Celebrating Introverts (and organizing them)
In honor of World Introvert Day (Jan 2), and January being NAPO’s Get Organized & Be Productive (GO) Month, I’m organizing all my introverted blog posts here in one place for you.
Why are we celebrating introverts? Here’s an easy-to-read, not-very-long Psychology Today article I like about that: 12 Reasons to Celebrate Introverts. Take a look — some of the reasons may surprise you and make you appreciate the introverts in your life more. If you are an introvert it may even make you appreciate yourself more!
Here's a collection of posts in honor of World Introvert Day and Get Organized & Be Productive (GO) Month! Click To Tweet
Introversion and COVID
I originally published this post in 2019, when I became aware of World Introvert Day. In 2021 I updated it to include the post I wrote in March 2020 about Social Distancing. As the COVID-19 pandemic wore on, that post started to seem woefully inadequate — almost laughable — to me.
Who could have known what the rest of that year, and the next one, had in store for us? Sure, we introverts enjoy spending time alone, but even introverts need hugs sometimes, and like to be around people on their own terms! And who wants their solitude to be overlaid with health concerns, financial uncertainty, grief, loneliness, families with cabin fever, civil unrest, and political shenanigans?
I’ve written a number of other posts about the pandemic since March 2020, and the one on Social Distancing barely scratches the surface of what might, in hindsight, be considered WORLD INTROVERT YEAR. Many extraverts were restless during lockdowns, to be sure, but I’ve also heard from folks who realized they were more introverted than formerly suspected. I’ve acknowledged that, in many ways, we’re all in different boats, weathering the same storm.
By now the Introvert Retreat website, for which I originally wrote most of the posts, has been closed. (This decision was unrelated to COVID, although everyone’s priorities have probably shifted in some way or another as a result.) Many thanks to Janet Barclay, the former owner of Introvert Retreat, with whom I’ve had a variety of (virtual, introverted) collaborations over the years!
Celebrating Introverts (list of blog posts)
Social Distancing: Introverts, we’re up!
Business Tools for Introverts
Public Speaking: 6 Ways to Calm Your Nerves
Networking for Introverts
Introverts: The Next Generation
Unique Travel Ideas for Introverts
What is Your Socializing Sweet Spot?
7 Phone Tips for Introverts
A Room of One’s Own
How to Be an Introverted Houseguest or Host Without Driving Each Other Crazy
Are you an introvert?
Or, are you interested in understanding the introverts in your life?
What are your introvert-specific challenges?
What is your introvert superpower?
How are you celebrating introverts today? (Staying home alone with your kitties and reading a good book in front of a cozy fire counts!)
What are your favorite introvert-specific resources?
Please let me know by leaving a comment below!
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Copyright 2019-2022 by Hazel Thornton, Organized for Life and Beyond
Author of What’s a Photo Without the Story? How to Create Your Family Legacy
Please contact me for reprint permission (other than direct social media links).
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I’m not an introvert, but I’m not a raging extrovert either. All of my family members are introverts, so they think I’m really “out there” LOL! I know we have all been created to be exactly the way we are, and the joy of life is learning to love and value people as they are. We can learn from one another and become better people. I think my introverted friends have also struggled during COVID, just in different ways than I did.
Exactly. The goal is to value everyone as they are. Well said, Seana!
Like Seana, I’m not an introvert either. However, I have noticed my need for quiet and solitude has increased as I’ve aged. Every day, I build in time to meditate, write, walk, and reflect. OK. Some of those walks are with people. But even with those, I prefer to be with just one person and not a whole group.
This year on Zoom, I’ve noticed that while I’ve had many group business and personal Zoom calls, I much prefer the one-on-one versions. They are more intimate and focused. So one of the things I’ve taken away this year is that while I do love being in groups, hosting parties, going to conferences, etc… I also have come to appreciate and value solo time.
I need both.
You sound like an ambivert to me, Linda!
I think you’re right. 🙂
I’m going to check out some of these articles. Networking for Introverts sounds interesting, especially for my small business clients. Thanks for sharing. =)
Networking for Introverts was also a NAPO2017 conference session. It’s still available on napo.net!
Hi Hazel,
I am most definitely an introvert – and I didn’t know there was a whole day dedicated to us!
But staying home for almost a whole year is a little too much time apart. I enjoy my “me” time but it would be nice to enjoy the company of friends and extended family as well.
Hopefully this past year (by which I mean 2021 — sorry for the delayed reply) has been a bit more sociable for you. It has for me!
I’m extra-extroverted, but I appreciate my introvert companions. (I need silence to concentrate, but I need human interaction to stay keep my mojo going.) This is an amazing collection of your work on the topic, Hazel. You are the guru in this area!
Thanks, Julie! If I have to spend time around an extravert, you’re one of my top choices!
I’m not a 100% introvert and found that out during covid lockdown. I thought I was an introvert before. I realized how much I enjoyed my client meetings and connecting with others. It always felt more productive.
I think these are strange times and nobody knows for sure what’s going on any more!
There’s nobody more extroverted than I am except maybe Winnie the Pooh’s friend Tigger, but so many of my peeps are introverts that it’s important for me to understand them.
You are the queen of resources, anyway, and there’s nobody I’d turn to before you to learn about introversion-related concepts. What a great haul you’ve put together!
And you said it all with “even introverts need hugs sometimes” so I’m sending you a big, digital hug!
Aw, thanks for the digital hug, Julie! As for resources, though, I don’t know. You may be the queen and I, a mere princess. Although I have created many “Resource Roundups”, EACH of your blog posts is essentially a resource roundup! This is just a list of my own posts — an Introvert Resource Roundup would include much more.
Yet another extrovert here (raises hand sheepishly). Last fall I attended an intensive where we took a deep dive into the Myers-Briggs, and one of the points driven home was the idea that we should work to integrate the less dominant functions into our personalities (i.e., extraverts should work with introverted traits, feeling types work with thinking traits, etc.). The pandemic has definitely facilitated that work for me! Now, I have your resources available to support me as well, and it’s all super helpful in building rapport and connection with others. Now…if we can just all get out of the house more!
Interesting! Sounds like a valuable exercise. What I like about Myers-Briggs, when it comes to introverts, is that it breaks them down into 8 different types. We’re not all alike!