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Do Intuitives have trouble sticking to routines?

Avocado

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I struggle very much to stick to a self-imposed schedule. I have very little internal discipline in that way. There essentially must be an external impetus to schedule my life. But, hey, Ne-dom and sp-last. I'm screwed in that category.

I think my ISFJ sp-first is better at self-regulation, but he too procrastinates, occasionally ditches his work, and enjoys his free time. He's better about regularly adhering to a steady morning routine before work than me. I use his routine as a way of shaping my own (this is why I love relationships with Js). Thinking about my family... ESFJ, INTP, ISTP... both IxTPs have specialized personal routines they stick to but the times they engage them might change, while the ESFJ is the most productive but I don't know that she actually actively schedules so much as she just happens to prefer being very productive and moving quickly from task to task. The only person I know who self-schedules fairly rigidly is an ENTJ.

I don't really think it's a S-N difference, in any case. I do think that Ss and Js are more likely to be time-aware, which may have an impact, but I don't know that they're always more motivated to self-schedule.
I'm random and forgetful…
I try routines, but only because it's the responsible thing to do…
 

Avocado

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As a strong Ne, I have a lot of problem with routines -- I keep adjusting / adapting to the current situation rather than establishing hard lines.

It's something I am actually trying to work on, as it would help me be more productive as well as physically healthier if I can draw some harder lines for myself and not flex as much.

I find people who actually like routine naturally tend to feel more secure with them -- they actually have impetus to establish them and follow them. To me, they're not my preference and so I have to invest much more energy and commitment to get them in place.

Same here…
 

Zarathustra

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I have an extremely difficult time sticking to routines.

I also never used to study, or do homework, and, while my desk is extremely well-organized, my apartment is kind of a mess.

Which is part of the reason I think putting so much emphasis on the J vs P dichotomy is a load of crap.

Funny that you brought this topic up, cuz it's been the focus of my thoughts the last few days.

I'm trying to instill more routine into my life, cuz I think it makes you more productive.

I basically look at it as developing Si: those motherfuckers love routine.
 

RaptorWizard

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What's most routine oriented N type: INTP, INFP?
 

Z Buck McFate

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Can't speak for all intuitives, but I absolutely hate routine that I feel is imposed on me. Even when I'm putting pressure on myself to follow a strict daily routine to get something done, it does not feel natural to me. Doing the same thing day in, day out...when I feel that I'm not in control of setting said routine...then that is something I can't keep up for very long.

This^, I resent routine that is imposed on me. It has to feel organically right to me. When it does, then I find it helpful because having things run somewhat clockwork in the external world frees up my attention to focus on the internal world.

S types rebel too, for sure, but it at its source is usually drawn from more local resources.

Yes, this would be my guess as well. I think I Si dom/aux prefers routine most because that gives them freedom to savor their personal and direct experience of things.

It's unfortunate they get a bad rap for being that way, that instead of widely being seen as them having a need to let their introverted perception breathe- the urge to maintain routine is seen as senseless enforcing of rules, as if the underlying need shouldn't be considered as valid as the introverted judging need to be able to switch things around on the fly.
 
S

Society

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could be inferior Si, but its very easy for anything to disturb my routine... while i can certainly become a man of habits in some aspects of life, and i have being trying to use that for my advantage, the moment something disturbs it its like i need to establish it form scratch.

an example i've being trying to keep up with lately is working out just as i wake up: it certainly is a postive routine, it increases my energy for the whole day so taking 1 hour of the day is worth to increase the productivity for the rest of it, not to mention long term effects (probably not much in terms of weight lose, but hey at least it keeps me from getting fatter).... but then all it takes is for a project will grab my attention into the night and i'll end up waking up too close to when i need to go out for the day, and am that much more likely to forget to do it the next day and the one after...it can very easily take me a week to get back to it.
 
G

garbage

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I personally have trouble. Having an insanely flexible job doesn't help, as it means that I'm not obligated to stick to routine.

So, I have to actively try, for my own sake, to stick to some routine--outside constraints don't force me to do it. I've only halfway had luck with sleep--bed somewhere between 10-12, rise somewhere between 7-8. My exercise and eating schedules are still very inconsistent.

Some chronic physical illnesses also get in the way of establishing (or maintaining) solid routines, though. You've got something for a few days, and bam, something suddenly hits you. No waking up on time that day, no appetite, or more exercise for a week or so. Boo.


On the upside, it's very, very easy for me to break bad habits, even if they've been going on for a very long time. If I need to break a habit, I just .. stop doing that thing.
 

baccheion

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Routine to me is synonymous with the fun being sucked out of my life. It doesn't mean things are getting stable, it means things are quieting down and I'm stuck in a rut. I feel dead inside. I feel my brain shutting down. I feel the life being sucked out of me. I feel it all slipping away. I have things that tend to stay the same or pattern out over time, but I tend to stay away from routines. I think having/needing routine largely is a judger thing, and being avoidant of them is a perceiver thing.
 

skylights

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What's most routine oriented N type: INTP, INFP?

I think Ti lends itself to a little routinization. My INTP dad definitely has routines.

I think I Si dom/aux prefers routine most because that gives them freedom to savor their personal and direct experience of things.

It's unfortunate they get a bad rap for being that way, that instead of widely being seen as them having a need to let their introverted perception breathe- the urge to maintain routine is seen as senseless enforcing of rules, as if the underlying need shouldn't be considered as valid as the introverted judging need to be able to switch things around on the fly.

I think this is a lovely explanation and makes sense.

I've learned to love some of my ISFJ's routines. There's something wonderful about them. Knowing the route really does let you take in all that sensory detail because you don't have to focus on forging the path...
 

SensEye

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I think I use routines as a self defense against absent mindedness. If I don't follow a routine, for example, about where to put my keys when I walk in the house, I can potentially waste hours looking for them. I can't just 'remember' where I put them. My mind doesn't make memory engrams for such trivialities. I think sensors can maybe just go "oh yeah, I remember now, I put them over there". They might have a memory since they seem to live more in the moment.
 

Stigmata

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I think I use routines as a self defense against absent mindedness. If I don't follow a routine, for example, about where to put my keys when I walk in the house, I can potentially waste hours looking for them. I can't just 'remember' where I put them. My mind doesn't make memory engrams for such trivialities. I think sensors can maybe just go "oh yeah, I remember now, I put them over there". They might have a memory since they seem to live more in the moment.

I have the exact same problem. What's worse, if some outside influence breaks my routine, it throws a wrench in the well-oiled machine that is my systematic action process.
 

Lady_X

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i don't have any routines that are not there because they have to be.
 

autumnandtherain

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I often feel extremely stifled by routines, but I LOVE schedules. I have to know what is going on, even if it is an internal schedule that I make myself. But I think that has to do more with my Judging preference than being an Intuitive.
 

Avocado

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Routine to me is synonymous with the fun being sucked out of my life. It doesn't mean things are getting stable, it means things are quieting down and I'm stuck in a rut. I feel dead inside. I feel my brain shutting down. I feel the life being sucked out of me. I feel it all slipping away. I have things that tend to stay the same or pattern out over time, but I tend to stay away from routines. I think having/needing routine largely is a judger thing, and being avoidant of them is a perceiver thing.

You sound like an enneagram 7…
I agree at any rate…
 
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