Concentration?

Wontgetcaught

So I have an issue with concentration and sometimes organization. At work I'll typically forget tasks I need to do, or get wholly distracted from them, minutes going by before I realize I had a prior, more important thing to do.


Anyway, this has always been a problem for me, but recently it's been affecting me at work. I don't want to hop on the "I need drugs" band wagon, but I'm curious if this is the kind of thing adderol is reserved for?

Whom would I talk to about such a thing.

Secondly, does anyone have any tips on improving memory, cognitive function, and in general ways to reduce absent mindedness?

Fallingman

I dont mean this in a patronising way, as I don't have this to any extend requiring medication... But I found that my productivity jumped when I had a good old fashioned To Do list.

Seriously.

At work, I have an excel spreadsheet template. I print about 20 of those bad boys avery few weeks and get really disciplined about crossing things off. It's amazing how all those things that were piling up can just "get done" when I sit and work my way through them.

Atlus Parker

If you feel like this is a situation requiring medication or if you even want to try it out on a trial basis, talk to your GP and tell him what you just told us. He'll be able to take care of whatever your needs are.

Godfather

Give this a try





Tells you how to get off your ass and do shit. A quick read.

skettios

Get a to-do list, make schedules for your day, set alarms/reminders for things. Maybe try to fit in some exercise to clear your head

It's good that you're not going straight to meds If these things are seriously affecting your day to day life, then maybe go see a doc.

Scalfin

You know, they used to have camps for this.

Movitz

You Americans and your drugs.

Start off by getting a decent notepad, one that fits in your back pocket that you can carry around all the time. Write everything down in it. As everyone already said, to do list are good. Give it a couple of weeks to see if the situation improves.

redguardian

Fallingman wrote: »

I dont mean this in a patronising way, as I don't have this to any extend requiring medication... But I found that my productivity jumped when I had a good old fashioned To Do list.

Seconded. This can be simple as all hell. My to do list is just a piece of printer paper with the top half slipped under my keyboard to keep it in place, and it definitely helps keep me on track. Every time I look down I'm reminded of what I should be working on.

Sorry if this is too basic a suggestion for what could be a medical problem, but since you do say you've only been affected at work recently... how are you sleeping? Lack of sleep can make things a lot worse in terms of concentration and memory.

AyeJaye

I'm just going to quickly and dirtily crosspost this from http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?p=12809925 and go to sleep. The advice isn't intended directly for the OP of this thread but it's something to consider before turning to the more well-known and more dangerous concentration drugs.

AyeJaye wrote: »

There is also the option of taking some legal, well-researched, non-abusable, non-habit-forming supplements/nootropics to help you along while you work up some momentum. I know you're hesitant to take pills for your (semi-)depression but the things I am about to mention don't alter your mood significantly, are reasonably cheap, and increase positive brain function (especially in people whose said functions are somehow impaired, such as with ADHD or Alzheimer's).

I'm just mentioning something that helped me, and by no means am I implying that these things will fix all of your problems. Should you follow my advice you will need to make conscious assessments and choices about your use of such substances because even though they don't cause physical dependency, you don't want to start relying on them outright. Imagine a person who, in order to get some extra energy in the morning, begins drinking coffee. If they aren't reasonably careful, they may grow to depend on coffee and be useless without it.

Please do your own research about these, especially Piracetam and Adrafinil. I am only bringing them to your attention and it is up to you to decide if they are something you want to look into.


What I take twice daily:

• 2g of piracetam,
• 1200mg of Lecithin (as a source of choline, good on its own but required when taking piracetam)
• Omega 3-6-9 supplement (Jamieson, I think, is the brand)
• Calcium-Magnesium supplement (same brand as above), likely nothing to do with cognitive performance but not bad for you by any means.
• Ginseng (helps a bit with energy when I'm not quite tired enough to need caffeine)
• Caffeine, which I buy bulk in a powder and fill gelcaps with (~$15 for 1000 doses (100g), as many gelcaps and a capsule filling machine that does 50 at a time) I try to use this sparingly, so not twice daily like the previous ones.
• L-Tryptophan. I know I said the things I am mentioning don't alter mood but I guess I forgot about this one. It's an essential amino acid and you get it in your diet anyway from things like egg whites. It's a moderate antidepressant supplement and it might be worth looking into.
• Melatonin, to get to sleep faster when I need to (I had trouble sleeping before I started taking all of these things so it's not just to compensate for the caffeine) and have weird vivid dreams.

There's also modafinil/adrafinil as an option for an on-demand concentration booster that isn't an addictive, overly stimulating or abusable drug like ritalin or adderall can be. It's only prescribed for narcolepsy in the US, but I have heard that it is easy enough to get legally though I don't know the specifics. This is not something to be used with regularity but only for times when it is really needed (like right now, what with exam time for me at least). With the exception of *finil, these are all non-prescription supplements most of which I get from bodybuilding.com along with other things.

This is a list of things that I take, not a list of things you should take. I'm not saying these things are right for you but they are something you should know about and make your own decision regarding whether or not you can use them in a way that helps you. Drugs are not a solution. They are indeed a crutch, but so are crutches and look how useful those are to people who have trouble walking (at least until they get better).

Nerissa

Movitz wrote: »

You Americans and your drugs.

Start off by getting a decent notepad, one that fits in your back pocket that you can carry around all the time. Write everything down in it. As everyone already said, to do list are good. Give it a couple of weeks to see if the situation improves.

if you can afford one, a PDA is good for this type of thing, because it can keep your lists dynamic (when you cross one off, it goes away rather than having to re-write the list regularly when you've done most of them)

It also lets you keep several lists (home, work, different projects at work) all in one place and organized, you can set priorities, and change them as needed, etc.

I know that my husband in particular had problems with a notepad because the lists got long and hard to manage, and strongly prefers his PDA for that reason.

Personally, I prefer to sit down daily and re-write my list by hand so I can refresh in my mind what I need to do that day. I used to use a PDA to keep track of all of the long-term lists (until mine died), but it still helps a lot to sit down first thing in the morning and go over my list, and write down what I can reasonably expect to get done that day. Sometimes I do it last thing the night before, but I am at my most productive when I do that.

The other thing, though, is to MARK THINGS OFF when you're done. That may seem like a no-brainer, but looking at that list halfway through the day and seeing everything still on it can be daunting, and a bit overwhelming. If you can see that you've got stuff crossed / checked off, it'll reenforce that you can get through this all.

Mugaaz

Concentration, willpower, dispcipline, etc aren't natural attributes. You develop them the say way you increase your bench press. I think there are basically 3 factors: the underlying strength developed through practice, the strength of your desire to accomplish your goal, and lastly your belief that doing X will lead to you accomplishing your goal.

From my personal experience most mundane stuff is accomplished solely through repetition. The bigger goals require you to be mentally thinking about them to increase your desire throughout the day, and the really long term ones need you to believe not getting that order of fries is going to lead to you wearing your old jeans.