INTPs: Pness cycle

[Architect]

INTP brethren; do you notice a cycle to your Pness*? I have this pattern - I think monthly which is interesting - where my ability to focus and get things done fluctuates. The past couple days I was in the down phase. Listless, didn't get anything done, tired, no drive. Now I'm getting back into the upswing, I'll be focused and driven for a few weeks here. If I had to characterize it I'd say it was an eternal battle between Ti and Ne.

A friend who was bi-polar thought I had a touch of the condition, but I'm not so sure.

* Back when I was dating Mrs Architect we would talk on the phone about MBTI. I remember once I was getting really animated talking about my Pness and her Jness ... Pness, pness, pness ... I kept on saying it, then suddenly realized my mother was in the next room listening. I wonder what she was thinking ...

 

[Etheri]

No, I think my pness is always rather huge, no exceptions, no cycles. The only time I get stuff done, is those final hours before the deadline. Unless it's getting drunk. I can get drunk without a deadline.

 

[Polaris]

No sisters allowed in this thread?

I can tell you a thing or two about my P'ness.

 

[Architect]

We're all sisters under the hood.

Or .. something like that. Please share.

 

[intpz]

Well that's really hard to define for me, as I have very little possibilities, little choice of what I can do.

However, I am always driven for work, I want to do things, but I often hit a roadblock, something that says "pay of get the fuck outta here!", and then, especially if I hit a couple of them, I feel depressed and I don't wanna do anything at all. After some time, depending on the other events, I regenerate and try to do something else until the same thing happens.

Examples: setting up a forum (free boards suck ass), setting up a site with a nice design (free designs suck and I'm bad at making graphics), recording videos (PC's too old), reviewing games (PC's too old to play modern games), and various other, smaller, things, or things requiring a shitload of more money to do.

So no, I do not think that I would relate to you if I had the money to do so, HOWEVER this is only an assumption, as I cannot rate the situation due to the money factor.

-----

I wonder what your mom did think if you kept repeating "PENIS CYCLE." I wonder if she thought that you were talking about period. I wonder if she chuckled thinking that you don't know what a vagina is.

 

[Polaris]

Well....

I think it is definitely cyclic, although I would say it is not on a monthly basis. I have been trying to monitor how often it fluctuates, and it seems to be a two, three month oscillation.

It is like you mentioned, sometimes I almost suspect I'm bipolar. Although that is probably taking it a little too far. It is more like running out of steam, almost as if realising the pointlessness of it all on a regular basis....then mustering up enough delusion to drive myself back into the game. It's all or nothing. When I'm on a roll, I seem to resemble the INTJ; driven, determined, hard-assed and factual. Tendency to ignore people around me.

When it plummets, it is similar to losing creative inspiration; it just stops. My mood follows suit, I become this brooding existential mess, questioning everything. Definitely more INTP-inclined. I get caught up in these maelstroems of obsessive thinking over a small range of topics, going over them again and again. I get hyper-sensitive to people around me.

I'm in one of those cycles now, I'm neither here nor there....I've even taken a semester off uni, although I'm not too far off finishing....

I rest assured that inspiration will come back...as usual. I think this will happen as soon as I have brooded and procrastinated over a couple of things.

Then I'll be back to driven and inspired, ready to take in a plethora of facts so that I can take them home and start brooding over them again in another three months or so...

And so life goes on....I wonder how common this is.

 

[Proletar]

I have a grand illusion of motivation going on, but it never actually shows. Like when I dream of the weekend:


"Soon it will be saturday. I can then do whatever I want. How quaint."
"Ah, can't wait for the week to start again. With things happening around me, I'll get some energy of my own."

Those and others. It's just that when I'm right in the moment of something, all illusions die. If I would discover the Theory of Ultimate Awesomeness tomorrow, I would sort of just go with it. And the day after that, I would be back lying on my couch.

 

[Architect]

I think it is definitely cyclic, although I would say it is not on a monthly basis. I have been trying to monitor how often it fluctuates, and it seems to be a two, three month oscillation.

Could be for me, I don't know the cycle, other than it isn't less than a month.

It is like you mentioned, sometimes I almost suspect I'm bipolar. Although that is probably taking it a little too far. It is more like running out of steam, almost as if realising the pointlessness of it all on a regular basis....then mustering up enough delusion to drive myself back into the game. It's all or nothing. When I'm on a roll, I seem to resemble the INTJ; driven, determined, hard-assed and factual. Tendency to ignore people around me.

Precisely, however for me ...

