INFJ Writer Problem № 7: Getting carried away with the big vision (until you're overwhelmed or burned out)
I’ve been putting together the INFJ writing game for a while, breaking it down into 6-week tracks to walk through all the steps of writing a nonfiction book, from initial ideation through launch and promotion.
Breaking the process down has been a real eye-opener.
It’s no wonder we feel so overwhelmed with the prospect of writing, especially as INFJs.
We have the ability to take any idea and amplify a thousand times without even trying, and then, before you know it, we’re overwhelmed, burned out, or both.
This post is the perfect example.
I have the game pretty well ready to go, and now it’s time to recruit the first group of players for the January 1 round, and of course, writing is one of my main methods of building awareness and a following around the topic of writing as an INFJ.
But now, after building the game, I have a new perspective. I see all the moving parts and know the different phases involved in the writing process, and I want to be “thorough.” (That’s one of the words we use to fool ourselves into perfectionism—or, really, to justify it.)
Here’s how my thought process went around trying to write this one little article with this new frame of reference (the game):
I need to write an article for the INFJ writers club.
I also need to write now at the Dear INFJ writer publication on Medium.
But I want to be helpful and actually address the issues covered in the game and faced by INFJ writers of nonfiction.
I also want to be thorough. (Translation: I want to have a set group of content categories that cover the bases regarding issues relevant to INFJ writers of nonfiction and then add content to those categories in a consistent and uniform way. I imagined a big grid or paint-by-number picture that I would fill in, inch-by-inch, over a year, just say.)
So then I got to thinking about what those content categories needed to be.
I went in circles for an hour, debating with myself over how best to organize and approach the content plan.
Then I thought, “You cover this in the game! Why are you reinventing the wheel for yourself?!” Why wouldn’t I just go through the phases of the writing process within the game, like you’re recommending other INFJ writers of nonfiction do?
Well, I will. Come January. But it’s November, and I’m trying to write now.
Finally, I realized I was overcomplicating things for the moment. (Not an INFJ?)
Yes, I would play the game come January like any other INFJ nonfiction writers who chose to play, and at that point, I could figure out a more strategic approach to my writing and promotion, but for today, I could keep things simple.
I was overwhelming myself unnecessarily.
Here at the INFJ writers club, I have a series in progress: INFJ writer problems.
Over at Dear INFJ writer, I have the start of a series, which is just simple declarations (example, No. 1—You should write).
That was good enough for now. Just continue the series.
But that’s not how we INFJs think or operate.
We have to find the long way around.
I don’t know why we do that—just our nature, I guess, but it pays to be aware of it and recognize it when you can.
I won’t say we should stop it altogether, because how else could we come up with all our great ideas and big visions? We couldn’t without that trait. It’s not a defect. But—it can get out of hand if you let it, and it can lead to overwhelm and burnout if you’re not careful.
It’s a good idea to check yourself every now and then and ask yourself if you’re making things unnecessarily complicated.
Dreaming, scheming, visioning, and planning are all good tools, but just like we wouldn’t use a hammer in every situation, neither should we rely on a specific INFJ tool.
So when your vision starts feeling to big to tackle, because you’ve let yourself get carried away and are too far in the weeds, find your way back to the main path you laid earlier, one that’s better worn because you’ve tested it out for yourself for a while.
If the new path is too hairy and unwieldy, you don’t have to travel it right this very second. Save it, think on it, deliberate if it’s worth it, and consider whether the effort will add real value to what you’re trying to do (or if it’s only going to overwhelm you or burn you out without offering much in return).
P.S. 👇
WHO: INFJ writers of nonfiction
WHAT: the INFJ writing game
WHEN: Starts January 1
WHERE: Get all the deets & enroll here 👈🏃
Hope to see you there!
