How to Manage a High Openness/Low Conscientiousness Personality | Jordan B Peterson

From my 6th Patreon Q&A.

A Patron asked for: "Advice for those with high intelligence but low agreeableness/extraversion in making and maintaining friendships."

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[cutty]

I am similarly high in openness and low in conscientiousness. And, I am high in neuroticism. Nothing has made a dent in my avoidance until I heard Peterson talk about cleaning your room.

[LarlemMagic]

For everyone out there with low conscientiousness,
over 3 years I have got from 16th percentile to 35th.
Most days I can wake up at 7 and attend to the habits necessary for humans to maintain life.
I've lost weight with an intermittent fasting food plan.
I've organized my home by evaluating whether it needs to be in my home and then finding a home for that tool.
My neuroticism has gotten very low at the same time.
It is actually possible to change personality, its part of becoming more mature as a person.

[sebastianfeistl]

1 in conscientiousness
97 in neuroticism
95 in openness
and zero plans for my future

[SignalFlux]

0-th percentile Conscientiousness squad in da house. Also 98 O.

[simoroshka]

High openness, low conscientiousness, high neuroticism... plus a bipolar II. I managed to finish school with 4.9/5, CS bachelor with 4.7/5, got a CS Master's degree (studying in a foreign language), then had a successful career in software development. All WITHOUT imposing schedules and discipline on myself. I always hated calendars and routines and failed every time I tried to introduce them into my life. I'm just saying, it's not impossible to get around without them.
Instead, I am really good at working hard for short periods of time, learning fast, quickly getting both deeper understanding and the bigger picture, connecting bits of knowledge together, sensing deadlines and working for them, seeing opportunities and grabbing them.

The problem is, while going with that flow and getting to a good stable place in life, I gave up on creativity and art. And now I feel half-dead and empty inside.

[JerrySilfwer]

I'm 42 and exceptionally high in openness and exceptionally low in conscientiousness and neuroticism. What works for me is to celebrate all those small things that I honestly don't care too much about. Paying bills on time? High-five to me. Remembering to read the newsletter from my kid's school? Exceptional work, man.

[rajivnori]

This is exactly what I’m facing in my life, god bless this man.

[Kurtownia]

It's always about finding your passion or at least something you're really interested in, but I'm 26 now, and still haven't found anything of the sort.
I imagine war and/or complete collapse of society would make me extremely interested in food, shelter and stabilization, which would definitely solve all my problems by introducing something important to work for, but I probably shouldn't set the destruction of human civilization as my life goal. It's not exactly healthy, roughly speaking.

[markm]

21y/o, 94th in openess, 9th in conscientiousness, 13th in extraversion, 33 in agreeableness, 19th in neuroticism. I've had the most difficulty being self employed. What's worked best for me has been regular exercise, clean diet, clean room keeping tempting stuff away from me because I have no self control like unhealthy foods, my phone etc. I just leave that kind of stuff in another room or for the case of junk food I refuse to buy it. Sleep schedule has been the worse for me. I've had very self indulgent friends in the past who did not want the best for me so I've stopped being friends with them. My life has improved so much since then but now I'm lonely but I know that if I keep disciplining my self I'll have a more productive and even possibly a meaningful life. Having a really low mentally stimulating job helps me support myself and leaves room and energy for more creative thought.

[nikopakalen]

I also have 86th percentile openness, 1st percentile conscientiousness, extremely high IQ + ADHD diagnosis. Took me long time to find profession even though I was making very good money whenever I played poker. After meeting my conscientious wife I have grown a bit more diligent and played poker professionally for 6 years.

[ChristAliveForevermore]

We who are very high in trait Openness and low in Conscientiousness NEED self-discipline. Workout regularly, find a job that keeps you focused (even if it's not your creative obsession), and learn what it means to work hard, and I mean REALLY work hard. Then organizing your life becomes a simpler task.

I've been rigorously bodybuilding and powerlifting for 3 years, I've been landscaping/building patios for 1 year, and my mind is much more at ease and my creativity has never been more actively used (be it in conversation or with regards to integrating and playing around with new ideas and theories).

