Productive Thinking

[Cognisant]

As I suspect many INTPs do, I spend a lot of my time thinking about random things during the day, more often than not it's just pointless daydreaming. So I've been wondering about what I should/could be thinking about, what would be a productive use of this more-or-less wasted thinking time, what paths of thought could I benefit from?

Should I study people, and if so what about them should I be studying?

Should I concentrate on my breathing, perhaps try to enter trance state?

Or should I... you get it already don't you?

What would be productive thinking?

 

[Words]

I've thought about this. My conclusion was to simply remain free and unsettled by obligations of productivity. I'm hoping most of these random thoughts are useful enough. If you were to force yourself to think productively, the interest lessens. When that happens, the quality of thought lessens. My suggestion would be to dismiss the idea of productivity and continue those random thoughts. I'm guessing you would continue either ways. The mind thinks and daydreams on its own. I'm also guessing that random thoughts aren't necessarily useless.

 

[Yellow]

Why on earth would you want your thoughts to be productive? I mean sure you may pick a topic to study that interests you, or something you don't feel you know enough about - I suppose that could be productive. But your thoughts need to wander and be free or you'll never discover something new to study or create. Like just today I wrote a ode to my stupid car and I realized that I should learn more about machines, so I started reading about how you can get very close to dividing by zero if you set up limits. If I was concerned about productive thoughts, my day would have not been as fun.

Oh! if you must be productive, could you figure out the meaning of life for me? I try but I always end up distracted.

 

[Luminates]

Creating a way to be productive, even for a non INTP, can be proven relentless. That would explain the nervousness and anxiety issues many have today in either attempting or holding on to remaining and being productive. Now try to push that into an INTP? That would seem almost impossible given under some circumstances. I really can't think of any possible way to remain productive. All I can say in signs of help is to find something that interests "you" the most. apply most of your thinking time, even if by force, to it and hope something productive comes of it.

If anything, worst case scenario is, you loose interest in thinking about whatever you applied yourself for, or at least the broad term behind of it.

 

[shoeless]

"productive" thinking = s-types.

depending on how you define productive, i guess.

 

[Cognisant]

Oh! if you must be productive, could you figure out the meaning of life for me?

To live.
In retrospect it seems so incredibly obvious.

Technically there is no universal meaning thus one could rightfully assert that life is meaningless, however attacking the question in this way is (in retrospect) a cheap tactic, as it tricks the questioner into thinking there cannot be an answer, which is evidently not so. In a universe without inherent meaning there still exists the capacity for each and every mind to create its own meaning, i.e. the meaning of life is something each of us must decide for ourselves. But that's not a conclusive answer now is it, what we're seeking is the ultimate answer to the question "what is the meaning of life" so to that end why not define life/living as the practice/process of deciding upon ones own answer to the meaning-of-life question.

Hence the meaning of life is, to live

Edit: Got any other questions you'd like answered?

 

[Yellow]

^ yes.. why are peanut butter and jelly so wonderfully perfect together? I mean it even sounds gross, and yet the yumminess cannot be denied.

 

[violetblue]

why does superglue only work on its own cap?

 

[Cognisant]

^ yes.. why are peanut butter and jelly so wonderfully perfect together? I mean it even sounds gross, and yet the yumminess cannot be denied.

Because it's bad for you.
You think PB&J is good, try sniffing nerve gas, it'll blow your mind.

why does superglue only work on its own cap?

Because you squeeze too hard and so there's excess glue when you put the cap back on; now the real question here is why do you squeeze so enthusiastically?
Also, everyone buys the cheaper brand of superglue, in response to this manufactures focus on making a more economical products, rather than a more effective ones.

 

[violetblue]

Because it's bad for you.
You think PB&J is good, try sniffing nerve gas, it'll blow your mind.


Because you squeeze too hard and so there's excess glue when you put the cap back on; now the real question here is why do you squeeze so enthusiastically?

because i have opposable thumbs, and therefore--can.

 

[Yellow]

ooh! I have really important one! How can they call it a 'self-help' book when you need the help of the book? Wouldn't it just be a 'help' book?

