Focus on many different things

[binarray2000]

I know that the subject-line is quite contradictory: One focuses on one thing and not on many different things. Let me explain what my problem is (it's something I realize is a problem for quite some time for me).

I'm interested in many different and, in a sense, not quite related topics:

• Business-related (sales, marketing, management etc.)

• Software development-related (programming languages, algorithms, software-design etc.)

• Music-related (playing many different instruments, producing my own music etc.)

• Personal development-related (better communicator, changing myself etc.)

Now, everything is OK when I'm in one world (let's say music): My mind is set on learning to play new instruments, arranging music, learning about production and engineering techniques and visualizing about the great things I'll do when I learn these or that. I can be in that world for a few hours a day but since there are other areas of interest (especially those I do for living – software development – and those I want to transition to – business) I want to switch my learning to other areas because I want to get better in them, too. My mindset cannot change that fast as I still think (and – important! – visualize) about music when I started reading about software-design. That makes it hard for me to concentrate fully on something and to get the most out of time I invest in learning it.

Do you have some suggestions on how to break that behavior and how to (easily?) switch between different mindsets? Is there a technical term for this problem so that I can search for books and online-resources? Or can you recommend some (book or other resource)?

Best regards!

[AndyMartin]

binarray2000 (binarray11111010000?)--

These are, as we say, "good problems to have."

Shifting mental gears is really a matter of practice and nothing more. And I think it's more a matter of shifting your perspective than anything else. We're often trying to change what we want in a given moment, when our desires are an outgrowth of our perspective. If we can shift our perspective -- which is much "lighter" than our desires, then the desires will shift as well and we can engage more fully in those other activities.

I've started experimenting with the idea of mental exercises (yoga) for this sort of thing. Literally working my mind through different states (postures) in short cycles (1 min). This seems to do two things. First, it strengthens the ability to make complete shifts and second, it will allow you to become more familiar with what those perspectives feel like so more can be aware of what state your in and shift if necessary.

So try this--Close your eyes and recall the feeling of being fully present ("in the zone") in your music; hold it for five slow, deep breaths. Then open your eyes and look to your right, focus on what's there for a deep breath then back to center. Close your eyes and recall the feeling of being fully present in writing code and hold it for five breaths. Open your eyes, look to the left, focus, and back to center. Repeat five or six times.

The idea behind looking to your right and your left is that changing your physical perspective will help change your internal perspective. If you're more kinesthetic than visual, try moving your body into a different position. Play around with it and see what works. Let me know your results.

Good luck!
Andy

[da1prophet]

One of the misconcepts about Attention Deficit Disorder is that suffers can't focus--that's not really the case. The real problem for ADD suffers is that they have trouble making transitions--from one physical environment to the other, or from one project to the other.

I used to beat myself up on a daily basis for this--I'd try to block out time in a regimented fashion during the day for each area of my life. It was always a miserable failure...

What I do now isn't possible for everyone--I'm self employed, live alone with my two dogs, and am pretty much able to set my own schedule--but I just *quit* making transitions to the greatest degree possible. My redesigned website is a good example--I used to try to block in a couple of hours of work a day on the website and never got anywhere with it. So for the past 10 days I've pretty much just worked on that fulltime. I'll work until I get sleepy, sleep for awhile and get up and do it again. It's obviously not the pathway to a balanced life, but I've made more progress on my website redesigned during the past 10 days that I did in the previous two years.

In any case, you're definitely not alone in your difficulty with "transitions" and developing the mental discipline to make smooth "shifts" is a pretty impressive accomplishment on your part!

[mtrimpe]

What you say sounds very familiar to me. I've been having the same for a long time now.

Coincidentelly just now, my 4 areas (IT/Philosophy/Business/PD) are merging into one. I've found that my inability to focus on one thing has, over time, made these 4 'separate' fields of interest into one unified project.

Right now, whatever I do seems related to this new concept. They are all four aspects I needed to learn to fulfill my life's mission so to speak.

[dadeon]

I think it's great that you have sooo many interests! I don't think you should see it as 'spreading yourself thin' when you love many different things. There is a concept called synergy which is when different aspects that have seemingly no to little relationship feed into each other to produce a result that is far greater than just adding the bits together.

If you really love all these things, then keep on doing them - at some point it will all come together and it almost certainly adds and contributes to your personal fulfillment. We love the things we love because we love them - denying yourself any of it will not contribute to your happiness and success.