When it plummets, it is similar to losing creative inspiration; it just stops. My mood follows suit, I become this brooding existential mess

This better describes the down cycle

I rest assured that inspiration will come back...as usual. I think this will happen as soon as I have brooded and procrastinated over a couple of things.

Agree

Then I'll be back to driven and inspired, ready to take in a plethora of facts so that I can take them home and start brooding over them again in another three months or so...

And so life goes on....I wonder how common this is.

OK let's keep track - I just hit a down cycle for the last week maybe? Ending the morning of Sept 18th. I'll revisit this thread to record when it comes back.

I mentioned it to Mrs Architect who says that is common for creative people - artists in her example.

 

[Jennywocky]

No, I think my pness is always rather huge, no exceptions, no cycles. The only time I get stuff done, is those final hours before the deadline.

Same here.

I float until no more flex exists, and then I get terribly productive.

 

[Architect]

I float until no more flex exists, and then I get terribly productive.

@Jennywocky
Hmm, that sounds more like a 'true perceptive', if you know what I mean. What Polaris and I do seems to be more of a Ti-Ne battle or balancing act, what you have looks more like a well developed Perception/procrastination.

But I'm mixing the functions and the mechanisms (letters) - I'm not sure if that's appropriate. Might be making fruit salad.

 

[skip]

My fierce loathing of schedules and routines is pretty consistent.

 

[Jennywocky]

Hmm, that sounds more like a 'true perceptive', if you know what I mean. What Polaris and I do seems to be more of a Ti-Ne battle or balancing act, what you have looks more like a well developed Perception/procrastination.

But I'm mixing the functions and the mechanisms (letters) - I'm not sure if that's appropriate. Might be making fruit salad.

As long as it's got kiwis and fresh pineapple.

Not sure either. But Te-style stuff has always been hard for me. I wish I was a little more structured. I find that once I get into a groove (like for a huge task with multiple parts that I need to complete by a deadline), I can get enough "oomph" up to be rather a monster -- I'm not good at pacing myself and basically blitz through, step after step.

But typically I float. I hate to lock myself into a path early. I hope to get a bit more moderation into my behavior, as if I kept a bit more structure, I wouldn't have to expend extra energy at the end point to reel everything back in as far.

I think a lot of my daily working style is more Ne than some of the INTPs here (who show an obvious Ti-style structure and approach). I'm only a pseudo-ENTP though, if you compare Ti-Ne vs Ne-Ti; I'm just capable of playing an ENTP on TV and maintaining that complete store of useless random trivia in my head.

 

[SMO]

I actually never considered it as a cycle corresponding to a time frame, but that is plausible now that I think about it. I am going through that right now (a down time), which is why I found this board and started to learn about programming (learning about html now, quite fascinating). I think the "high" I experience when researching and learning something new wears off after understanding a new concept or idea and I, like a drug addict search for that again and again. I do have times where I perform exceptionally like I am in the proverbial "zone", I feel I am creative, intelligent and hardworking, then times where I get nothing accomplished and begin to question everything and doubt creeps in. The nice thing is I know it will cycle through.

I am going to try and track this to see if it follows a pattern. If it does, that would be fantastic, I could then work on ways to control or attempt to modify it.

 

[Intellect]

My best friend (INTP) goes through Pness cycles like this. He'll be super productive and focused one week and then the next be completely apathetic.

[quote="Architect]A friend who was bi-polar thought I had a touch of the condition, but I'm not so sure. [/quote]

I used to think the same thing about myself. I have my doubts, though. Any other INTP/INTJs feel this way, too? Maybe it's just more common for NTs to have these cycles?

 

[Vidi]

Brethren indeed few years ago changes in the cycle decisiveness/energy up-rush/ sense of direction and indecisiveness/doubt/confusion/unwillingness to act were so marked and sharp I thought I had bipolar disorder. Sometimes there were to contrasting changes withing one day. This sort of state continued ofor3 or 4 years. It was so exhausting. Then it stopped, or rather evened out.. and now its mild fluctuations without any drama. I don't notice any particular pattern to it.

 

[eagor]

i notice the pattern too, though it's never scheduled sometimes the dip and rise are monthly and sometimes they are hourly. which sucks because planning for anything is a pain in the ass.

p.s. architect i have also been known to talk to mrs.eagor about my p-ness

 

[MissQuote]

I might start referring to my husband as MrQuote here now.

I would say there is a cycle.

