DOers vs. THINKers
filed in Nonsensical Ramblings on Nov.07, 2005
Are you a DOer or a THINKer? When faced with a decision, do you act without thinking or think without acting? I think these are qualities of two very different types of people… and I think we all fit into one of the categories. As with everything, this is not a black and white issue. For those who tend to act before they think do have times where they actually think first. And those who spend all day thinking do have moments of pure action without thought.
The kicker is, this is an issue of the grass being greener on the other side. If you are a DOer, you wish you thought through your actions more. The thinkers out there wish they could act more quickly (or at all).
I’m a closet THINKer. I like people to think that I’m a DOer. Mr. Action! But I’m not really. I wish I could be the burly tough guy that isn’t afraid of anything – made of iron – can bite the top of a beer bottle off in his teeth – kinda guy. But, I’m not.
Scott Hodge has a link today to THIS STORY which illustrates my point perfectly. Are you the THINKer looking down onto the subway tracks, pining away for his doomed iPod, or are you the DOer who hops down without a care and retrieves the iPod from certain flattening?
November 7th, 2005 on 11:03 am
I think i’m a hybrid Think/Doer, but more on the Thinker side. While I would have no problem jumping in and retrieving my iPod, I would take a moment to think about what I was doing. And of course, I have been known to crush beer cans on my head. 🙂
Great post.
November 7th, 2005 on 12:40 pm
I am definitely a thinker…to the point that I can never make a decision!
November 7th, 2005 on 9:24 pm
I don’t know…I am thinking about it.
November 8th, 2005 on 8:57 am
I must be a hybrid too. Many times I just think about things and never do them. Looking for a new job, planning a party, etc. I have yet to accomplish either thing but sure have thought about them a lot.
But when I know I have to accomplish something I am DOer. For example, my boyfriend and I went camping this summer and borrowed a 10 person tent with no instructions or picture. It was just the two of us and neither one had used this type of tent before (it was either that tent or a tiny 2 person). Immediately, I was down trying to figure out how to put the huge tent together. I was ordering my boyfriend around while he was just standing there which was really irritating me. Finally I, not he, figured out how to construct the tent. I was still really annoyed that my boyfriend had not taken more of an initiative in setting up. It wasn’t until after we had settled in that I realized that while I was DOing, he was THINKing about how to set up the tent.
November 8th, 2005 on 10:54 am
I think there are several variations of personality in terms of the Doer/Thinker. There are those who think so much it impedes the doing. There are those who do without ever thinking. There are those who do and then think about it later. But I like to think that I’m a quick/efficient thinker who needs to act. It drives me CRAZY to not be able to do something if I’ve already thought about it- but I almost never act without thinking. Overall, I think more than I do, but I hate to think about something too long.
December 24th, 2005 on 2:01 pm
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