ISTJ Perspective – LuceStellare

Inside ISTJ ~ Saturday Insight

By personality type, I am categorized as an ISTJ. Meyers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) offers 16 different types of which ISTJ are a minority. The letters stand for: Introversion, Sensing, Thinking and Judging. The way I interact in general is to quietly observe what is taking place using all of my senses. The senses feed into the mind to process what is occurring. The situation is often matched to a pattern of known behaviors, and a determination is made on whether to accept or not, what is being observed.

Contemplative

ISTJ’s are cerebral and cultivate over time a tendency to pause and reflect in almost every interaction. When a decision needs to be made on something like what to make for dinner. Consideration is given to what is in the kitchen pantry. How much time there may be to create the meal. And, can this meal be extended to several servings. Naturally frugal, this ISTJ knows how to enjoy flavorful, filing and nutritious meals prepared with what is in the cupboard, fridge or backyard garden. Over time, I’ve developed a talent for making something wonderful out of a handful of ingredients on hand.

Economy is an ISTJ watchword

My first encounter with Meyers Briggs type analysis was at a workshop on the complexity of staff in office environments. By knowing your type, it may help create understanding about how we all have a unique perspective on relations with others. At the least, the attendees were educated to their preferences and may learn to reflect when encountering behaviors and attitudes that seem confounding. Why is this person being so xxx! MBTI may provide insight and help to avoid blunders.

Routines Rule

As an ISTJ, I enjoy routines. Daily rituals are crafted over time and become sources of comfort. This Saturday was passed as so many Saturdays before. They start out great as I don’t have to get up with an alarm clock. I let the sunlight rouse me out of a good sleep in. After a yummy eggs and ham breakfast, morning to midday is devoted to house cleaning and laundry. Some where along the way it became important to air out blankets and rugs while rooms are dusted and vacuumed. I love watching the bits of cat hair, crumbs and “stuff” float out in the open air. Even if it’s raining, windy or snowing like crazy, I still have to shake things out. If it cannot happen, I feel itchy until it does.

Lunch is a protein meal replacement drink. Tasty, quick and nutritious. Afternoons can be time for small errands to the market. Or, tidying up the basement. On balmy days, it’s two loads of wash out in the sun to dry. This ISTJ is super frugal and loves to let the sun and air dry clothing out on the line. I love to open doors and windows when possible to let the air flow all through the house.

Quiet is Queen

As it’s mid February and the week was busy with social activity after work every day, today was planned for the least amount of people interaction as possible. Introverts need downtime to recharge and balance. The work load has been heavy for months and will increase with demands until mid May. Monday and Thursday after work I swam in the local health club pool. I was lucky and had the pool practically to myself. Only one other swimmer doing laps. Bliss! Tuesday I had an acupuncture treatment at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday was writing group meet up. Friday was an unusual community meditation event. I’ve practiced meditation for years and once in a while, venture out to a group experience.

A Path Goes Round

After lunch, I did an errand run that moved in a local small circular route to market, apple orchard, gas-up and home. Maybe I was out for an hour. Always, things are done with an eye on the path of least resistance and waste. These errands provided needed foods and supported local agriculture. It matters a lot where my foods come from. Maybe I am a bit of a foodie. But, to me it’s eat well to live well. But, also it was done with efficiency and best cost for products.

Relax and Restore

I do stop toiling away at chores by 3 p.m. Time to put the feet up for tea, cookie, fruit and yoghurt. I love this break. It’s more like a mini meal and a chance to cool down after so much activity. Around 4 p.m., I usually bath and try to relax and read a little. Or, get the clothes in from the line. By 6 p.m. I should be done, really done with chores. However, I enjoyed every one. As I live by myself with two beautiful house cats. We enjoy a quiet, orderly life. They understand what Mom’s up to and know when to retreat until something is complete.

