The Dark Side of the ‘Best’ Personality Trait
The dangers of being excessively conscientious and how to avoid them.
Conscientiousness is one of the most widely researched — and celebrated — personality traits.
As conscientious individuals are responsible, organized, and dependable, they tend to live longer, have happier relationships, and have more job success and satisfaction than their non-conscientious peers.
Some would even call it the “best” personality trait. No other has as many reported benefits.
But, like with everything in life, it has a dark side.
Excessive conscientiousness can be toxic. It frequently leads to burnout and poor life quality — something I’ve experienced firsthand.
A few years back, I made it my goal to develop more conscientiousness. I began journaling, setting goals, budgeting, and many other practices that help build this personality trait.
The problem is that I didn’t know when to stop. I didn’t know there was such a thing as too much conscientiousness, which led to massive burnout. The kind that brings you back to square one. The kind that makes you hate your passion.
The kind that makes it hard to even get out of bed.
