# SPs and deskjobs



## giraffegator (Dec 28, 2014)

Do you find them hard? Why? Do you actively like them? Why?
The only way I can cope is by smashing myself so hard with exercise that I don't mind sitting down the whole day - and even then I still have to get up and go for a walk a few times a day. I like what I'm doing but I hate the desk and screen part - makes me feel weird and disembodied if I do it for too long.


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## something987 (Jul 20, 2014)

No one actively likes desk jobs. People aren't designed to be robots. It's not an SP thing or an N thing to dislike paperwork.


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## giraffegator (Dec 28, 2014)

I'm sure there are some people who enjoy administration, say, or studying, which is mostly desk work.

Anyway, I'm mostly wondering how other SPs feel when required to sit for too long and also what people do to cope.


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## Mange (Jan 9, 2011)

I just worry that my ass will become completely flat from all the sitting.


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## Aladdin Sane (May 10, 2016)

something987 said:


> *No one actively likes desk jobs. *People aren't designed to be robots. It's not an SP thing or an N thing to dislike paperwork.


I do.


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## Vahyavishdapaya (Sep 2, 2014)

Pencil pushing is fucking shit, but I'm looking to find a job as a pencil pusher nonetheless. It's easy money. In the meantime I'm going to run my business. The good thing about having a job on the side there is that you can plow all the money the business makes right back into it and use the side income to support your costs of living. And pencil pushing is literally the ideal side job, a trained gorilla could do the duties required to the highest standards.


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## Sidewinder (May 22, 2009)

I don't really like them. I'm always finding an excuse to go chat with someone. Sometimes I just wander off for no particular reason.


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## giraffegator (Dec 28, 2014)

xrx said:


> I just worry that my ass will become completely flat from all the sitting.


Bahaha!!


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## castigat (Aug 26, 2012)

I hate it, but I'll do it anyway for the money while I'm pursuing other things.


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## perpetuallyreticent (Sep 24, 2014)

Am I just the oddball out who likes my desk job and the paperwork it comes along with??


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## Dagmar (Jun 26, 2016)

I have never had a full-time desk job, unless you count school. I don't mind sitting for a long time, but I do get a little sidetracked sometimes. I like doing stuff with my hands, but I also like video editing, or anything on a computer that's creative. I am interested in web coding also. I've done lots of data entry work in the past, and even though it's kind of boring I can think about other things while I do it and still have accuracy, so I didn't mind that too much. What really kills me is sitting for a long period of time simply listening to someone talk (like college professors). If I'm not doodling or doing something actively with my hands while I'm listening, it's very easy to get bored and wander off completely in my thoughts.


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## TheVerb (Mar 4, 2015)

I work for a trendy hip office. They encourage us to leave our desks often and to go play ping pong or arcade games etc. In my office I have a razor scooter I tend to scoot around on when I have a little downtime and it gets rid of some of the energy.


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## Dagmar (Jun 26, 2016)

TheVerb said:


> I work for a trendy hip office. They encourage us to leave our desks often and to go play ping pong or arcade games etc. In my office I have a razor scooter I tend to scoot around on when I have a little downtime and it gets rid of some of the energy.


O.O Whaaaaaaa? What do you do at said trendy hip office?


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## Rascal01 (May 22, 2016)

I worked at a place that had more than 20,000 employees and required us to do MBTI throughout our careers. I'd never heard of MBTI but I knew I had a somewhat drummer than most folks.

They told me I was an ISTP, which meant nothing until I was given a private briefing. I was told never to work in a bank or do repetitive boring work. "Do everyone a favor" they said "and never go into management." There was more, but it was pretty clear that the mundain and tedium isn't going to fly.

The droll will make me drift mentally in very short order. Sitting at a desk is like flogging my soul.


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## giraffegator (Dec 28, 2014)

TheVerb said:


> I work for a trendy hip office. They encourage us to leave our desks often and to go play ping pong or arcade games etc. In my office I have a razor scooter I tend to scoot around on when I have a little downtime and it gets rid of some of the energy.


That's pretty awesome


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## GinaM (Aug 1, 2016)

I absolutely cannot tolerate desk jobs! I have to be able to roam around.


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## Dagmar (Jun 26, 2016)

Update: 

I now can say that I have a full-time desk job. XD I'm a "document control specialist" at a mortgage company, so we handle all the sensitive data/documents that come through and organize them for the loan processors/consultants. I actually really like many aspects of it:

1. I don't have to do almost anything on the phone.
2. I have my own cubicle and no one sits over my shoulder unless I have a question.
3. It's a pretty darn quiet environment, which allows me to think clearly and even daydream a bit.
4. While the kinds of tasks are very repetitive, there is a lot of variety in that, I never know how many/what kind/in what order the docs are, so it kind of keeps me on my toes. It's very detail-oriented, which I like.
5. All of my coworkers are super nice, and while several (if not all) of them are introverted, they are more than willing to help me out and make me feel welcome. I like that I work directly with only 5 other people.


