Wow do i suck at concentrating

[Rusty Shackleford]

Ive always had a problem writing. Im usually very excited about the subjects i write about but i just cannot stick to actually finishing it.

I was diagnosed with ADHD when i was a child. maybe it wasnt incorrect? Maybe im just not a writer?

[Tenka]

I have rather severe concentration problems at times, too. Have you tried caffeine?

[Tablo]

I also have ADHD. I've taken medication for it and it helps. Maybe you should talk to a doctor about getting medication?

[A Revolutionary Tool]

I have the same problem with reading and writing. I was trying to read Capital just the other day and started day dreaming for 15 minutes before I realized that I was trying to read something. I've literally read The State and Revolution twice but if you asked me about it I couldn't tell you about it at all. When I'm writing I do the same thing. I literally just went off thinking about this story I was going to write and then the events that happened that made me want to write it. Then I remembered I was writing a reply on Revleft :laugh:

I've never gotten anything checked out, like if I have ADHD or something. Maybe I should...

[~Spectre]

My concentration comes and goes in week long windows. These last few weeks have been lollerifically concentration free.

[danyboy27]

well ADHD can fallow you trough your adult life if you havnt developed any coping mechanism to deal with it. I am not officially diagnose but i got pretty much the same problems, i got issues memorizing, listening to people and procrastination, my guess is you are experiencing those things too, am i right?

Also, extensive use of computer dosnt really help i guess, google and internet explorer did a pretty good job at making the problem worst, those things tend to make our brain lazy, you dont need to memorize anything beccause of google and internet browser are not made for multitasking, wich mean people do more stuff at the same time and have trouble to concentrating on 1 little thing.

[praxis1966]

There's a lot of validity to what Dany's saying I think. I've always suspected I'm a touch ADHD, but I've noticed just in passing a inverse correlation between increased computer usage and decreased capacity to focus...

Or maybe I'm just getting old and my mind is going already... lol

[Rusty Shackleford]

i think it may have to do with windows and when browsers got Tabs it was the end. multi-tasking taken to the extreme.


shit, i spend hours online every day. i manage to read long articles and stuff but even when im readnig a book, i sometimes get restless after 30-45 minutes. (unless its fiction which is usually captivating)


as for the ADHD i was given ritalin when i was 7-13 or something like that then adderrall and dexatrim till 15. you know. legal amphetamines. dont get me wrong, i could concentrate like a motherfucker. i built a lego 3 speed transmission, a trebuchet, all wheel drive thing i tried making a lego engine that ran off of sodium bicorbonate and vinegar, discovered new forms of motion, studied physics and chemistry an was balls deep in rocketry(i was trying to design a multi stage cardboard rocket from scratch). but i just dont want to go back to that. amphetamine even like that over a long period of time can fuck you up. paranoia, skin problems, other mental issues, heart problems. all of that.

[danyboy27]

There's a lot of validity to what Dany's saying I think. I've always suspected I'm a touch ADHD, but I've noticed just in passing a inverse correlation between increased computer usage and decreased capacity to focus...

Or maybe I'm just getting old and my mind is going already... lol


If you compare computer to other distractions, its probably the worst kind.

Watching tv, listening to music, those distractions are mono-tasking, the effects it have over a long period are somehow more easy to overcome, all you have to do is to find a way to break the habit.

Computers, or at least the modern ones can do multiple task at the same times, and the high degree of automatisation combined with easy access to internet create a perfect storm to create multiples psychological problems, especially if you consider that more and more people are using them on a daily basis at work.

I think there are 2 way to solve the problem.

1.keep using your computer has you usually do but take some time to perform a task that require a bit of memory and concentration, for exemple reading a book.

2.Use your computer differently, try to perform less task at the same time, and make some effort to memorize some of the stuff you constantly google.

[praxis1966]

i think it may have to do with windows and when browsers got Tabs it was the end. multi-tasking taken to the extreme.


shit, i spend hours online every day. i manage to read long articles and stuff but even when im readnig a book, i sometimes get restless after 30-45 minutes. (unless its fiction which is usually captivating)

I think you may be onto something here. The tabs system that all browsers use nowadays encourages lack of focus. They allow you to bounce back and forth between way too many things.


as for the ADHD i was given ritalin when i was 7-13 or something like that then adderrall and dexatrim till 15. you know. legal amphetamines. dont get me wrong, i could concentrate like a motherfucker. i built a lego 3 speed transmission, a trebuchet, all wheel drive thing i tried making a lego engine that ran off of sodium bicorbonate and vinegar, discovered new forms of motion, studied physics and chemistry an was balls deep in rocketry(i was trying to design a multi stage cardboard rocket from scratch). but i just dont want to go back to that. amphetamine even like that over a long period of time can fuck you up. paranoia, skin problems, other mental issues, heart problems. all of that.

Word. Ultimately, the acid test for a psychiatrist is always, "How much is this affecting your life?" If the answer is, "Well doc, it's a bit of a nuisance but I seem to get by OK," they're probably not going to want you on meds one way or the other.

[Rusty Shackleford]

i find that playing majong or solitaire before doing regular computer activities is a nice refresher or exercise. Also, strategy games. not first person shooters. strategy games. turn based ones are better too. thinking!

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

I find that my ability to concentrate is correlated to how much I'm interested and how badly I want to finish it.