where there is hyperfocus

[sdwa]

there may also be gold – or so claimed my former coach. What you’re interested in, in other words, is probably a key to what you’re good at in some way – in terms of how your mind works when you do it, aside from the subject area. For example, you could be the analytical sort who likes to understand how things work, but you could apply that to a range of tasks. For me, I’ve always done a lot of doodling to relax…and have turned some of these doodles into repeat pattern designs (like for wrapping paper, or whatever.) It comes easily to me, and it makes me feel peaceful, focused, and relaxed.

REPORT ABUSE

[Bibliophile]

Using doodles as wrapping paper sounds pretty neat.

But you are implying we can control our hyperfocus, which is not usually the case. For example, when I get stuck analyzing something, it is most often done at an inappropriate time or all the time and on something that may not be that relevant to what I am supposed to be doing. It is not that I want to hyperfocus on that, but that is what my brain has decided to do. You say to yourself, I should really move on to something else, there are other things to get done, but you can’t shift your brain to do it. Worse is when you don’t even realize that you are hyperfocusing and the time slips by and you don’t hear those around you.

REPORT ABUSE

[sdwa]

Love your name, “Librarian Chef” – that’s awesome.

Tell me about it, you know? I spent all day yesterday working on repeat designs, and my wrist hurts from mousing away on the computer, and then I went home and spent the entire evening when I should have been doing any one of a number of other things on doing more of the same. When I’m involved in something, the house could collapse around me and I’d tune it out.

The point is: What was going on when you were hyperfocused? What were you doing? What type of thinking was involved? I’m just saying, that information is a clue to what you’re good at – IF that information has eluded you up until now. Some people have successful careers and don’t need to think too much about it. I’m not one of those people!

I can control my hyperfocus to the extent that, knowing what types of activities I’m attracted to, and what subject matter interests me, and knowing that if I see that stuff, I’m going to get sucked in like a bug flying right into a venus fly-trap – then I have a choice about whether or not I put myself in that environment. I know if I start a project, I won’t want to stop until it’s done, so I don’t start unless I have twelve hours.

What’s more challenging is if I’m hyperfocused on a mood – I can drive myself nuts fulminating about some stupid event or conversation or whatever. When that happens, the best thing for me to do is take myself somewhere else. Go outside, move around, put on some music – anything that would shift my energy. Meditation also helps.

For whatever that’s worth.

REPORT ABUSE

[Author]

Posts