The analytical personalities

Analytical personalities make decisions based on objectivity and facts.

INTJ: The scientist

You are introverted, intuitive, thinking, and judging. You are also imaginative, confident, decisive, determined, and open-minded.

You need to constantly learn new things and expand your understanding of the world. You are energised by finding new ways to solve problems and have the ability to instigate wide-scale change by outside-the-bo” thinking.

You are more comfortable in stable environments and find contentment in a small number of close relationships. Socialising can be a drain on the introverted element of your personality type. You need to have regular time alone to recharge yourself to maintain a good balance.

How change impacts you

You can be excited by change, but you need time to figure out your strategy and predict implications and likely effects.

Unexpected, surprise changes can irritate you because you want time to create a plan and avoid mistakes that come from impulsivity and haste.

Overcoming the stresses of life

You retreat into your head and act stubborn, getting preoccupied with things that don’t matter.

Set aside distinct times in your day to address your worries so they don’t overwhelm you.

How you can achieve your goals

In general, the standard goal-setting process will work for you. But you may become bored with the details. Your tendency toward perfectionism can stall your progress and unexpected events can derail you altogether. You are likely to resist adopting other systems.

Instead, you may create the goal-setting process that challenges and stretches you to stay engaged and interested. Adapt your process to:

• Schedule large chunks of time for your goal once or twice a week, instead of daily nibbles, so you can immerse yourself in the task at hand.
• Plan for contingencies. Think about likely setbacks or obstacles ahead of time, then develop a Plan B, Plan C, and maybe even Plan D.
• Outsource the details to others so you do not get bogged down in them. Find a good virtual assistant and let them handle the mundane tasks.

INTP: The thinker

You are introverted, intuitive, thinking and perceiving. You are also analytical, imaginative, enthusiastic, objective, logical, and honest.

You question everything and seek to expand your knowledge and ideas. Above everything else, you need to understand your surrounding world. You are not motivated by interactions with others but is happier being alone. You need space to develop your knowledge and understanding of interesting things.

You will feel hampered if you are expected to keep to the convention for the sake of it. You prefer to question and live your life on what makes logical sense. This means that you have the potential to find innovative solutions and challenge illogical conventions.

How change impacts you

Change can be very exciting for you. You are typically flexible and willing to take smart risks. You can become easily bored by everyday repetitive experiences and enjoy the challenge involved with change.

As introverts, you need time alone to process the change before giving an immediate response. You want to reflect on the change and all the implications and effects before you jump on board.

Overcoming the stresses of life

You likely get a sense of analysis paralysis and can be increasingly prone to emotional outbursts.

Take some time alone to reflect on your emotions and listen to relaxing music to calm down.

How you can achieve your goals

You tend to manage well with traditional goal-setting, but you have a few problem areas. You set the goals you think you should, instead of the ones that truly motivate you. You are easily bored with what you already know and hate working on things that have already been done. Your work needs to be ground-breaking. You are also afraid of failure.

Here’s how you can modify standard goal-setting to work better for you:

• Forget the ‘shoulds’ and set goals that you want, even if they seem wacky.
• Do not dismiss a goal because it has been done before. Instead, give it some flair and make it uniquely yours.
• Set a goal that requires you to learn new things or master new skills. This will help you to stay engaged.
• Do not focus on the big goal that can feed your fear of failure. Instead, plan for a big goal but focus and plan for the first milestone. Once you achieve that milestone, plan for the next.

ENTJ: The executive

You are extroverted, intuitive, thinking, and judging. Like most good executives, you are also efficient, energetic, strong-willed, confident, and strategic.

You are a strategic thinker who enjoys taking a lead and making change happen. You work hard to achieve high standards in everything you do. You are likely to feel most fulfilled when putting together long-term plans that provide logical solutions.

Your strong sense of intuition helps you immediately envision change and determines how to achieve it. You are a natural-born leader who will enjoy working strategically on large scale projects. However, you are likely to become frustrated when you have to focus on small details or are asked to understand people’s feelings. You enjoy working with others who share the same vision and high efficiency as them.

How change impacts you

Decisive and analytical, you enjoy the challenge and possibility that change provides. You are usually quick to question the logic of the change to make sure it is sound. You need time to envision where the change will lead you in the future and will appreciate being able to discuss this with others.

You can manage transitions effectively and efficiently without getting emotional or distracted. You are skilled at implementing a structure, staying on task, and meeting deadlines. You are also a good sounding board for discussing implications of where the change will lead and whether or not it is a smart move.

Overcoming the stresses of life

You tune out the ideas of others and start to feel a loss of control. You disengage and become emotional from feeling vulnerable.

Look to a close friend or trusted colleague for a reality check and reassurance.

How you can achieve your goals

Standard goal-setting works well for you with a few tweaks since you tend to get burned out. You can sacrifice relationships to achieve your goals and you can falter without validation.

You need to:

• Commit to having regular downtime and set aside the time for it.
• Involve the people close to you in the goal-setting process — not to help you shape your goals but to help you keep your relationships healthy.
• Create some accountability with a trusted person and celebrate your milestones when you achieve them.

ENTP: The visionary

You are extroverted, intuitive, thinking, and perceiving. You are also knowledgeable, quick-witted, brimming with ideas, charismatic and energetic.

You are highly intelligent, seeing possibilities in everything. You naturally draw people to you – although you do not need the approval of others to feel fulfilled or are not constrained by social expectations.

You are an intellect who needs to interact with people of equal intelligence. You enjoy debating theoretical issues and constantly like to try out different solutions to problems. You need to be constantly learning and questioning to experience fulfilment. But you can be frustrated if you are expected to focus on the details or are forced to keep to established ways of doing things.

How change impacts you

You get a rush of excitement when a change or new option is put on the table. Rarely scared of a risk, you most likely appreciate change. You tend to get bored by a repetitive routine or a predictable lifestyle. So, any time a new option is presented, you tend to respond with enthusiasm and curiosity rather than dread.

Overcoming the stresses of life

Your impatience and tendency to debate increase. You take on more than you can handle and begin to feel depressed.

Reflect on your stressors and be sure to care for yourself. Practice deep breathing, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth, to calm down.

How you can achieve your goals

You are very good at going after what you want but you tend to be easily bored. You are very much a big-picture person, losing track of details. Dealing with details can make you feel hemmed in. Keeping your focus is a challenge since you are always finding something else that is interesting.

To adapt the standard goal-setting to can work better for you:

• Set goals where you will learn new things and satisfy your curiosity.
• Hire a virtual assistant to handle details and day-to-day tasks.
• Do not force yourself to stick to a single goal. Either set multiple goals or permit yourself to follow another track for a while when something interesting draws your attention.
• Review the big picture benefit frequently to keep yourself focused and make the smaller steps easier to follow.