slacker, and I fall in these habits no matter how hard I try to do otherwise.

 

[Halla74]

Is it true that NFs, especially INFs, have a tendency to procrastinate?

My INFJ wife of 15 years is affected by this, as is my ENFJ friend of 20 years.

If so, my guess would be that it's (in no particular order) due to:
- disability/weakness to judge something by objective or external standards,

This is "strong" N. It seems to me that strong N can do that, compel a person to consistently try to find IDEAL solutions (whether objective or not) in lieu of EXTERNAL (e.g. those of your syllabus describing the paper) standards.

- lack of motivation / self confidence,

I've seen this in both, yes, but I think it is a secondary...

Again, I've seen this generally in both my INFJ and ENFJ, but never HEARD them state that they doubt their own ability, it is just apparent they do in observing their passivity to things that I know they could easily exert influence/mastery over. Is part of this phenomena the XNFJ need for harmony, and general aversion to conflict unless necessary?

- fear of being definitive, and therefore self-restricting,

Right. Things can always be "better" but at some point they need to be "good enough" in order to move on and complete other tasks. This is part of time management skills, and also learned when you must triage large amounts of tasks by priority.

- getting distracted easily.

You have NO idea how much an issue this is for EXTPs. I have major ADHD, I know alot of ENTPs who state similar experience.

Can anyone add to the things I've mentioned?

Yes. That INFJs don't like to be asked questions and then required to answer immediately. This could be part of the issue.

Can anyone relate to that?

See above.

Also, since I guess everyone has experienced this problem every now and then, what do you do about it?

I literally force myself to do things like this. I hate the "details" of a paper (Works Cited, research for sources, quotes/citations, etc.) so I do those tasks at the fornt end.

My process is:

(1) Outline
(2) Research, References, Quotes citations (Fill in the outline, a quick forward pass, a little in each section) USE THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE TO MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER:

Questia Online Library

Pay for a one month trial membership. You have access to 6 HUGE libraries, can search on entire books, journals, magazines, newspapers, dissertations, etc. Add them all to a "bookshelf" and then search through each, your quotes and citations are created automatically in MLA or APA format, and your works citted page is created in MS Word format automatically too. This is a HUGE time saver. It allows you to focus on the creative verst that ties it all together.

I've fallen way behind on my schedule and begin to have issues writing even smaller stuff since lately.

Divide and conquer. Prioritize yiour taks, and do the most important first. Force yourself to sit down and work on them for at least an hour. Do this several times per day until you are making progress, keep at it until you are caught up. Other things will have to wait, you will live, I swear.

It's really becoming so frustrating to see that I don't utilize my potential.

Again, welcome to the world of the EXTP! To be blunt: Get off you ass and do your work!

I know that I'm really good at writing papers once I set my mind to it and start to do it, for crying out loud.

That's part of the problem, you are good at it, and you know it, and therefore you are subvconsciously OK with procerastinating...

But I feel almost paralyzed.

Any input would be highly welcome.

I hope mine was helpful, good luck!

 

[compulsiverambler]

I don't know how not to procrastinate.

I show up for work late every day, I usually don't even start driving to work until I'm supposed to be there. Every time I get a traffic citation, I don't go to the municipal court until a month after the fine is due, and then I ask for extension, whether I have the money to pay it or not. Oh my temp license plate expired last week, I think I can manage another week before a cop will notice....

Then comes school, absolutely nothing done till the day of the test. The only way I know how to study is to cram everything thing I need to know in my short term memory right before a test is coming. When the teacher gives a detailed syllabus about our assignments, and how much everything is worth, I will calculate the bear minimum, then do absolutely nothing in the class until it gets to the point where if I don't get a perfect score on every assignment from then on I will be guaranteed to fail.

Back in high school, I would do nothing until the teacher actually forced me to do assignments, simply cause I knew that the lowest grade a teacher could submit at the end of a grading period was a 50%. Then as the year ended I'd figure out what I need to make on the rest of the grading periods/exams to get my 70% and my credit, or if they offered credit by exam or some other alternative, I would just stop going to class and do that instead.

I am a pathological slacker, and I fall in these habits no matter how hard I try to do otherwise.

That sounds like adult ADHD my friend. Every line of it, the numerous traffic citations and everything, and the first and last sentences in particular. I really think you should get checked out, because your ability to compensate for it and the consequences are only likely to worsen the longer you leave it. I've been there, and I have to tell you, the experts' warnings about that aren't exaggerated. :sad:

 

[Gin-raine]

I have an extreme lack of motivation, or at least when it comes to things like household chores or schoolwork. I don't care therefore I see no reason to do it.