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## giraffegator (Dec 28, 2014)

merryberry said:


> Update:
> 
> I now can say that I have a full-time desk job. XD I'm a "document control specialist" at a mortgage company, so we handle all the sensitive data/documents that come through and organize them for the loan processors/consultants. I actually really like many aspects of it:
> 
> ...


hm that's pretty interesting! I think I'd like not having to use the phone as well


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## Dagmar (Jun 26, 2016)

giraffegator said:


> hm that's pretty interesting! I think I'd like not having to use the phone as well


Yes! The compromise is that you are using a mouse & keyboard all day. XD


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## Turelie (Jul 22, 2010)

Technically I have a desk job as much of my work involves Quickbooks, Word, emails, etc. But...I work from home. I can get up at any time, walk around, do whatever. I can jump back and forth between work and personal interests. Sometimes gopher missions aka road trips are involved. I suppose it's not a bad set up in the end for me. I have plenty of time for my interests.


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## giraffegator (Dec 28, 2014)

That sounds like a great set up @Lelila. Mind sharing what your job is?


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## Turelie (Jul 22, 2010)

giraffegator said:


> That sounds like a great set up @Lelila. Mind sharing what your job is?


Administrative assistant in the family landscaping business.


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## milkssi93 (Jul 29, 2016)

something987 said:


> No one actively likes desk jobs. People aren't designed to be robots. It's not an SP thing or an N thing to dislike paperwork.


I do like desk jobs though...but if that's the only thing I'll do everyday 5 times a week then i'm out. If I can insert a trip/travel or work-from-home day in between then i'm fine with it.


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## Glenda Gnome Starr (May 12, 2011)

I don't mind working at a desk sometimes but not all day, every day. I went to journalism school so that my desk work would be part time and the rest of the time, I'd be out in the field covering stories. Well, that didn't work out too well because of the lack of jobs. Now that it's summer, I do a little freelance journalism and a lot of gardening. I like being outside, even when it's too hot, and working in a garden. No telephones! No competing conversations! No bosses watching over me. Just me and the weeds and the overgrown shrubbery and my happy customers.


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## giraffegator (Dec 28, 2014)

@Garden Gnome sounds amazing! I'm starting to seriously think about starting my own business... I've realised more and more that office life isn't for me, and especially the middle manager thing. Office politics, lack of creative autonomy... ick.


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## pwowq (Aug 7, 2016)

Never had a pure deskjob. 
I guess if I get a deskjob I would by impulse make sure I was at the desk <30% of my day. I found my mind follows my body. Active body = active mind. Stationary body = stationary mind. Which could be why I'm so incredibly boring at dinner dates.


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## castigat (Aug 26, 2012)

if i can walk around a few/multiple times a day, i could be fine. but i do know the last time i had a desk job, the familiar surroundings mixed with my (overdone) progress with work and my natural energy caused a lot of stir-crazy pacing, even when a lot of my work was getting up and walking to file shit.

if i have to take a desk job again, i will _need_ to find something outside of work to keep myself completely sane. i cannot say i was disappointed when that temp job let me go lmao.


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## Glenda Gnome Starr (May 12, 2011)

When I had a desk job, I got super happy every time the boss sent me out to run an errand. It was great to walk outside and get paid for it.


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## delicatefrench (Aug 7, 2016)

I work a desk job and I have to make a conscious effort to be active in my off hours. If I don't, I start to get depressed. =\


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## giraffegator (Dec 28, 2014)

Yep I've definitely been feeling that @delicatefrench ... I had the flu recently and haven't been quite as active since then, definitely need to get back into it cos I'm getting anxiety - It's hard to get back in once your fitness has gone down!!
@castigat yeah haha I've rigged up a DIY standing desk arrangements, people keep asking me if I'm going somewhere and if I'm OK. I'm like, I'm fine I just get sick of sitting!


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## Impavida (Dec 29, 2011)

I'm weird about activity. I'm basically at 0 or 100% without much in between. I can easily sit for an entire day (I've done 12-13 hour flights without once leaving my seat). But when I'm active, it's hardcore. I get depressed without regular high intensity exercise in my life.

My job right now involves a lot of screen time, but I make up for it with a lot of activity in the evenings.


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## Dora (Apr 25, 2016)

I hate it. I like office environment and sharing office with cool people and the social interactions, but basically it takes more determination for me to be productive, than I am able to give it full time. During the working week, I'm pretty sure that I'm on point with my daily hydration, because I think I hold record for how often I get up from the desk to get a drink, have coffee, tea, socialize, just walk around the office, whatever. I can't stand sitting down for so long, and concentrate at the same time. I will drink up to 6 coffees just during business hours, and absolutely none outside that and none on the weekend.

I would literally do anything else, that pays my bills the way a desk job does.