Saturday nights, I tend to wash my hair. Enjoy a homemade pizza. Catch up on my favorite you tube channel or enjoy some reading. I go to bed when I am tired, sometime between 8 and 9 p.m. I need my rest. I need to be cozy in a warm clean bed. I need to be quiet with my cats surrounded by my home all day. I need to be alone to be well. The fact that I didn’t talk with anyone at all was a blessing.

Today, it was very cold outside so I took the time to compose this article. I love to write. I love this blog. If I didn’t have to work to pay the bills, and that’s what work is, a means to live, I’d write every day. I’d tend my yard everyday. I’d be happy and content on my own with small things to do each day.

What does an ISTJ women look like? In the public domain, consider Condoleezza Rice, Former United States Secretary of State. In fiction, Elinor Dashwood from Jane Austen’s, “Sense and Sensibility.”

Saturday with an average ISTJ.

Monday at Home

The big yellow machine that clears sidewalks in town after a snow storm just finished plowing on Cross Street. Stellina hopped into my lap. Her eyes are vivid gold/green in her grey face. Her ears are soft and feel cold. A big oil tanker moved quickly down the road. It must be empty to move so fast. A man just whizzed by on a bicycle! It’s around 20 F under a brilliant blue cloudless sky. Lunch is over and we settle in to write.

I am thankful for the day off. 12:12 p.m. Normally, I’d be getting back to my desk after a little yoga on the lunch hour. Escape, the escape would be over and back to the grind I would be. When I was a teenager, I understood that office work was not for me. The idea of being trapped inside with a bunch of people all day sounded terrible. I had to take an office job when I was in my late 30’s. Why? Pay rent, pay bills, why else?

I’ve managed to stay quite friendly with a few colleagues from that job in Sturbridge. Regular work folks are fine. Brushes with the C suite happened. They were the ones to duck and dodge. Why? It wasn’t clear back then. Many years and several moves around showed me the other side. Yes, best to duck and dodge, nuf said!

It’s hard for quiet people to be who they are. All my life, I enjoyed most the quiet days with no other person around. I love to cook, love to walk and listen to music. Nobody else, except the cats of course. Cats are still around. Stellina gave a big kitty sigh and is trying to snuggle in for the rest of the all day nap.

All I need to be settled is a good book, warm slippers and a cup of tea. All I need to be happy is hearing the creak of the radiator as the heat comes on. All is well to feed the birds everyday. A walk outside when it’s above 30 I’ll do, but I am getting too old for less than. I could have done a burn today. The brush pile is huge. I have the permit but a stiff occasional wind and the cold keep me inside. It can wait.

The papers are coming together. By next week, I ought to have what I need to find a lawyer. It’s about time I made a will. I know what I want to do, just need to get the task ready. Three days of chores, errands and quiet. Three days to do and do not as Yoda would say. A deep sleep in Saturday. All the recycled stuff out. A big tomato soup cooked. Yoga to do in an hour. I liked it yesterday. I felt good! Tomorrow, we’ll have a swim late in the afternoon. Gotta keep moving.

I miss this blog. I miss having stories to write and playing around with the posting. A day to be quiet means everything. Already, I feel the gathering tensions of having to get up, get ready and tolerate, simply tolerate the day until it’s over. See, I work to live. I am worn out thinking it’ll work out. They’re empty. They don’t care. It’s mostly a big fake show of getting along. No matter how big or small the work place, I was right, the office shenanigans ain’t for me.

Never mind. Enjoy the day, tidy up the closet. There goes that guy again in the other direction, whizzing along on his bike! Wow he’s getting his exercise in. This what I see out my front window. There goes the Sherman Oil truck, two! A second one is headed out. Lunch hour must be over and heat’s gotta work today.

To be continued…

ISTJ ~ Point of View

Interaction within society is complex. Many factors influence people on how to respond in different situations. Economics, education, and ancestry will create a generalized way of relating to others. Layer on top of this mix age, gender identity, regional behaviors, spiritual beliefs and learning styles to bring further moments of difference between us. In order to understand and relate with others, it’s often wise to look within to first understand what matters most to you.

