Mediator (INFP) personality types can transform procrastination into passion. Aligning values and interests with tasks can ignite their creativity, making them valuable assets in any organization.
Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow, right? Chances are people with the Mediator (INFP) personality type are no strangers to procrastination. They often find it easy to lose track of time, get distracted, or become absorbed in their thoughts. Procrastination might not even be a conscious choice. For Mediators, procrastination might be more of an unintentional consequence of their inquisitive and contemplative nature, and if it goes too far, it can seriously impact their career prospects.
To understand how procrastination impacts Mediator personalities and how it affects their quest for a fulfilling career, let’s take a look at Mediators’ talents, their search for novelty, and what they consider to be a passion. Is procrastination a hurdle in their search for purpose, or could it be a tool that they can use to navigate their career? Let’s find out.
What Makes a Passion?
For most people, passion implies a long-term, wholehearted interest and dedication that signifies a deep emotional connection to a subject or activity. When does a hobby turn into a passion? When does a job? Aside from the deep connection, the distinction largely depends on the individual’s perspective and the outcomes of their actions.
When passion leads to positive outcomes, it’s celebrated and admired. It is passion that drives the activist who chains themselves to a tree and saves it, the pianist who isolates themselves for hours practicing to excel at a concert, and the entrepreneur who spends all their savings on an idea that actually turns into a unicorn start-up. These are people with a passion, clearly. However, when passion leads to negative outcomes or behaviors, it can be labeled very differently – obsessive, compulsive, or delusional, just to name a few options. But that is not the focus of this article.
Regardless of outcome, a passion is something that you genuinely love to do and would love to continue doing for as long as you can imagine – so much so that it becomes part of your identity. It is this long-term commitment that sometimes trips Mediator personalities up, though. Most Mediators like to remain open to new ideas without tying themselves to pursuing just one single goal.
The inflexibility associated with long-term passions can feel restrictive to Mediators, who value the freedom to change their interests when they wish. They are known to change their focus on a regular basis, because their imaginative, creative, and curious mind wanders and picks up new threads easily, leading these personalities to explore new interests regularly.
A Blessing and a Curse
Mediators’ curiosity, talent for deep introspection, and vivid imagination have often been described as strengths. However, when it comes to productivity, these gifts can be both a blessing and a curse. It’s Mediators’ capacity for innovative thinking that can lead to remarkable insights and creative solutions to complex problems. On the other hand, since further exploration of their ideas and dreams is always just around the corner, it’s easy for people with this personality type to let these mental explorations become distracting – especially when only the boring administrative tasks are left on their to-do list.
While Mediators might perform better when they are given the freedom to roam mentally, practical responsibilities, expectations, and deadlines cannot be put aside forever in the real world or at their job. Time management gurus might recommend keeping a consistent, strict regimen to combat slacking and procrastination. But for Mediator personalities, a rigid schedule filled with mundane tasks does not spark any real joy. A structured, deadline-driven environment stifles their creativity, leaving Mediators feeling frustrated and unsatisfied.
Rebelling Mediators
As a form of rebellion against this rigidity – whether they are conscious of it or not – Mediators may resist completing tasks. According to our “Self-Motivation” survey, Mediator personalities are unlikely to try to complete tasks long before they’re due. Procrastinating on tasks until they absolutely have to do them becomes a way to assert their need for independence and creativity.
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