Introverted and Intuitive (INFP)

Time Abuse

Clinical psychologist and executive coach Steve Berglas, Harvard Business School graduate, reports interesting information about TIME ABUSE.

According to Berglas, "Time abuse is very different from the common and well-covered problem of time management. While the vast majority of us can benefit from practical insights on how to organize our lives better, lessons in time management will have little impact on time abusers. That's because real time abuse results from psychological conflict that neither a workshop nor a manager's cajoling can easily cure. Indeed, the time abuser's quarrel isn't even with time but rather with a brittle self-esteem and an unconscious fear of being evaluated and found wanting. That's why you should focus your efforts on what makes a time abuser anxious instead of teaching him how to organize his day."

Over the years he has come across four types of time abusers. This is how Berglas defines the types, a few of which I think may just be introverts. See what you think. I quote directly from the article, which is linked below for your full interest.

The Preemptive
Regardless of the different ways they might disrupt colleagues, time abusers are alike in that they are all highly inflexible individuals who believe deeply that they are doing the best job possible. This is most true for preemptives -- the rarest of time abusers. Preemptives are the people who compulsively beat the clock. They finish assignments weeks ahead of schedule and always seem to be in control.

So what's the problem? Often, there is none. In fact, preemptives can thrive for long periods in organizations without ever drawing negative attention to themselves precisely because managers delight in having what appear to be low-maintenance workers. Over time, however, preemptives can cause morale problems because they ignore how their behavior affects others. Indeed, preemptives are seldom team players. While their work is often first-rate, they are typically asocial individuals who, while not actively hostile, fail to take their group's needs into account.

The People Pleaser
Another type of time-challenged employee who can appear at first glance to be a dream come true is the people pleaser. While the vast majority of us want to be helpful -- and let's face it, anyone who constantly says no will quickly be shown the door -- this doesn't alter the fact that saying yes all the time is highly dysfunctional. When a person chronically takes on more and more responsibilities out of a fear of confronting authority, he will inevitably commit too much of his time to unproductive projects -- for instance, he will sit on a project that he should have passed on to someone else much earlier.

In the workplace, the people pleaser often resorts to time abuse to vent her anger. For example, she agrees to take on a task she doesn't want and then devotes obsessive attention to its minutest details. Although this form of over-compliance can win approval from others, unchecked it can lead to conflicts with the very authority figures she is endeavoring to please.

The Perfectionist
Like people pleasers, perfectionists are time abusers who can hold people hostage for indefinite periods of time. But perfectionists do it out of anguish rather than rage. They take more time than allotted to satisfy extremely unrealistic but deeply internalized standards of excellence. And they get away with it because they do first-rate work.

For a perfectionist, performance is all or nothing; good enough will never suffice. To achieve such high ideals, the perfectionist posts psychological Do Not Disturb signs all around him as he works. Emotionally isolated in this way, he frequently appears arrogant and dismissive. Whether that is true or not, the fact is, the perfectionist does require absolute control over the quality of the product he produces.

Perfectionists don't let rules get in the way: In their pursuit of excellence, they ignore all the regulations, often to the dismay of colleagues who seldom, if ever, see value added from the perfectionist's determination to turn in a flawless product.

The Procrastinator
Procrastinators are the Michelangelos of time abusers. They are the kids back in school who used to complain that the dog ate their homework. The most common type of time abuser, procrastinators leave assignments until the 11th hour and then throw themselves (and others) into a panic, working round-the-clock in a vain attempt to meet a deadline. If asked by his boss, "Where is that work you promised?" the procrastinator sincerely responds, "I'll show you as soon as I get this monkey off my back." The problem is, the monkey never goes away.

Procrastinators resemble perfectionists in that they both run shamelessly late. But while a perfectionist is sweating to achieve an A+ because that's the only grade that's acceptable to him, a procrastinator postpones doing any work because he secretly fears that he cannot produce an A.

Of course, the procrastinator doesn't simply refuse to work -- he gets interrupted by other assignments or is sidetracked by unexpected crises: illness, family problems or just plain old car trouble.

If you or someone you know might be one of these? Read more >>>