 

[cascadeco]

I will procrastinate when it's something I simply don't want to do...typically it's a task that I find tedious or annoying. Once I finally kick myself in the ass to do it, though, I'm able to focus and get it done.

Otherwise, to others, I probably seem to procrastinate or 'stall' when it comes to larger things in life; I will be immobilized or inert. From my perspective, this isn't exactly procrastinating, because it usually means I don't know WHAT to do, so I am mulling things over in my mind, or I am unable to choose from a variety of options...which usually means I don't care for any of the options that I see, so am sitting tight to try to adjust my perspective on things so that I am finally able to select one of the options, or I am hoping I'll eventually come up with an option I haven't thought of yet.

 

[PeaceRobin]

I am a terrible procrastinator. I don't think this website is going to make it any easier to change, haha. I think us NF's procrastinate the most because we are too busy dreaming about other things we could be doing. I also have an acute inability to judge how long a project will take. I keep pushing it back further and further until I have almost reached the deadline and then I'm super stressed. It's almost like I need that stress to get motivated to do things I do feel like doing.

 

[simulatedworld]

This is a P thing and has nothing to do with N or F.

NFPs procrastinate a lot because they're Ps, but so do NTPs, SFPs, and STPs. The N and F are irrelevant.

 

[Bubbles]

This is a P thing and has nothing to do with N or F.

NFPs procrastinate a lot because they're Ps, but so do NTPs, SFPs, and STPs. The N and F are irrelevant.

Those bastards, picking on us NFs! :steam:

 

[simulatedworld]

Also, in my experience NFJs are not habitual procrastinators and tend to get annoyed with those who are.

Yet another reason Keirsey's NF and NT temperaments are retarded. NFP and NFJ are incredibly different animals that don't belong in the same group (same for NTP/NTJ.)

 

[OrangeAppled]

Yeah, I relate to most of that, along with "simply not caring".

Procrastinating also stems from my weird idea of what is efficient. I know that if I am not in the right frame of mind, it will take me longer to accomplish something and I'll probably not do it as well. If I wait until the lightening strikes, then I'll do it both fast and well without wasting time just hitting my head against the wall. In the meantime, I can goof off and have fun doing what I want to do .

I know Js who procrastinate also. My ISFJ mom can put things off that need to be done for a long time. We seem to have different priorities, which makes us clash when it comes to our procrastinating. I think part of it is that she likes to plan and schedule everything (and until she can do that, she puts it off), and once I decide to do it, I do it NOW, with no need to plan ahead.

 

[Queen Kat]

I procrastinate because I like it. When I'm procrastinating, a lot of people get angry with me and I like that thrill. Their anger is like a rollercoaster or a scary thriller to me. It gives me adrenaline. It wakes me up way better than coffee or Red Bull. It boosts my ego. How many do I have to say it? I just think I really really like it! It's an addiction! Woohoo! In short: I like procrastinating because it gives me attention and I'm an attention whore.

 

[Lauren Ashley]

I'll put off work until I'm in the right mood to plough all the way through it. If I don't find it personally interesting or it seems too much like "work," the chances of me not starting until the last minute are very, very, very high. I try to finish important tasks by the deadline though. Lack of motivation/energy is the main culprit for my procrastination.

 

[Fidelia]

Usually for me it is when I am not sure how to go at something or not convinced that in the end I can do as good a job of it as I want to. For example, I am procrastinating at getting my report card marks done because I haven't decided how to allocate marks for something, and I'm also not sure what to do about those people that haven't handed things in and I've never done report cards on this system before. Therefore, it seems like there are hordes of steps involved, a lot of tedious work, and it worried me that something may be lost somewhere besides. (Maybe an element of head in the sand syndrome). I'm okay though once I get going. It's the spectre of how it's going to be more than the actual doing of it.

 

[Phantonym]

I will procrastinate when it's something I simply don't want to do...typically it's a task that I find tedious or annoying. Once I finally kick myself in the ass to do it, though, I'm able to focus and get it done.

Lack of motivation/energy is the main culprit for my procrastination.

+1

I can procrastinate like no other but I can also pick myself up and force myself to do things. I usually never let things get to that very last minute because I already know that then I might not do the thing that needs to be finished. Fortunately I mostly tend to learn from unwise decisions made in the past.