XNXPs and the drive to optimize
XNXPs have the reputation of being some of the messiest bitches of the MBTI. So much idea generation, so little output. As perceivers, we revel in exploring possibilities. As intuitives, we do not feel the need to be constrained by this “reality” you speak of. The result, more often than not, can be summed up by this meme:
It’s not uncommon for XNXPs to be haunted by their inability to fulfill their full potential. ADHD is rife (especially for the Ne-doms), and often a sense of self-loathing for failing to execute:
My theory is that all XNXPs, whether we’re conscious of it or not, are heavily invested in finding the optimal solution to any given problem. This can often lead to chaos because the process of perceiving does not have a logical end point, especially with the internet. Thus even if we are trying really hard, we never manage to get to the place where we feel good about starting anything. So we can often stress ourselves out while appearing lazy at the same time.
Have you noticed that it is often much easier for XNXPs to solve other people’s problems than their own. Because when we are given a limited problem, say organizing a friend’s room, we can treat it like a puzzle, solve for an optimal solution and do a great job. But faced with our own mess, there are simply too many inputs, and we get overwhelmed.
A lot of the negative perceptions and problems faced by XNXPs arise from maladaptive reactions to this “input overwhelm” problem. XNTPs are thought of as lazy and arrogant because they can kind of see the solution, but not with enough clarity to show other people with conviction. So they mouth off, and can often even do a bad job deliberately so they can say they didn’t even try. XNFPs are often thought to be random and weird because this process leads them to consider possibilities far outside of conventional wisdom, but then their tertiary/inferior Te pushes them to execute before they’ve really honed in on the right thing.
How to break the cycle of overthinking and underachievement? As an ENFP with Tertiary Te I’ve gone through my share of self-help and productivity literature. They might as well all be titled “How to be an XXXJ even if you’re not.” It’s always about doing the thing, and never about figuring out what the right thing is to do. I’m sure every XNXP has had the experience of suppressing their Ne in order move on to execution. Impersonating a judger can help us get things done, but it is often a joyless and exhausting experience.
Instead, I propose an alternative strategy for getting our lives under control: Radically Reducing Initial Inputs. This strategy up-ends the productivity equation. Rather than suppressing or short-circuiting your puzzle-solving drive, you control the size of the puzzle you are solving. This necessarily involves setting some artificial constraints. I used to waste hours researching insignificant purchases. Now I quickly choose three options that catch my eye, THEN go in to research mode. There is a satisfying ‘click’ when I know I’ve found the best of the three, then I ease into action mode without resistance.
Here me out. I’m about to say something highly controversial: Steve Jobs was an intuitive perceiver.
Here is a famous picture of him drinking tea in his empty living room. It took him eight years to buy a sofa. “We spoke about furniture in theory for eight years,” said his ex-wife Laurene Powell, “we spent a lot of time asking ourselves, ‘what is the purpose of a sofa.’”
The man who gave us the iPhone was also the man who was capable of procrastinating for years on buying furniture. He drew upon unexpected sources like a Trappist monk’s calligraphy class in his quest to unite technology and design. He researched obsessively and resisted execution until he found the perfect thing to do. And yet, he is still most often typed as a judger, or occasionally a sensing perceiver. In fact, any intuitive perceiver who figures out how to execute effectively is apt to be mistyped as a judger.
XNXPs might have a reputation for being the messiest bitches in the MBTI, but we are actually the most elegant bitches. We are about finding the optimal solution before we launch into action. We only show up as messy and lazy when we’re overwhelmed with inputs, then pushed into premature execution.
I’d like to nickname the XNXPs “the Optimizers”. As long as we have the wisdom to correctly choose the scope of our problems, we can absolutely maximize our potentials and succeed at the highest levels while remaining completely ourselves.
