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Lately, I have discovered that I am unable to concentrate myself on certain activities anymore - be it bw, chess, studying etc. My mind seems to be always somewhere else and my thinking process is highly unorganized, leading to a lot of losses in chess due to time or goofing up in calc. I have no confidence in my decisions, therefore constantly double check minor things and still overlook the important (and most of the time blatantly obvious) ones, which frustrates me to no end. I get distracted very easily and ponder about the Dexter series final rather than getting my work in front of me done. It's like my mind is working against me.
I get enough sleep, eat well, work out regularly, have an almost unhealthy addiction to tuna and gorp and yet I still make silly mistakes. It sometimes even gets dangerous when I am so caught up in my thoughts that I don't notice the world around me, making the way home as a pedestrian rather interestingly. When I was younger, I used to play in chess tournaments and was able to focus for the better of six hours, nowadays I struggle to do 45 minutes.
Any ideas how to deal with that kind of problem? Have you made similiar experiences and did overcome them? Do you use certain exercices to train your focus? Any suggestions would be welcome.
 
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If you're online a lot, then that's probably the reason. I have it too but it's only minor, nothing really annoying or problematic.
Advice: start reading some books (the oldschool ones, not e-books), listen more to relaxing music, and do an activity as a hobby which doesn't force you to multitask a lot respectively permanently spread your attention all over the place (so playing BW is a bad thing in this regard). In my case, programming is great because it forces you to think a lot about a problem, and do so in a disciplined way. You learn how to better stay focused and not give up on one task/problem until you've solved it.
Also, maybe better organize your time so you don't feel like you haven't got enough time. Get things done as soon as you can, and if you do one thing you don't want to do then use the opportunity to get another thing you don't want to do out of the way too. At the end you'll be surprised how much time you have free, so you can do whatever without worrying about other things (so you can focus more on just one or a few things at once).
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infinity21
Canada6683 Posts
You obviously ate too much tuna.
Joking aside, how much time do you spend in front of your computer? That could possibly be it.
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If I spend a lot of time in front of a monitor (computer or tv) then I find it hard to concentrate. So now, I try take a break after every game/episode/30 minutes; I get up and eat some fruit or something.
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When doing stuff for university I sometimes have these symptoms too. What I usually do, is close MSN or any IM program, and that mostly does the trick. Since I don't have anyone disturbing me or asking me stuff in MSN it gets a whole lot easier to concentrate.
I mix that, with RedBull, and well..let's say I get shit done much much faster  .
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Adderall! I don't know any natural suggestions of improving your mental condition but I say talk to your doctor and go from there. A pill that changes your brain for you will get your self consciously used to thinking in a coherent manner. Once that becomes more habitual the more natural it will be.
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United States24761 Posts
Yeah as already said, if you are doing a lot of activities that don't require you to focus on one thing... it's going to get harder to concentrate for a long time. Spend some of your time on activities that require concentration without having to worry about other things.
What types of games do you play?
How much time do you spend on your computer other than gaming? Are you able to easily concentrate on one task such as writing/reading a long post? I'm guessing not from what you said.
To some extent this is a problem for everyone... although some people (like me) can concentrate for hours on one thing without too much trouble.
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I have the same problem, but it's just for actually starting something. I can put it off for hours and want to concentrate but always find something better to do. But once I start it's easy.
Maybe you should try reading a book that interests you
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Hmm, I don't have the problem of thinking about other things when I'm trying to focus, but rather my brain just goes numb. It feels like my mind just has holes, and every time I attempt a thought process I just can't hold it all. I end up having to read things over and over until it finally sticks. I think it just happens sometimes, you're mentally fatigued. I really think the only solution would be to take a break from everything until you are feeling more settled, or possibly some prescription medication if its chronic.
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Try to read a whole good book in one session when you have time. Reading is in itself concentration but also should be keeping your mind active and focused on one things.
I've always had good concentration though, which probably why I'm pretty good at chess (btw one thing I read when I was young on the subject was NEVER doubt your decisions, if you are wrong its because you're opponent saw more than you and thus was better. Just check very throughly and force yourself to do the move.) and I was playing WC2 years before I was able to read. So its probably a largely genetic problem that you'll have to try to overcome.
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If you are trying to do homework in front of your computer screen it'll probably never work out for you. I notice that if I am trying to study in front of my computer I am on Teamliquid within 2 minutes and am posting something like 'If you are trying to do homework in front of your....
Best solution imo is to get a study group esp if you are in college. Sometimes when no one is focused it doesn't work out, but a good study group can real get things done. Plus with study groups you generally focus on more important stuff, there was one guy in my multivariable calc class who paid a lot of attention and basically figured out exactly what was on the final.
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Thanks for the input so far. I admittedly spend a lot of time in front of the pc but do study in another room (especially for the reason Fontong mentioned). I am pretty sure I read enough books since I can't visit a bookstore or amazon alone without spending a fortune there.
@0xDEADBEEF: I think there is not a big difference between chess and programming, as both require a disciplined mind with only "one" problem to solve. With my current state of mind, I think I would fail at programming the same way like I fail at chess or bw. As I listen to trance, I think it is already relaxing enough music for me.
@micronesia: I do in fact read a lot of forums several hours a day since I am administrating some of them. Also, I really have no problems with reading as it always came to me very naturally and with no conscious effort. It is something with a clear line to follow, while - for example - in bw or chess I am simply overwhelmed by the sheer multitude of different possibilities, resulting in my mind wandering off. And I am more into RTS or stealth shooter games.
Thanks again to all the other posters, I am going to try some advice like relaxing more or reading with more conscious focus, even though I think the problem lies elsewhere. If you have more advice, keep it coming - I really appreciate it.
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Netherlands6142 Posts
Sounds like you're ready for something new. If youve done something (chess, bw) for many years you may be becoming tired of it. Maybe it's time for a new hobby if your sould isn't in the former anymore. + Show Spoiler +
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On December 14 2008 07:59 Fontong wrote:
If you are trying to do homework in front of your computer screen it'll probably never work out for you. I notice that if I am trying to study in front of my computer I am on Teamliquid within 2 minutes and am posting something like 'If you are trying to do homework in front of your....
Best solution imo is to get a study group esp if you are in college. Sometimes when no one is focused it doesn't work out, but a good study group can real get things done. Plus with study groups you generally focus on more important stuff, there was one guy in my multivariable calc class who paid a lot of attention and basically figured out exactly what was on the final.
Nice, looks like I'm not the only one with the same problem. The problem is that I have this urge to go to tl.net whenever I see my computer.
When I'm trying hard to resist this temptation, I can't concentrate. Even now, when I'm away from computer, I'm thinking about this girl.
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Belgium6774 Posts
Hahah
I'm trying to program an app (im not a programmer)
and when I get an error while running the script I just go BLAH
...and start browsing TL
T_T
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On December 14 2008 10:18 Xeofreestyler wrote:
Hahah
I'm trying to program an app (im not a programmer)
and when I get an error while running the script I just go BLAH
...and start browsing TL
T_T
Yup, I think were addicted to tl.
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EPT
