I was a poor student in high school. Not dumb, just lazy. Extremely lazy. Because of this, I graduated near the bottom of my class in 1982. I had no interest in college. I struggled in math and science. The only class I did well in was Creative Writing and Speech. Oh yes, I also did really well in Typing. Back in the day when we had typewriters. I took typing because my mom pushed me. She got tired of typing my term papers and writing assignments the night before they were due. She was more annoyed when those papers I did at the last minute got good grades.
“How can you get a passing grade when you wait until the last minute for everything?” she asked.
And yet, in this case, I did get good grades! And that’s even with my apparent procrastination.
Years later, I realized that I was normal. When I took the MBTI, I revealed a strong preference for P – which stands for PERCIEVER, (not PROCRASTINATOR). I do my best work just before the deadline. Give me a week to do a project and I’ll wait until Day #6 to start and finish it.
But for the other half of the population, I’m seen as goofy and undisciplined. In their mind, no good results come from waiting until the last minute. The earlier you start, the better the result. And for those with a preference for J or JUDGING, that’s the way they are wired.
Those who prefer JUDGING:
- Start early and work methodically.
- Seek order, structure, and closure.
- Make a list and use it.
Those who prefer PERCEIVING:
- Start late and work quickly and efficiently.
- Seek openness and flexibility.
- Make a list and lose it.
So which one are you? More importantly, how do you treat others who are different than you?
Everyone is unique and different. By understanding the nuances of personality preferences, you’ll have more empathy and understanding for the people around you and can better embrace the gifts you bring. The MBTI is a great tool to discover this. If you’d like to explore this, why not connect with us and let us help you?