5 ms·

OP, have you taken the myers-brigs test? I'm guessing that you are an INTP like me. I am battling the same demon. :( Here is a description of INTP's that I f

by shill 17y ago

OP, have you taken the myers-brigs test? I'm guessing that you are an INTP like me. I am battling the same demon. :( Here is a description of INTP's that I found... "Many INTPs are a lot like the stereotypical absentminded professor -- dawdling, distracted, and forgetful of mundane chores, late for obligations, losing homework or library books, and generally disconnected from the business of life in the external world...A big problem for INTPs is that they are so quickly bored, and once their attention wanders, they will rarely finish the many interesting projects they start." http://borntoexplore.org/tempquotes.htm http://borntoexplore.org/tempquotes.htm

z8000 17y ago
FWIW I am an INFP and I could have written the same comment as the OP. Last I looked I have over 50 unfinished projects in my personal repository. I tend to be ever watchful of new technologies that might help me finish any one of the projects but all I end up with is a pile of bookmarks and 600+ notes in EverNote. sigh I have been working on my latest project for over a year, part-time. I tend to fall into the research trap as mentioned by some other posters. That is, once I learn how some giant puzzle of a project would come together I lose interest in the project. I suppose I like figuring out things instead of doing things. I am tired of this.
jey 17y ago
A lot of people on the P side of the P/J continuum can probably relate to this problem.
kksm19820117 17y ago
Actually, I am an INTJ.
- munctional 17y ago
  I am, too, and I also suffer from a similar situation. :-)
deleted 17y ago
[deleted]
puffythefish 17y ago
I'm not sure how productive it is to lump yourself into social categories like this. I tested as an INTP as well, but I would venture to say that I am generally a "finisher" (at least, when it comes to my projects). When I am really drawn into a project, I lose myself: nothing else matters, and I meticulously perfect each and every detail until it is "finished". Then I drop it and move onto something else. I empathize with the other characteristics you mentioned: "dawdling, distracted, and forgetful of mundane chores, late for obligations, losing homework or library books, and generally disconnected from the external world". But I make a point to finish my projects, or else I feel dissatisfied with myself. I think part of how I do this is that, although my attention does wander, when I am working on a project it only wanders across little details, rather than large concepts; rather than getting bored with the project itself and moving onto another, I merely get bored of a detail and focus on another (usually completely unrelated, but still within the realms of the vision that is the finished project). After doing this for a while, eventually the entire project is finished, because that is really all it is — a collection of little details. (Of course, this only works if you are perfectionist as I am.) To be honest, I think that these arbitrary measurements like IQ tests and personality descriptions are irrelevant (and maybe even procrastinations) to solving your real problem. If you want to be able to finish projects, just work on them — you won't know what motivated you in theory until you discover it in practice.
devin 17y ago
ENTP here. I share your pain, brothers.
- guinness 17y ago
  I never gave much weight to these tests but saw myself described very well in poster's article and decided to do the test. Turns out I am also INTP. Pretty cool test. As a side note, to solve my not finishing anything, I make a list of things I am to do during the day each morning and make sure it gets completed. It is important that the items in the list be doable in a reasonable amount of time and that they be measurable.

by shill 17y ago

z8000 17y ago

FWIW I am an INFP and I could have written the same comment as the OP. Last I looked I have over 50 unfinished projects in my personal repository. I tend to be ever watchful of new technologies that might help me finish any one of the projects but all I end up with is a pile of bookmarks and 600+ notes in EverNote. sigh I have been working on my latest project for over a year, part-time. I tend to fall into the research trap as mentioned by some other posters. That is, once I learn how some giant puzzle of a project would come together I lose interest in the project. I suppose I like figuring out things instead of doing things. I am tired of this.

jey 17y ago

A lot of people on the P side of the P/J continuum can probably relate to this problem.

kksm19820117 17y ago

Actually, I am an INTJ.

munctional 17y ago
I am, too, and I also suffer from a similar situation. :-)

deleted 17y ago

[deleted]

puffythefish 17y ago

I'm not sure how productive it is to lump yourself into social categories like this. I tested as an INTP as well, but I would venture to say that I am generally a "finisher" (at least, when it comes to my projects). When I am really drawn into a project, I lose myself: nothing else matters, and I meticulously perfect each and every detail until it is "finished". Then I drop it and move onto something else. I empathize with the other characteristics you mentioned: "dawdling, distracted, and forgetful of mundane chores, late for obligations, losing homework or library books, and generally disconnected from the external world". But I make a point to finish my projects, or else I feel dissatisfied with myself. I think part of how I do this is that, although my attention does wander, when I am working on a project it only wanders across little details, rather than large concepts; rather than getting bored with the project itself and moving onto another, I merely get bored of a detail and focus on another (usually completely unrelated, but still within the realms of the vision that is the finished project). After doing this for a while, eventually the entire project is finished, because that is really all it is — a collection of little details. (Of course, this only works if you are perfectionist as I am.) To be honest, I think that these arbitrary measurements like IQ tests and personality descriptions are irrelevant (and maybe even procrastinations) to solving your real problem. If you want to be able to finish projects, just work on them — you won't know what motivated you in theory until you discover it in practice.

devin 17y ago

ENTP here. I share your pain, brothers.

guinness 17y ago
I never gave much weight to these tests but saw myself described very well in poster's article and decided to do the test. Turns out I am also INTP. Pretty cool test. As a side note, to solve my not finishing anything, I make a list of things I am to do during the day each morning and make sure it gets completed. It is important that the items in the list be doable in a reasonable amount of time and that they be measurable.