[ISTP] Fix an ISTP: Procrastination & Absolute Lack of Productivity

[Devil May Care]

What's up everyone,

I'm as productive as my cat. Please help me fix it. Quite a problem in the "real world" when doing "work."

I learned of MBTI very recently... and for the first time in my life I can actually DEFINE wtf is going on with my laziness (been battling this for frigging ages). Very happy that I stumbled on this. The biggest leap in understanding so far. And I have tried a *lot* of solutions for productivity, none of them stuck.

Anyhow, I distilled quite a bit of ISTP related info to come to the following observations/drill-downs (true for me):

• We are professional reacters; we thrive in a crisis/urgent situation.
• We are capable of hyperfocus and hyperproductive states very easily when we are:
  1. in a crisis/urgent/troubleshooting mode, or
  2. deeply interested in a subject ("obsessed").
  3. [Not sure maybe these 2 are similar somehow, hm?]
• We have a low resistance to distractions, particularly internal impulses ("I have to check out X"). Not true if in crisis/obsession mode.
• Our emotions are very in-the-moment, thus our inspirations don't carry us through for long. We need some kind of obsession and/or firm logical reason to do it.

Ideas:

• Real deadlines obviously work. We procrastinate till the last moment, then kick some ass. Fake deadlines don't.
• Exercising, sports, or something Se-active would help indirectly. A tactile fix.
• As much as we hate rules and procedures for ourselves, it's probably impossible to be productive without some.
• We *could* manufacture urgency somehow.
• I don't think it's possible to become obsessed about something you don't really want to do. Would love to be proven wrong or shown how
• (not sure if right) We are internally competitive. Being in situation where we don't fit in (e.g. parties) or feel inferior, can actually be motivating. Short-term again, though.
• Multitasking is suicide for me.

Practical Ideas:

1. Getting started ASAP to engage Se.
   • Either on something small ("the next immediate step" (small) );
   • Setting a minimum daily goal (which would require very little effort).
   • Capitalize on the internal impulse - when you think of task X, you drop everything and dive right in.
2. Being able to control distractions and immediate impulses (what distracts you).
   • Non-verabl music might actually be helpful - something to process.
   • ?? What else ??
3. Turning on the crisis mode (fear/duty/unavoidable/must-do-now) or obsession mode.
   • We can scare the crap out of ourselves by thinking "worst possible case scenarios, doom is coming." Short term though
   • No idea how to turn on the obsession mode. It would be the ULTIMATE solution.

So, any input? Techniques? Tips? Theories? Thoughts? ANYTHING?

Would really appreciate any input.

Thanks a bunch,
DMC.

 

[WALMART]

When you figure it out, let me know.

 

[Poindexter Arachnid]

Stop typing so much.

 

[KDude]

Who told you this needed to be fixed? Go back to sleep.

 

[Poindexter Arachnid]

Hi-five, KDude!

But seriously.

I know what this is about.
You're trying to impress some chick-a-dee.

Amirite?

You don't have to be "productive" or do any of that bullshit to smash biches.
Just whip your dick out and do a 'copter.

Works like a charm.
Dare you to try it.

Like...double-dog-dare you, man.

 

[Fluffywolf]

Depriving your brain of sleep gets you results, but depending on what work needs to be done those results aren't neccesarily good.

There's been moments I've skipped sleep for a while and feel like a zombie, those are the best times for me to clean up the house.

 

[Devil May Care]

This... is about as productive as I am, lol. Boom, right at home.

I know what this is about.
You're trying to impress some chick-a-dee.

Nope. Just want to make mad scrilla so I can do some cool stuff.

 

[ArtemisFull]

I can't speak on behalf of all ISTPs, but I myself have ADHD (and it sounds like you may as well.) I read somewhere that ISTPs have high tendencies to get diagnosed with ADHD as symptoms of it are inherently a part of who we are. Because our brains are hard-wired to always be ready for and react quickly in crisis situations, it is difficult for us to focus on a particular task as we are constantly being distracted by our surroundings (our Se's constantly absorbing our surroundings). ADHD is also not the inability to focus, but the inability to focus on a particular task - especially difficult for boring/mundane things. Although it may seem contradictory, this goes hand in hand with your comment about being hyper focused when your brain is stimulated. When our prefrontal cortex is stimulated (i.e., we are interested in a subject), our entire brain shifts gears. All other times, we lack the neurological ability to stimulate the prefrontal cortex, which is in charge of executive functioning (e.g., timeliness, making sure you get your work done, etc.) hence making us seem lazy.

