IEIs and productivity

[Park]

I really wish I could be more productive! I've always been really ambitious and success driven, I want to earn my place in this society and I want to be appreciated and noticed for my abilities. But, I can't make myself work. I have these spurs of inspiration that usually motivate me to work, but they don't last very long. I'm mostly inactive and I feel a lack of energy and motivation to do anything. I get really easily lost in my thoughts and I start to daydream to the point I just disconnect from reality. Usually, after days of being inactive, I feel guilty enough to push myself into doing some more work, but that doesn't last long. I can push myself for a few days, or a week, but sooner or later, I either slip into being phlegmatic and lazy or get depressed and drained. Either way, I always end up being inactive.

I know this is a common issue for IEI because of low Te and Se. My question is... Is there any way in this universe, to make myself more energetic? I really hate how inactive I can be, but I've failed in dealing with this terribly. Firm regime and rules, don't work for me, even when I try to apply them on myself. My partner tries to help me by motivating me and asking me about how I progress with my work, but that's not enough either.

Feeling guilty about being lazy is even worse, 'cause that makes me feel worthless and depressed, that even leads to being more inactive... it's a circle.

Can an IEI ever become productive?

Productivity has nothing to do with your sociotype. All types can be, or not be, productive, i.e., they all have the same amount of potential for being productive, just in different ways and domains. What you're describing is IP temperament — general idleness (or conservation of energy) is our natural default state of being, with spurs of deliberate action and bouts of highly concentrated energy. The tendency towards detachment and internalization is often accompanied by a certain lack of initiative and motivation, and the more you fail at life and are unsuccessful in your pursuit of things you care about, the more this gets exacerbated and the more it is likely to lead to depression. Or at least that's how I see it.