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## Indifferent ISTP (Nov 22, 2014)

I'm a programmer and I love it but if I had some random desk job I would lose it quickly. Even though I'm at a desk it works for me because my Ti is engaged all day. Anytime I've had mundane repetitive work I get jittery and have a hard time sitting still. If it's prolonged I get mentally foggy and will keep losing my place in the task making it hard to finish.


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## shameless (Apr 21, 2014)

I like half/half from my experience a littl ebit at a desk is fine, just as long as thats not the only part of the job. I like to be on the floor as well tho. But its nice to split that up and do a bit of both.


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## violetta_ (Oct 17, 2016)

I've only had a desk job and not the ones that I have enjoyed much, unfortunately.
I get up probably 20 x a day. I didn't really know it could be related to my personality type, but lately everything is making more sense.
I'm hoping to eventually move on from the desk job..soon. Sometimes I wonder how I have gotten this far. I don't know if its a typical trait of ISFP, but I need money for stability. I'd say it seems contrary to what I have read. I wish I wasn't like that and I would have followed more of my interests years ago. I guess its never too late, but I need to develop my 'J'.


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## Surmise (Nov 20, 2016)

Work for a few minutes. Get water. Work for a few minutes. Get food. Work for a few minutes. Walk up and down the stairs. Repeat.

No one has complained yet, so I figure it is okay.

If I thought there were any chance of it actually working out, I would figure out how to make my computer float invisibly in front of me and would walk around and explore outside all day, while at the same time doing my work. That would be ideal.


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## Dora (Apr 25, 2016)

@Surmise Good advice! That's what I do so that I don't die here


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## RubiksCubix (Oct 29, 2014)

giraffegator said:


> Do you find them hard? Why? Do you actively like them? Why?
> The only way I can cope is by smashing myself so hard with exercise that I don't mind sitting down the whole day - and even then I still have to get up and go for a walk a few times a day. I like what I'm doing but I hate the desk and screen part - makes me feel weird and disembodied if I do it for too long.


Some XSXJ's enjoy organization and spreadsheets and the like. I don't know how, or why, but I'm thankful that people like that exist.


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## giraffegator (Dec 28, 2014)

Indifferent ISTP said:


> I'm a programmer and I love it but if I had some random desk job I would lose it quickly. Even though I'm at a desk it works for me because my Ti is engaged all day. Anytime I've had mundane repetitive work I get jittery and have a hard time sitting still. If it's prolonged I get mentally foggy and will keep losing my place in the task making it hard to finish.


Yeah I get mental fog as well in those circumstances... I end up just staring off vacantly unless I go for a walk.


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## atamagasuita (May 15, 2016)

Any office jobs is exhausting. Cus we cannot breath in oxygen inside the office. All we breathe in is our own and others CO2. 



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## jaarond (May 10, 2014)

I'd rather rob the nearest gas station and go to prison than have an office job


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## Ryosuke93 (Feb 29, 2012)

I hope to be in front of a room teaching as a health educator with minimal time being in front of the computer. I only like the computer when I am web-surfing or editing videos or writing, but other than that, I dislike the idea of a desk job.

I have done internships where I had to sit behind the desk and I found it a bit stifling. But then again, it is all I ever known, so I don't know how else a job can be like. I'm not very strong, so standing all day or doing manual work is not really a good thing for me. But I don't want to be bored behind a desk, yet I like the options mentioned about not being seen by the boss all day or not talking on the phone with people/clients.


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## giraffegator (Dec 28, 2014)

atamagasuita said:


> Any office jobs is exhausting. Cus we cannot breath in oxygen inside the office. All we breathe in is our own and others CO2.


That's so true! I've finished up with that job now and am back at my old position which involves lots of walking around etc. but I still am inside all day and even that's a bit draining at times for that reason.. breathing old stale air... illnesses go around like no one's business as well (I do work with kids though so that's a given).
@jaarond hahaha hilarious! I see what you mean though... I mean it's kinda like being in prison anyway, right, and at least in prison you are getting cared for etc.... probably white collar crime would be your best bet though, I mean, if you robbed a bank with weapons you might end up with some rough characters, but if you committed fraud or something you would likely end up in a cushy low security place :biggrin-new:


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## jaarond (May 10, 2014)

I would tolerate a desk job. I'd act like Goody Two Shoes, follow all the rules and slow start breaking all of them, all the while gaining admiration from the managers.


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## atamagasuita (May 15, 2016)

giraffegator said:


> That's so true! I've finished up with that job now and am back at my old position which involves lots of walking around etc. but I still am inside all day and even that's a bit draining at times for that reason.. breathing old stale air... illnesses go around like no one's business as well (I do work with kids though so that's a given).
> @jaarond hahaha hilarious! I see what you mean though... I mean it's kinda like being in prison anyway, right, and at least in prison you are getting cared for etc.... probably white collar crime would be your best bet though, I mean, if you robbed a bank with weapons you might end up with some rough characters, but if you committed fraud or something you would likely end up in a cushy low security place :biggrin-new:


That's why lots of office workers gets sick easily


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