Focus!

[Orson]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering how many of you have the trouble of not being able to focus, and what you do to overcome this?

I know "not being able to focus" is very broad, so I'll define it in terms of my own predicament.

I love learning. I have a particular interest in planetary science, astronomy and other similar areas. I'm currently doing my Bachelor of Science, majoring in Geology & Environmental Geoscience, working towards a career as a planetary scientist (if not, perhaps a volcanologist).

My problem here is that I often have difficulty linking the very mundane textbook type material to the bigger picture. I can't seem to get myself to understand that in order to be able to help explore space and tackle the great questions of our time, first I must undertake some of the less gratifying aspects of this life path and STUDY!

Don't get me wrong, I love what I'm doing, and it is by and far the thing I am most passionate about in my life. However even despite my passion and desire, I still seem to create my own obstacles. I often find myself beginning with a research topic, and then clicking from link to link, or jumping from book to book exploring all these new (albeit irrelevant) pieces of information.

I want to succeed, however I feel there is a missing piece somewhere that is holding me back. I don't know if it's me, my environment, my INTP personality, or simply all in my head!

Please, fellow INTPs, help me!

Kind regards,

Orson.

 

[crippli]

Hi Orson
Maybe flow is what you are looking for?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)

In every given moment, there is a great deal of information made available to each individual.Psychologists have found that one's mind can attend to only a certain amount of information at a time. According to Mihaly's 1956 study, that number is about 126 bits of information per second.That may seem like a large number (and a lot of information), but simple daily tasks take quite a lot of information. Just having a conversation takes about 40 bits of information per second; that's 1/3 of one's capacity.[7] That is why when having a conversation one cannot focus as much attention on other things.
For the most part (except for basic bodily feelings like hunger and pain, which are innate), people are able to decide what they want to focus their attention on. However, when one is in the flow state, he or she is completely engrossed with the one task at hand and, without making the conscious decision to do so, loses awareness of all other things: time, people, distractions, and even basic bodily needs. This occurs because all of the attention of the person in the flow state is on the task at hand; there is no more attention to be allocated.[7]

Seems very advantageous to reach the flow state, if say researching only a particular subject.

 

[Cognisant]

Set yourself a goal to achieve in the next five minutes, something small, easy, then set a goal for the next five minutes, then again and again until you're getting more into to it, at some point you'll forget about making goals and just work for work's sake.

Be warned this may turn you into an INTJ if you do it often.

 

[Architect]

The issue isn't focus but your habit of being unfocused, that is what you'll have to change. Habits take about a month, give or take, to change, the first week is the most difficult.

There are a variety of methods of learning focus, several are being mentioned in this thread, take any that look good and spend a week practicing it. Then do it one more week (at this point you're almost home free). After four weeks you won't notice it anymore and it won't be difficult.

This applies to any habits you want to change of course, mental, dietary, physical (like exercise). The mental ones are the hardest as you have to first recognize the problem, then recognize you're mental inability to perform whatever it is you want to change. At any rate this can definitely be changed, I was very unfocused as a youngster but learned how to focus later in life.

 

[Orson]

@crippli - If I were able to get in to a state of flow with my studies, that would be fantastic. I've experienced such a state before. I produce music as a hobby and there's been plenty of times when I've started a song and have come to my senses (so to speak) hours later! It feels like no time has passed at all, and I couldn't tell you a single thing that had happened around me. It's really quite an interesting thing to experience. The problem is that it's very difficult to be as engrossed in study because I'm taking in new information and I'm very aware of the fact that I'm studying. Thank you for your input though!

@Cognisant - I've often read about the benefits of goal setting, in fact when I first started my tertiary education I was in a class dedicated entirely to goal setting! Despite this I've never truly tried implementing goal setting in my studies, or any area of my life in fact. It definitely wouldn't hurt to at least give it a go. Thanks for the idea!