• Real deadlines obviously work. We procrastinate till the last moment, then kick some ass. Fake deadlines don't.
• Exercising, sports, or something Se-active would help indirectly. A tactile fix.
• As much as we hate rules and procedures for ourselves, it's probably impossible to be productive without some.
• We *could* manufacture urgency somehow.
• I don't think it's possible to become obsessed about something you don't really want to do. Would love to be proven wrong or shown how
• (not sure if right) We are internally competitive. Being in situation where we don't fit in (e.g. parties) or feel inferior, can actually be motivating. Short-term again, though.
• Multitasking is suicide for me.

Practical Ideas:

1. Getting started ASAP to engage Se.
   • Either on something small ("the next immediate step" (small) );
   • Setting a minimum daily goal (which would require very little effort).
   • Capitalize on the internal impulse - when you think of task X, you drop everything and dive right in.
2. Being able to control distractions and immediate impulses (what distracts you).
   • Non-verabl music might actually be helpful - something to process.
   • ?? What else ??
3. Turning on the crisis mode (fear/duty/unavoidable/must-do-now) or obsession mode.
   • We can scare the crap out of ourselves by thinking "worst possible case scenarios, doom is coming." Short term though
   • No idea how to turn on the obsession mode. It would be the ULTIMATE solution.

I agree with and can relate to all of the above and have been experimenting with/trying all of these tactics for years on end. (One addition to the list is that I self-treated with tons and tons of caffeine.) I knew I was brighter and more motivated than many of the students whom I had taken classes with throughout elementary to high school (and even college), yet I always wondered what it was that I lacked. Everyone told me I was lazy, so I began to believe it. But would a lazy person have fire burning in their bellies when thinking about all the things they wished they could achieve? I would lay in bed at night for hours thinking of everything I wanted to do in the moment, but would forget about the next morning. Only after years of immense struggle in school did a family member point out to me that I should go see a professional who immediately diagnosed me with ADHD. Ever since taking medication, I have been able to achieve and become the type of person that I wanted to be.

This is not to say that I still don't struggle. I struggle on the daily - but the medication helps tremendously. I could describe the vast contrast in my life from pre-treatment and post-treatment, but I won't bore you with all of that. Anyway, I'm not an advocate for loose diagnosis and abhor lazy psychiatrists who treat every patient by stuffing them with pills, but I do believe that some people (as myself) truly benefit from the extra help to fit into our society today.

 

[StephMC]

Yeees... I struggle with this. You touched on a lot of how I approach things here though:

Practical Ideas:

1. Getting started ASAP to engage Se.
   • Either on something small ("the next immediate step" (small) ); -- Start out with writing out the next step for ALL of your tasks. It makes it easier to just glance at your list and pick one out at some later time, depending on what you're doing. And also, writing out all those next steps is a pretty easy task for me to get started on when I'm in procrastinating mode
   • Setting a minimum daily goal (which would require very little effort).
   • Capitalize on the internal impulse - when you think of task X, you drop everything and dive right in.
   • Set numerous small goals when you really distracted, with a lot of little rewards, e.g., "Okay, I'm just going to work for just 20 minutes, and then I'm gonna go get a snack." (I'd say something like a game, but that's productivity suicide)
     
2. Being able to control distractions and immediate impulses (what distracts you).
   • Non-verabl music might actually be helpful - something to process.
   • Remove all of those distractions completely. Sometimes I leave my phone in a different room, or shut off my e-mail at work
   • ?? What else ??
3. Turning on the crisis mode (fear/duty/unavoidable/must-do-now) or obsession mode.
   • We can scare the crap out of ourselves by thinking "worst possible case scenarios, doom is coming." Short term though
   • No idea how to turn on the obsession mode. It would be the ULTIMATE solution. -- Try turning it into an "how efficient can I be when I do this" challenge? I know that can psyche me up sometimes... as dorky as that sounds

It's really just about fleshing these ideas out more. ... so I added stuff. Also, some other tips:

• Though I am not a morning person, unfortunately my morning hours are significantly more productive than my afternoon or evening hours -- as long as I don't slack off too long before I get started on whatever it is I need to do
• Eat well, exercise. When I feel good and healthy, it motivates me in to do well in other areas of life
• Strengthen your "will-power muscle." Psychologists claim that will-power is like a muscle -- you can strengthen it with training. And anything involving willpower seems to work: from correcting yourself every time you find yourself not sitting up straight, trying to break a bad habit (like nail biting), to forcing yourself to keep a routine ("I'm going to clean the first ten minutes I get home every day")
• Try doing some research on "brain supplements", like phenylalanine.

