After years of coaching writers who struggled with procrastination issues, high sensitivity to criticism, and crippling self doubt, I realized that almost every one of my clients was an INFJ or INFP.
I used the insights I gained from these clients—as well as my own personal story as an introvert and Highly Sensitive Person—to show how the experience of the intuitive writer is radically different from the norm.
One of the most common problems for INFJ writers is when they become paralyzed when faced with making a creative decision about their writing. Sometimes this happens when the INFJ writer is trying to decide which writing project to start first, and sometimes it happens when they are already working on a writing project and they are trying to make a decision about which direction it should go in for the best forward movement on the project.
What’s happening when an INFJ writer is blocked in their decision-making is usually that we’re getting overwhelmed. This occurs when INFJ writers use thinking over intuition when trying to make creative decisions. Although we are strong in our thinking skills, these skills should be relegated to situations which call for straightforward problem-solving, not complex intuitive creativity.
I just released my new video course for INFJ writers. It’s called Understanding Yourself as an INFJ Writer and it features a ton of information on common INFJ writer obstacles and how to conquer them.
It also covers:
What to do when we hit a wall in our first draft
How to stop giving away our writing time
Conquering INFJ writer self-sabotage
What to do about never feeling good enough
How to get out of research mode and actually start writing
How to trust the creative process
I made a short video with all the details about this new course:
One of my students asked me the other day about the positives of being an INFJ writer. The question made me stop and think because I realized that, although we talk a lot about the struggles of being an INFJ writer, rarely do we pause to appreciate the gifts. And there are plenty of gifts, that’s for certain. So today I’m taking a little time to remind all the INFJ writers out there (as well as myself) why it’s great to be an INFJ writer.
Perfectionism is one of the major issues INFJ writers deal with on a daily basis. Perfectionism often blocks writers from finishing projects because they spend countless hours trying to make things perfect and never actually move ahead. It also blocks writers from ever starting anything because the moment they write that first sentence and see how flawed it is, they feel overwhelmed and lose all hope that they can continue.
Perfectionism is especially frequent in INFJ writers, and it doesn’t just extend to their writing life. Most INFJ personality types experience the crippling effects of perfectionism in their day-to-day lives, whether that’s in their jobs, their relationships, or with other personal issues. This is also why many INFJ personality types tend to gravitate toward personal growth and improvement. We are always trying to make ourselves better, because we can very clearly see where exactly we are lacking.
Why is perfectionism so strong and all-consuming for INFJ personality types, and INFJ writers in particular?