@Architect - I've heard quite a lot about habits and how to break and set them, and your explanation is very much in line with the majority of ideas and opinions I've come across. I feel that if I applied Cognisant's idea of goal setting to your idea of breaking a poor habit, I may be able to get myself into a healthy routine of studying. I really appreciate your input!

Thanks everyone for your ideas and opinions, I really appreciate your input. I will give you an update in the near future as to how I've fared implementing these techniques.

Regards,

Orson.

 

[Words]

The key, at least if you are xNTP, is not to force yourself to focus; it's to create an environment that attracts and rewards your focus. (I think with enough intelligence you wouldn't really need to force yourself in any way as everything will just be a piece of cake but clearly we are not geniuses.)

Set yourself a goal to achieve in the next five minutes, something small, easy, then set a goal for the next five minutes, then again and again until you're getting more into to it, at some point you'll forget about making goals and just work for work's sake.

This is it. It makes sense. It hallmarks the differences between Te and Ti. Te prefers to learn by focusing on the standard, whether it be a school standard or some suggested step by step way of learning. Ti, on the other hand, prefers to learn by learning what is necessary because it likes to create its own system---it's own way of achieving the goal. Te absorbs the suggested the standard method of reaching the goal, Ti invents a new way of reaching the goal. Education teaches us to be rigid-minded and boxed in one method but in reality, goals or projects can be achieved in infinitely many ways. It can be rearranged and systematized in many ways as much as there are many people. Stressing on these creations of ways is like stressing on your personal way, or on your personal system or personal logic. Creating and achieving a personal goal rewards that focus.

Rather than goal though, it might be better to start with a random personal idea or project and then find ways to achieve that idea.

Be warned this may turn you into an INTJ if you do it often.

I don't think so.

 

[BigApplePi]

@Orson. There is a natural cycle between the short view and the long view. You'd like to get this rolling. Go with what Cognisant and Architect are saying. I attended a seminar on habits last night. Let's see what my notes say.

He said there is a cycle between a habit, cue and reward. If you have a habit you want to change, find out what the reward is. Change the reward. Note the cue so you don't trigger it. The reward must be intrinsic, that is for you internally, not extrinsic.

 

[Orson]

Hi everyone,

Thank you all for your detailed responses. I really appreciate your input. Sorry for the delay in replying, I've been trying to implement the ideas you guys have given me!

A quick update: I've written out a list of long and short term goals (not only in regards to study), and have implemented a schedule for my days to help me manage my time more effectively.

I've started a habit of studying for at least an hour first thing after work each afternoon, and hopefully in time this will just become natural.

I already feel great about the effort I've put in to making a positive change in my life, and I'd like to thank each of you for your help in making it happen.

Kindest regards,


Orson.

 

[joal0503]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering how many of you have the trouble of not being able to focus, and what you do to overcome this?

I know "not being able to focus" is very broad, so I'll define it in terms of my own predicament.

I love learning. I have a particular interest in planetary science, astronomy and other similar areas. I'm currently doing my Bachelor of Science, majoring in Geology & Environmental Geoscience, working towards a career as a planetary scientist (if not, perhaps a volcanologist).

My problem here is that I often have difficulty linking the very mundane textbook type material to the bigger picture. I can't seem to get myself to understand that in order to be able to help explore space and tackle the great questions of our time, first I must undertake some of the less gratifying aspects of this life path and STUDY!

Don't get me wrong, I love what I'm doing, and it is by and far the thing I am most passionate about in my life. However even despite my passion and desire, I still seem to create my own obstacles. I often find myself beginning with a research topic, and then clicking from link to link, or jumping from book to book exploring all these new (albeit irrelevant) pieces of information.

I want to succeed, however I feel there is a missing piece somewhere that is holding me back. I don't know if it's me, my environment, my INTP personality, or simply all in my head!

Please, fellow INTPs, help me!