Edit: Last one, I promise!

 

[violetblue]

(good night, fellow silly ones.

 

[Cognisant]

How can they call it a 'self-help' book when you need the help of the book? Wouldn't it just be a 'help' book?

It's like "textbooks", what kind of book doesn’t have text?

Edit: Last one, I promise!

What? Don't let my passive-aggression put you off, that's just me having fun.

 

[Beat Mango]

How do I lead a happy life?

Edit: and, shoeless is pretty much right. Productive thinking = that which results in sex, money or power, to be general. So think about those things if you wish to be productive (or their subsets: work, relationships, etc). But bear in mind, thinking is rarely more productive than doing.

 

[Cognisant]

Productive thinking = that which results in sex, money or power, to be general. So think about those things if you wish to be productive (or their subsets: work, relationships, etc). But bear in mind, thinking is rarely more productive than doing.

THAT'S IT!
Of course I still have no idea what I want, but that's a goal I can pursue...

How do I lead a happy life?

Maintain low expectations and live without shame, perhaps.
Wait-no! I've got it: Treat unhappiness like wine, learn to appreciate it.

 

[Yellow]

What? Don't let my passive-aggression put you off, that's just me having fun.

Well in that case, I have another! Is there a way to increase my odds of winning rock-paper-scissors? Is there some flawless strategy to win the best two out of three?

 

[Words]

Cheat?

 

[echoplex]

Well, in MBTI terms, Te would be productive thinking. It's thinking towards an end outside yourself.

Question: Why am I? Who am I?

 

[Adymus]

Well, in MBTI terms, Te would be productive thinking. It's thinking towards an end outside yourself.

Question: Why am I? Who am I?

Te is no more or Less productive than Ti. Breaking something down for the purpose of understanding it's principles (Ti) is just as necessary for production in the same way as building a set of principles (Te)

 

[echoplex]

^ True, but it seems that Te is more focused on production itself, but of course both are a necessary part of the process.

 

[Moocow]

I'd only be concerned about idle thoughts if they revolved too much around petty issues. If I notice I'm concerning too much about people or things simply beyond my control, I'll find something new in the sciences to learn about, or to perhaps explore first hand.
If you must feel obligated to productivity, as I often do, take up learning an instrument or art form and challenge the side of your brain that doesn't care about logic and reasoning. I think the mysterious world of feelings and imagination are often much more challenging to develop and understand than simply rational things.

Here's a question for you: Why do the icons under my post count say I'm using windows 98 and safari? I'm on Windows 7 and google chrome.

 

[Cognisant]

Is there a way to increase my odds of winning rock-paper-scissors? Is there some flawless strategy to win the best two out of three?

Know your opponent, watch their eyes, let your intuition guide you.

Intuition is your subconscious speaking you, listen to it, the human brain is an incredibly powerful probability engine, we live in a world of fuzzy data after all.

Why do the icons under my post count say I'm using windows 98 and safari? I'm on Windows 7 and google chrome.

Browser settings, and I've got some vague notion that it has something to do with security, I can't recall the specifics though.

 

[LAM]

When I am thinking "productively" this means I am thinking about solutions to problems and creating a lot of different strategies I could use to solve those problems. Of course the problems may vary greatly from mundane (such as how to get water using the least amount of effort) to stuff I need to do such as schoolwork or other random philosophical, psychological, etc stuff.

 

[Zero]

I don't think there is "productive thinking". If my thoughts are manifested so other people are influence by them, that's producing. Otherwise I just think.

Therefore, it makes sense to have a job as that is productive and hence my thinking won't have to be productive, as it isn't productive, unless something is produced from my thinking and influences other people.

My attempt to influence people with my thinking has been counter productive and depressing (to me). So, I'd rather be productive in a more traditional way.

If you mean to be productive to yourself, as in enrichment, it doesn't really matter what you think about. Find something that interests you or reflect on your life.

 

[Words]

Productive to me is simply something that has "moderate uses" in a person's life. I can think about so many things that are just "rubbish". (e.g. the little bit of rock that's between my teeth and a story about it.)