Need your help w/INTP problem

[monkey]

Hi,

This is my first post here (Mods: if this is not the proper forum for this post, please move it and/or let me know).

I have had a problem for maybe 10 years but, since I recently took the Myers-Briggs, I now realize it may be some sort of a personality/mindset defect. As noted in some of the INTP type descriptions, it seems we often get quickly inspired to create, but sometimes just as quickly abandon the project:

Ten years ago, I used to run my own magazine: writing, printing, distributing...everything. It got better and better to the point where I had a lot of good material for my seventh issue. However, this stack of material somehow became overwhelming and I couldn't finish the issue. It was always in the back of my mind, however, and I couldn't really relax. Kind of like when you have a paper due and think "well, I'll just take a break before I start...", but you can't enjoy the "break" because you are always conscious of the work you have to do.

After some years, I kind of gave up on the idea of restarting the mag. Also, the internet/blogs/online magazines kind of killed the market anyway. So, I thought of putting all the material online, but then I thought, "probably people won't pay for it, and I've got a lot of other things to do already, so...".

However, I recently (a year or so ago) had some new, good ideas. Two or three separate book ideas, and one really good long article idea. I started the article a year and a half ago and was about 60 percent finished. I confirmed the subject matter was a good idea with people. I was satisfied with the quality of the article thus far, and had mapped out the final 40 percent. I had also purchased (at some expense), read, and arranged source material for my book. As no such book exists on this topic, yet it is a common problem, it seems my book might also be successful. However, I have abandoned both of these things yet again. Again, I have a stack of source material & unfinished text files haunting me.

I'm INTP, so (of course!), I've given the matter a lot of (too much?) thought. If someone else had requested help with this problem, I would probably suggest, simply, "just do it", "make a schedule and stick to it", etc. However, I can't, somehow. I suspect there is something more to this problem, something I can't see.

Currently, I just work, watch downloaded movies, and take care of errands. I am not creative, but I want to be. Can you help? Any suggestions, comments, criticisms, questions, etc. welcomed!

 

[Artifice Orisit]

Welcome
Whomever solves this problem gets a Nobel prize, untill then self discipline is the only known answer. Maybe you could find a person or group to encourage you and ask about it regularly.

To that point, what is this book/article/site about?

 

[Decaf]

Something that appears to bear out as far as making money on the internet is advertising. If your content is such that either a small group of people will use it often or a large group of people will use it seldomly, you can make your living that way. That or you could follow the Roosterteeth model and collect donations, followed by selling collections of the material you supply.

As far as actually getting it done? I'll let you know how it goes with my own projects. I think the snowflake method is useful if you have the initial motivation. It allows you to come back to stuff you've worked on and start right away instead of reorganizing it every time.

 

[Waterstiller]

Can we ever finish a project? At what point is it completed?

Rant:
Usually it requires some sort of external force requiring me to cease work. And with any project I've ever finished, upon another reading/listening I am ashamed that I had ever created such filth. I'm never sure of myself or of an idea, and while others might be pleased with it I know that I never will. Every successive work further conditions me to the feeling of guilt upon completion until I am unable to even attempt something. I know I'll never be satisfied, so why bother producing anything? I'm more than content just absorbing information. Perhaps one day I'll be sure of myself and create an amazing work, but until then I'll just sit around and do some research. No work will ever be complete until I have ruled out the need for further questioning; no work will ever be complete..

Even more worrying is the fear that my insecurities are going to be confirmed by others upon submitting my work.

Hey.. the snowflake method is actually rather helpful. I'm going to try to use it in my songwriting. Perhaps it'll prove helpful in my paper.

 

[monkey]

Waterstiller: Thanks for your reply. It's a bit too philosophical for me, however. I guess it's finished when I don't worry about it anymore. Now I'm worrying - that's the problem.

Decaf: The snowflake method was interesting. Actually, I don't have a problem with writing; my ideas and structure are pretty good (I think!). I just have a problem actually doing it. Also, I don't really care about the money. I just want recognition for it. On the net, everyone steals your stuff and uses it without attribution.

Cognisant: The topics are not really relevant to this discussion, but they're all non-fiction.

As we are all INTP, I guess I was hoping someone else had a problem with procrastination similar to mine (starting, but only finishing halfway), and also a solution. I will keep looking!

 

[Dissident]

Maybe you could try this:

-Limit yourself to a definite number of projects, lets say 4.
-Do not, under any circumstance, start a new project until you finish one of those 4.
-Start working on whichever you feel like, when you lose interest you switch to one of the other 3.
-Repeat ad infinitum.

Focusing on only one subject seems to be almost imposible for us, but if you cycle through several different ones you may not get bored, when you resume them after some months of working on the other projects they will feel fresh and interesting again. The key is to always stick to the ones you chose and you will eventually finish them. The problem you may or may not have is feeling like changing everything you previously did every time you resume them, thats why it would be very important to choose the projects carefully and be very sure about what you want to do with them.

How does that sound?

 

[Ogion]

Well, we do have a problem similar to yours with procrastination, but as cognisant emphasized, we do not have a solution.
One thing though which seems to be able to motivate us is interest. When we find something intersting, exiting..., we tend to have it very much easier to get through with it. We only should be fast about that, because, uhm, the interest probably will fade with time...

To the point recognition of your work: I believe when you put your content under a fitting Creativie Commons License and people like it, theey will for one give you creditt, by mails and other means (for exammple a comment system) and if they use it otherwise, they likely will respect te License (which could state for example that redistribution may be allowed when adding your name to it...Well, of course there might be people who will use it without respecting it, but that will always be the case, won't it?

Hope this is at least a bit helpful...

Also: Hi and welcome to the forum. May you find interesting and enlightening discussions (There is for example a 'Motivation'-Thread and a Proccrastination-Thread, you could start with and dget to know our views on this...)

Ogion