Kind regards,

Orson.

ive been this way my entire life. ive managed to get a college education without ever picking up a textbook...afterall its just pointless memory building for a lot of people...for me understanding the actual concepts took more introspection about myself and my relationship to the topic, than it did constantly going over the same lines of text over and over and over...

ive sort of narrowed it down to just my style of learning...i have to have visuals (lectures, videos, interactive learning form), i have to be engaged with the ideas, but most importantly i have to have the passion and desire.

that comes when you find something you REALLY want, you really find to be stimulating...i never thought id actually buy into this sort of cliche...but i did.

soooo...i guess what im recommending...find out what type of education styles really appeal to you and go with it...we might be institutionally stuck in an outdated educational paradigm...but that doesnt mean you as the individual have to be.

 

[devslashnull]

I am by no means the patron god of focus, but I am currently in University and IO have found many things which help me get things done.

-First, i learned not to work against my natural tendencies when studying. By this I mean that I don't force myself to sit down in a silent room and simply grind out calculus or work endlessly on a project. If I am not performing a particularly interesting task, my mind will begin to wander and I will become bored, completely unproductive, and unfocused.

-If I have plenty of time to get something done, I simply mix the work with the things I normally do in my free time by rewarding myself for doing the work. I usually have to allot about twice the time to the work as I would do if I forced myself through it, but it works. I will work for ten minutes, read an article, work for 20 more minutes, watch a video, work for 30 more minutes, read a chapter of a book. The longer I work, the better my reward will be.

-Change subjects frequently, or at least change sources. My mind (and maybe yours) works best when I am working with multiple sources of information and perspectives. If you read a couple of pages in a textbook, try searching for videos on what you just read, or alternate articles.

-Make the work you do more potent, so that you don't have to spend as much time working. Try using the "Cornell notes" system where you make comments and ask questions about the notes you take. Drawing pictures helps to cement information inside your mind. Remark on as many connections between what you are reading and other information as possible.

-I personally like to move to a different location every hour or so while studying. A change of environment keeps my mind from wandering too much.

-Experiment. Nothing I say that helps me will necessarily work for you. Just mess around with different styles of learning and studying, find what works best, and try to develop a habit. As was previously stated, habits are key.

Also concerning habit, there is a book that I have heard great things about but have not been able to read yet concerning this topic. This book is:
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

 

[Grayman]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering how many of you have the trouble of not being able to focus, and what you do to overcome this?

As an INTP it is almost impossible for me to sit down and learn a bunch of facts without an real concepts behind them. If you really want to learn it, use it. Debate about the topics. Find connections and patterns to see what it all means and then you will be more interested as that is how our minds work unless your are ISTJ and can memorize random facts for fun.

 

[compulsiverambler]

I want to succeed, however I feel there is a missing piece somewhere that is holding me back. I don't know if it's me, my environment, my INTP personality, or simply all in my head!

The ability to concentrate on something that is not inherently stimulating for the sake of a desired long-term reward is dependent upon the prefrontal cortex, which is the region of the brain that takes the longest to mature and is the most easily damaged/delayed (hence almost every concussion and bout of meningitis causes attention-related changes, either temporary or permanent). So is the ability to stop focusing on something stimulating when you notice it's threatening your long-term interests. Not being able to switch tasks in spite of yourself is called perseveration, and it's just the other side of that same coin. These symptoms of prefrontal cortex damage/delay are what's popularly known as ADD.

Tasks that provide immediate gratification boost levels of dopamine and noradrenaline, which allow this region to function better. Unfortunately that only works as long as the positive stimulation continues. The difference with taking ADD medication, is just that the boost is not task-dependent, so you can continue to concentrate regardless of the effect of the task on those neurotransmitters. What results is a profound difference in how the boost is experienced: the single-mindedness feels similar, but on stopping a task, there's no compulsion to find something to do or think that's necessarily stimulating in *just the right way*. When you feel "together" and alert enough to smoothly engage attention, entirely frivolous activities have nothing to offer and no appeal anymore; the decision-making process instead asks "what's the most important thing to do right now?"