I am not able to be slow and steady at anything. Every few months I will get an itch, I just won't be able to take the mulling around any longer, and suddenly I will take on some great project and dive at it like a steam engine for maybe a week.* Completely exhausting myself. Not often do I complete the project however before I run out of steam and am back to putting things off.

In between these bursts, about mid down cycle, I will usually have a lot of creative flow where I get so many ideas about different things and put around tinkering with things and avoiding stuff that is no fun and menial, sandwiched by ruminating bouts of lack of motivation.

*most recently it was switching two of my kids rooms, which involved not only moving all of their things, but tearing out carpets and painting walls in one of the rooms (including days worth of detailed borders) taking apart and putting back together of furniture. I tanked out after about five days of going at it nonstop, now it has been weeks and I haven't gotten started on painting the second room or tearing out it's carpet. Though all of my sons things are in there and he is living in there now. The room is still pink.

 

[MissQuote]

So it would go-

Ruminate-Creativity-Ruminate-Drive-Ruminate

in a loop. Drive being the shortest phase.

 

[intpz]

If we'd take the other two nicknames into account, you should call him MrMissQuote.

 

[ℜεмїηїs¢εη¢ε]

...It is more like running out of steam, almost as if realising the pointlessness of it all on a regular basis....then mustering up enough delusion to drive myself back into the game. It's all or nothing. When I'm on a roll, I seem to resemble the INTJ; driven, determined, hard-assed and factual. Tendency to ignore people around me.

It's all or nothing, great way of putting it.

And so life goes on....I wonder how common this is.

It's probably common among the INTP community.

 

[PhoenixRising]

I go back and forth every day. The only time I'm really focused on something is if I'm working on a really interesting project. When I'm working, the world disappears. Other than that, I'm pretty unproductive because I just want to be alone somewhere thinking. Then people come and bother me, and I try to ignore them while helping them at the same time.

 

[intpz]

I go back and forth every day. The only time I'm really focused on something is if I'm working on a really interesting project. When I'm working, the world disappears. Other than that, I'm pretty unproductive because I just want to be alone somewhere thinking. Then people come and bother me, and I try to ignore them while helping them at the same time.

Thanks for an idea for a new post. I wanted to post a reply, but then I thought that getting more opinions on a new thread without partial offtopic is a better choice... I know I'll be hated for it by some, again.

 

[PhoenixRising]

Thanks for an idea for a new post. I wanted to post a reply, but then I thought that getting more opinions on a new thread without partial offtopic is a better choice... I know I'll be hated for it by some, again.

You're welcome. I guess anyway. If you get beat up, it's not my fault

 

[7even]

I definitely have a cycle of my 'Pness' but it's sometimes unpredictable, and doesn't really follow a pattern - I guess because it mostly depends on my mood, although generally, I'd say it changes roughly every 2 months.

I'm pretty sure it's linked to how I treat my body. If I'm eating well, sleeping well, and exercising - I'm on that up phase... Structured, organized, mentally alert, active etc. But, I get bored of that, or I just like change, or it's my 'bad' habits that lead me going on that down phase. Could this just be strongly linked to one's health?

I go on my down phase when I'm going out late, socializing, drinking, smoking some herb etc. - Basically not giving a shit, very apathetic, intoxicated, sleepy, lazy, unproductive etc. I like to consciously switch between those phases, I think it's because I dislike permanence relative to structure.

I enjoy both phases very much, although I swap frequently or things get mundane and repetitive, I guess.

 

[intpz]

You're welcome. I guess anyway. If you get beat up, it's not my fault

Oh alright, I was about to print out a lawsuit with your name on it. Good thing I didn't waste that piece of paper, would've got beaten up by the environmentalists.

 

[addictedartist]

I too experience peaks, however im worried whether it can be overdone or not, for example thinking back to my last shroom trip I cant help but feel like I was more alive than usual only to wake up to feeling like a newborn baby and having to relearn basic motor skills while the night before I couldnt stop my mind from watching the world around me; being in the center and realizing the importance of the universe

I like when its hard to find something bad but I dont like when its hard to find something good, which seems to be the case when my jness takes precedence.

 

[pjoa09]

I think it helps to speed up the cycle if you shut everyone off.

 

[contextblues]

Brethren indeed few years ago changes in the cycle decisiveness/energy up-rush/ sense of direction and indecisiveness/doubt/confusion/unwillingness to act were so marked and sharp I thought I had bipolar disorder.

I'm in this phase now. It's somewhat reassuring to believe in a (possible) light at the end of this miserable tunnel... so thank you.