[elizabethkelsey]

0th percentile conscientiousness ( I have ADHD, C-PSTD and CFS...life is FUN), 89th extroversion, 95th Openness, 68th agreeableness, and ( WAIT FOR IT) 99th neuroticism. I make a great conversationalist though lol! What I've found works for me-someone who deals with several mental/physical health issues-is to not compare myself to others and focus on my strengths ( as Dr. Peterson suggests) while also taking very small steps to improve myself daily. I'm able to hyperfocus on my special interests and can study for hours abstract subjects ( philosophy student) but I can't do seemingly easy, mundane things. I try my best and have a good support system. I also work from home and found a job that isn't stressful. I walk in nature for about an hour a day, which is a non-negotiable for me. I just finished Dr. Peterson's Big 5 course and I look forward to doing the writing one!

[CobraAquinas]

Damn bro he said you gotta build up the conscientiousness over a number of years lol. I've tried a lot of different motivational tactics. The only one that gets me moving is competition. Like if I think someone is beating me at something I want to take action immediately however it doesn't last that long because soon I'm question the larger "why's" of it all. It's kind of sad but the only way I stay going is a burning desire to beat the people around me. but, here's the thing I'm really prone to just deciding that the competition I'm engaged in is really fucking stupid. It's hard to keep my mind on the rail road tracks about things I believe i'm passionate about. I'm way too fickle with my "passions"

[queengoblin]

I'm high openness (97) and built myself up to avg conscientiousness (64) but when I was younger it was much lower. The stress of not being able to pay bills on time wears on you after a while, and you either choose to not put yourself in that situation anymore or you don't. I believe anyone can become mor disciplined by focusing on what ehy don't want to happen and taking measures to prevent that by focusing on what they do, using the negative as a motivator. I actually quit drugs and alcohol the same way I learned to pay my bills: how do I feel after I do this? (I always feel like shit, do I want to feel this way again?)

I'm a year sober afyer a decade of drinking and using drugs, and my bills are always paid on time & I have two businesses now :)

[hassenshafi]

In summary of comments below and personal thoughts from the video:
Essentially you need to discipline and focus the self as it naturally inclined to many disciplines.


Productive Habits:
Clean your home, eat, exercise and most importantly sleep and wake up at a regular routine.
Find a meaningful (perhaps creative) pursuit
Make a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly plan
Make a schedule down to the hour hour


Be diligent in following the plan - set yourself deadlines.
-if you succeed, reward yourself at the end of the week (delayed gratification)
-If you fail, immediately rebuke yourself, deny yourself some reward (chocolate) or something meaningful
Additionally; add an entry to your procrastination journal - hold yourself accountable. review thought processes.

[hhattingh]

The way he says Yeaah...pause. I felt that.

[mohithrai]

I am moderately high in Openness and low in industriousness, every time I fall, I come back here pick myself up and it's back to the fray again.

[jasongerritsen]

Conscientiousness - 5%
Openness - 88%
Extroversion - 96%
Neuroticism - 2%
Agreeableness - 51%

First in family to go to college. MS in Aerospace Engineering, BS Civil Engineering, BA Physics, AA Tool & Die/ Machining.

I worked at Boeing as a Aerospace Structural Analysis Engineer and fundamentally changed how the finite element analysis games were played by figuring out new ways to run complex jobs on super computers we weren’t supposed to have access to.

Moved to Raytheon Missile Systems and completely change the game for how Hypersonics are tested under: temperature, vibration and hydraulic force loading all at the same time.

Moved to Ingersoll Rand and completely changed how they use Automaton in an entire devision. Then one day I was fired by because my boss was threatened by me.

Got 3 more jobs after this and ended up getting fired from all of those in shorter duration intervals between first day and last.

Now I’m an entrepreneur and I search for people high in conscientiousness to work for me.

I now run a kitchen remodeling company and I’m trying to figure out how to develop advertisements such that only people with my desired work-with personality traits respond to the ads.

I’d give up my $750, 000 house to be a grad student for Dr. Pederson.

[mihai-alexandrucostar]

The best advice I can give anybody is to take steps as small as you can manage and trust the process.

It will take time, maybe a lot, maybe in a daily streak you will often lose course, but it is important that you bounce back.

Each time you bounce back, you will get better at staying on track.

[Radiocactivated]

Jordan is really my saviour of my life