An available tool for self-exploration is the MBTI. Myers Briggs Type Indicator providing 16 personality types who perceive and function in unique ways.

A visit to the website: https://psychcentral.com/ for an MBTI assessment

A double check at https://www.123test.com/ to confirm results

ISTJ – The Duty Fulfiller (Introverted – Sensing – Thinking – Judging)

Introverts tend to be reflective, reserved and private. A popular misconception is that Introverts are shy – this is not necessarily so. They draw their energy from their own thoughts and the time they spend alone. Introverts do not need people around them all the time.

Sensors live in the present. They rely on facts, handle practical matters well and like things to be concrete and measurable.

Thinkers make decisions using logic and impersonal analysis. They think with their heads rather than their hearts.

Judgers prefer a lifestyle that is decisive, planned and orderly. They like a life that is organized and controlled.

ISTJ prefer daily life to be calm and flow in a comfortable, reliable way. Each day of the week has a routine and purpose. The patterns set in and revolve around tasks.

Routine is Queen: A glimpse into daily life of an ISTJ

Sunday – Sleep until naturally awoken by sunlight. Usually around 8 a.m. Wash face with warm water. Enjoy a yummy breakfast of homemade favorites such as pancakes, scrambled eggs and sausage or croissant and jam with mascarpone cheese. Of course, a pot of piping hot green tea accompanies the meal.

The cats are fed at the same time and we all lounge away on the sofa enjoying a quiet start to the day.

All house chores should have been completed Saturday, but, if it’s a sunny day, another load of wash is done and put out to dry in the sun. On warm, mild days, all the windows are opened for fresh air circulation. It’s high on the list of must do’s to refresh the house. Any dishes in the kitchen sink are washed. Bed is fixed.

Typically, all clothing for the work week are laid out and ironed. Even the socks are hung with the apparel for the day. The night before each work day, jewelry to be worn with the outfit is left out for the morning.

Around 9 or 10 a.m. a snack of fresh fruit and tree nuts is enjoyed.

House chores continue until around 11 or so. If there aren’t any to do, perhaps a walk around town will happen. Or, if it’s a hot summer day, typically I take off for the town beach. A most favorite pastime is sunning and swimming for about two hours at the lake during the summer season.

Lunch time in summer is typically a protein meal replacement drink and salad. A rest until around 2 p.m. happens as it is too hot to garden, but a lovely time to be in a cool room reading.

In the afternoon, another load of wash may be done depending on the weather. Two hours are given to house maintenance or the yard with weeding or gardening. Around 4 p.m. it’s time for late afternoon tea. Iced tea in summer, hot black tea in cooler months. The small meal includes a treat, fruit, yoghurt, and chocolate.

Around 5 p.m. or so, the bath or shower washes off the day. I bathe at night or late in the day instead of first thing in the morning. Around 6 p.m. it’s time to make dinner. Around 7 p.m. I will do some clean up in the kitchen otherwise, it’s time to relax with reading or watching TV. Bedtime tends to be early, around 9 p.m. or so.

Monday – Friday

Up at 5:30 a.m. reluctantly, it takes two alarms to get me up, especially in winter as I prefer not to rise in the dark. Also, the many HSP traits internally rebel at artificial light in the morning. Its soothing low night lights and beeswax candles until the sun rises.

Breakfast can be scrambled eggs and sausage, cereal or waffle with tea

Dress and leave by 7:15 a.m.

Work – lunch break is either a 40 minute walk, yoga or visit to farm stand

5 p.m. – depending on errands, weather or cash flow, either yard work or some chore is done. Dinner is by 6 p.m. and evening is typical of Sunday. At times, I’ve had a routine of a book club meetup or writers group. For several years, horses were part of the late afternoon and weekend routine. I’ve had three month pool club memberships in winter for exercise. There’s something to do that is enjoyable once per week outside the home.