 

[KDude]

I focus on what's pleasurable/entertaining.. there's a lot of ways of going about that, but what happens is I end up focusing on what's immediately available. Not on future planning, going to school, magically getting some awesome job, and taking vacations in Vermont to go skiing. It would be nice, but a lot of shit like that has always seemed out of grasp. It used to frustrate me to no end. Always restless, dissatisfied with all of activities, opportunities, and people around me. Always wanting something more. Whenever something dangerous or exciting came along, I jumped right in. Certain criminal elements of my life got the adrenline going sometimes.. as well as drugs.. so on and so forth. Eventually I quit that. It catches up with you. I started learning to not look for "excitement" outside of myself and try to find enjoyment in just living.. Taking it easy. This led to more laziness.

I commend anyone who wants to go through all the hoops and drudgery just to make some cash, and find more exciting things to spend their cash on.. but personally, I sort of threw in the towel. I'm trying to not look outside anymore. And this "flaw" of being lazy has some upsides anyways. If people don't like it, fuck em.

 

[Randomnity]

When you figure it out, let me know.

+1. I only have 2 work modes - crisis and nonexistent.

 

[gromit]

I am not ISTP, but I also tend toward procrastination vs crisis mode productivity.

I like the suggestions in the OP, as well as the ones [MENTION=6448]StephMC[/MENTION] posted. Especially about just starting on something to be doing something. You feel more motivation when you're doing than when you're procrastinating, true fact. And the 20 min thing, often after 20 minutes, you find you have energy to keep going another 20 minutes or more even.

 

[Fluffywolf]

Someone once said to me, rougly 4 years ago, that the ultimate solution for this issue would be to win the lottery. I could not agree more.

...I've yet to buy any tickets though.

 

[KDude]

Someone once said to me, rougly 4 years ago, that the ultimate solution for this issue would be to win the lottery. I could not agree more.

...I've yet to buy any tickets though.

I hate games of chance. Need to apply some skills somehow. Except, I don't know where to apply myself anymore. At least you NTPs have Ne and don't draw a blank

One upside to the idea of the economy/civilization collapsing is that I would be able to apply myself again. Everyone dies, and I keep on living.

 

[Fluffywolf]

I hate games of chance. Need to apply some skills somehow. Except, I don't know where to apply myself anymore. At least you NTPs have Ne and don't draw a blank

One upside to the idea of the economy/civilization collapsing is that I would be able to apply myself again. Everyone dies, and I keep on living.

hehe, the point of my joke was that there are no tips and tricks when it comes to procrastination issues though. Even if someone gives you advice, you'd still need to get off your butt and do something with it.

You just have to decide to stop procrastinating. As hard as that is to put into practice, it truely is as simple as that.


Here's my personal five step plan when I decide to do something productive.
1. brainstorm some ideas on what I should probably be doing.
2. choose an idea that seems sufficiently productive.
3. zombify yourself (blank out your mind) and get off of your butt.
4. settle in productive environment.
5. Unzombify yourself once you've sufficiently acclimated into the new situation.

 

[KDude]

1. brainstorm some ideas on what I should probably be doing.

Brainstorming is not my forte. That's where I envy intuitives. I could use some N friends. SPs tend to improve existing things/structures. Not brainstorm new ones. Even with things I would call myself "creative" with (like music or art) are, in my mind, somewhat derivative. "Inspired by" or what not. Once I get into the groove or feel competent, I start circumventing things, but I'm not nearly as comfortable in a vacuum. Gotta work my way up.

Typical MBTI descriptions would like to tell everyone they're potential rockstars and CEOs, but I bet the truth is that many SPs are clueless, in the ghetto, suck dick for crack, drunk in a ditch, running a gang, playing in shitty bands, or spending all their time on facebook and shopping, centering their whole world around consumerism and vanity, etc.. All I can say is that at least I escaped that. lol. So I'm lazy and not making tons of cash. Whatever. I'm not going to beat myself up over it.

edit: It sounds like I'm making excuses.. But I'm just going through my thought process.

 

[lauranna]

I have a million important things that i should be doing right now. And yet here I am fucking around on here and there is nothing I can do about it!

 

[ChocolateMoose123]

I have a million important things that i should be doing right now. And yet here I am fucking around on here and there is nothing I can do about it!

 

[KDude]

I have a million important things that i should be doing right now. And yet here I am fucking around on here and there is nothing I can do about it!

Well, at least you "have" a million other important things.

 

[WALMART]

Counter-intuitively, I get more productive when smoking pot. The range of activities I am willing to participate in explodes, like organizing my music library or cleaning my room.


Fuck tha haters.