This post is for those who have trouble dealing with self discipline, lack of motivation, working hard, etc. This is not a how-to for working harder; this is a reality check. Hopefully it will give you a more realistic perspective about your capacity.
This post comes from observations of human behavior, and should be used as a guide to figuring out what’s up with you. It borrows heavily from ideas in personality typing and uses some statistics.
First, one of the things I’ve noticed is that humans differ alot and specifically in a dichotomous fashion. ‘Dichotomous’ means there are two opposing ends of a spectrum; for instance, Introverted and Extroverted. These dichotomies do not indicate your actions but rather your preferences.
Human beings have a natural state of rest – this is what they do when they have no pressure, motivation, or inclination from outside forces. So an introvert’s state of rest is when they’re alone, around close friends, etc. This doesn’t mean that an introvert can’t make new friends or talk to strangers – rather it means that it takes energy for them to do such activities, and willpower/motivation to choose to do such activities.
So, dichotomies and states of rest make for a very simple yet comprehensive model for your work ethic dilemma. The dichotomy that we look at to determine work ethic is the P/J split (borrowing from MBTI). My interpretation is that this is the goal oriented/possibility oriented dichotomy, where some people are more interested in meeting specific goals while others are more interested thinking about the possibilities.
These preferences have different states of rest. So, a P’s state of rest will be branching out (analysis, what-ifs, alternative strategies, etc), while a J’s state of rest will be focused (working towards something).
MBTI assumes we have a pretty equal distribution of this dichotomy – equal amounts of J/P with variations of their degree. If you have trouble sticking to a task, you’re most likely a “P” instead of a “J”. Some may be 2-3 standards from the average (a hardcore ‘P’) – which may make them bipolar and/or ADD people (a hardcore ‘J’ is a super workaholic).
Each dichotomy has strengths and weaknesses. Most people assume that they can be workaholics and base their expectations on that assumption. However, this model says that for people who are possibility oriented, focusing on a task takes energy, and you can only do so limitedly. A person with a strong inclination of ‘P’ shouldn’t have expectations to work as hard as a one with a strong ‘J’. When you start to work seriously, the first day may be fine but the subsequent days will be filled more and more with daydreaming/thinking about the possibilities (which is your natural state of rest), browsing, exploration, and other such activities. By the end of the week you’ll be worn out. This is normal for any ‘P’, and around half the population is a ‘P’.
This model allows for a more realistic understanding of your daily activities. It says that you have a state of rest with the potential to (through using willpower and energy) act in the opposing state. However, this is not a permanent change – eventually you tire, and go back to your state of rest – (but I suspect that during that time, you grew in your capacity to leave the state of rest). So, for those who can’t work hard, it predicts that you won’t ‘get better’ any time soon.
However, the good news is that MBTI states that time evens out your personality – so eventually, you’ll be both goal and possibility oriented without too much energy loss in either. For now, though, its a struggle – but try to work hard. Don’t kill yourself over not being able to.
Finding good motivational factors and keeping up a good level of energy are key to helping you to work hard in the mean time – but it doesn’t solve the innate problem – your state of rest won’t ever be ‘working’.
A final note – don’t think ‘Js’ get all the luck. They may have difficulty exploring situations, and are most likely the ones to stick to conventional techniques instead of innovative or risky ones. P’s exhibit creativity, strategy, and a strong sense of what-if that is perfect for output optimization (ie: working smarter).
A final final note: I’ve met some people who are strong J’s with a good capacity for explorative thought. So the psychological world is still not flat.
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There’s my advice for you. Don’t stress yourself over who you are. Learn what your potential is – build your own model if you don’t like mine, but at the very least your model should have a boundary on your potential. Once you build a model, learn what that model says about your strengths and potential, and begin utilizing your strengths and shoring up your weaknesses. This should help you set proper expectations for yourself, and help you optimize your own growth.