Saturday – Sleep until woken by sunlight. Enjoyable breakfast then right into chores. The house is swept, vacuumed and cleaned. Blankets and rugs are aired out. The bed is aired. House care continues until complete. In summer, I enjoy swimming and sunning at the lake with gardening late afternoon. Lunch time varies with the season and can be a homemade soup, leftovers or protein meal replacement.

Once the spring season begins, there is a routine of house maintenance and care that starts and ends by mid-October. Windows are washed. The sun porch is cleaned and washed. The walls, doors, cabinets and floors are washed inside the house. All the rugs and curtains are cleaned and aired in the sun. This ISTJ believes that sunlight is the best disinfectant. Everything is better if allowed to sit out in the sun. This means wood furniture is taken outside, washed and aired once a year. Most of the furniture is lightweight maple or rattan. It’s easy to move around.

Sometimes there’s an afternoon free to take a walk in the woods, a favorite pastime of old. Often, free time in the winter is blogging, reading, or cooking. For several years, I gave time to improving Italian language skills in preparation for travel.

Where are the people? Introverts enjoy the company of others in a quiet way. There’s enough stimulation in the work place to require down time for recharging and rebalancing the psyche. Endless chatter and involvement is tiring to most ISTJ’s. We are logical, practical, folks who get things done and move on. Relationships are important and people matter, however, others don’t tend to come first. It’s not that the ISTJ is self-involved or selfish, it’s just expected to mind your own business unless it’s necessary to involve others.

MYOB or Who Asked You?

Dilemmas in relations arise when others cross the boundary of what “your own business” means.

Example: ISTJ’s are polite and respect others personal space. We’re skilled at perceiving patterns in behavior, reading emotions and other sensory cues to tell us the condition of another being at the moment. We don’t act on the awareness. Here is the boundary in action.

On Saturday, I made a routine visit to the local recycle center and stopped in the swap shed. Always on a budget, several useful items were found. Two other people were in the shed as well. I walked past, no greeting, and in my space. I put aside my items, the women suddenly started talking, saying something about the items. She never looked at me, said hello or acknowledged my presence, she just started talking out loud. This behavior is not unusual in Americans. Without asking or in any way signaling a desire to speak or interact, an opinion is given. This crosses several boundaries of complete strangers stepping into personal space indirectly. It’s rude. Who asked you? This behavior may be perceived by some to be casually friendly. ISTJ’s may perceive this as MYOB. People do this routinely at grocery stores.

ISTJ’s like the ritual of greeting before starting a conversation of any kind. A blurt right into a sentence about sports teams performance to a stranger in the checkout lane is startling. Why is it assumed I watch sports on TV? Taking a casual stroll down Main Street one day, two people walking towards me when suddenly the man starts talking out loud, “you don’t need the umbrella!” The tone was sharp, he was not looking at me directly but was nonetheless addressing what I was doing as I walked toward their space. My ISTJ reaction was to stay in my walking lane and ignore him. To myself, I thought he was rude. Who asked you?

ISTJ’s aren’t comfortable engaging in small talk generally and find it intrusive for when strangers do so. Being casual in public is not the norm. Being polite, alert and staying neutral is the norm. ISTJ’s respond well to good manners and sincere interests from others. They traditionally can identify those who play games in relationships and tend to avoid false interactions.

ISTJ’s are typically secure in their own shoes and won’t respond well to signals from others who prefer to be popular. Some MBTI types get upset they encounter an MYOB style. Actions and words may be directed toward the ISTJ simply to get a reaction. This behavior may be the quickest way to create a distance between the two MBTI types. Force relations, force opinions and force “friendly” is a turn off. Many customer service clerks get annoyed when an ISTJ comes along. It’s a simple cash transaction. Buy, bag and go. The false greeting, false interest and overly familiar small talk is a turn off. What may be perceived as a friendly interaction may be received as an intrusive encounter. MYOB is king.