[Serious] What do you do to improve concentration ...

[Harsh Gupta]

and avoid procrastination?

Lately I find myself procrastinating a lot. And it is affecting me a lot.

I am due to graduate in December and have to start looking for a job at the earliest. I have yet to make my resume but I have been putting it off for a very long time. I find myself playing stupid games.

Also I have not been able to concentrate on my studies. It could be due to the fact that my gradings dipped a lot in last semester and now it is almost impossible to recover them. But should it prevent me to try harder to get whatever good grades I may achieve?

I have been trying to learn a lot of stuff to help me get a good job but again, not been able to concentrate on any of them either. I start with one, find it uninteresting then move onto another. I have been doing this for past 4-5 months and not I have a list of uncompleted skills to learn.

I am just looking for ways/methods that you guys tried and found it effective in helping you concentrate in whatever you were trying to pursue.

Thanks

[penagate]

Are you at all competitive?
Get together with some friends who are in the same boat and compose your resumés together. You may find that when working alongside other people you push yourself to work harder in an effort to do the best job.
If you're not competitive then you may end up working collaboratively instead which can be equally beneficial.

Don't rush to brush aside the things you find uninteresting because you may find them interesting (or at least useful) in the future. If you are really struggling, then look for something different to learn — ideally something which isn't related to your studies in any way — which actually interests and motivates you, then come back to the original topic. It's easy to become "burnt out" when all of your studies are very similar but when you have a wide range of subjects occupying your mind it will be much more creative and thus productive, even when applied to subjects which don't necessarily fascinate you.

[abhijit]

You need some kind of hobby. I usually take hikes and when I find my batteries recharged from this activity. Perhaps you might want to do something else, like watch movies or play tennis.

[TheBigB]

Do you have an irregular sleeping pattern; do you sleep enough?
Lack of sleep with a lot of energizers (caffeine, sugars) can give you the impression you are fit for work, but mentally you're really a mess.
That is at least pretty much my concentration problem.

Procrastination sometimes seems to be a result of a lack of concentration but really is an attitude problem.
What helps me is to just do it.
Procrastination most of the times comes from a mental block of the workload.
The mountain looks big, but often if you just go for it, you'll find that it isn't that big at all.

It's very hard to fix that and it won't go over a night's rest.
If anything I said compares to your situation, make yourself a list of things you have to do, don't care how simple.
Just start doing the simple things one at time and take plenty of time to do them.
As you go down the list you may find your attitude improving.
Try it.
And if it doesn't work you might consider seeing a psychologist for professional advice.

[Shaggy Hiker]

Don't do today what you can put off until tomorrow.

Wouldn't you feel bad if you put all that effort into your resume, and the day you finished, somebody offered you a job? Not that that is likely these days.

I have been a pretty good procrastinator in my life. I don't put everything off, just the unpleasant tasks, which is what it sounds like you are doing. Some of those tasks go away, sometimes you have to scramble to get them done. As long as you are getting the interesting things done, you are still moving forwards.

By the way, the most effective technique I have found for improving concentration is to boil off the solvent, which is usually water. When too many troubles keep your brain at a rolling boil, I always say: Be still my boiling vat.

And those are the only puns I could distill from this mash.

[penagate]

Structured Procrastiation

Edit: Read Perfectionism as well; it's equally good.

[CVMichael]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpwkzb--Jwo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA8D1cGW5Qk

[Shaggy Hiker]

Structured Procrastiation

Edit: Read Perfectionism as well; it's equally good.

Those two links affirmed my life.

[penagate]

Mine too!

[baja_yu]

Great articles/videos penagate and CVMicheal. I'm gonna pick out a post from another section to rate

[DeanMc]

Have yourself checked for ADD/ADHD too. If it turns out that you do have either I would avoid caffeine as it has the opposite effect for some reason. If prop 19 passes there are may also be other was to increase concentration naturally in California.

I think the key is finding a balance between relaxation and work/study. Stress can lead to procrastination as a safety measure.

[MarMan]

Procrastination sometimes is resulting from emotions. Example: Studying can be difficult, resulting in a small amount of frustration or anguish, sometimes unnoticed. Playing a game is a distraction from an emotion that is less than pleasurable. You can tell sometimes if you are feeling nothing (nothing to influence your decision. What do you REALLY want? Finish your studies? Then you think about opening a book and immediately decide to play a game? Any quick decision is usually based on emotions, and if the decision is quick enough you don't even notice it. Then you get into a habit and it becomes second nature and you don't notice what you are doing until after.

One thing that may help is to think about how glad you will be to finish what you are having a difficult time with. Also think about the benefits that will be yours. And if its still hard to start, then start small, spend at least 5 minutes before going on to the game. Often you will end up spending 10 or more. And that's progress.

[Harsh Gupta]

Hello,

Sorry for so late post. Been unwell for past few days.

@penagate,
I can say that I am not that competitve but avoids working in groups. I have never been a party person, doesn't like to mix with people, talk too less even with somebody I know and prefers to stay alone. Probably the reason I have kinda no friends in real life.

I read the links that you posted. Not to be snappy, but I feel they all write/specify possible reasons for this behavior and suggests the same way to combat it. That really is not helping me.

@CVMichael,
I guess I fall partly in all 3 categories. I did and have been showing those 3 symptoms.

@TheBigB,
I do have irregular sleep pattern. Either I don't sleep at all or I sleep for 12-15 hours straight. I always thought this is because of studies right now but if I remember correctly, this had been my pattern when I was working. I used to sleep only 2-3 hours daily on weekdays and sleeps the whole weekend.

@DeanMc,
I don't think it is a problem. It could be, it is just I don't think it is.

@Marman,
Think I need to re-read your post.

I guess this all started when I had a bad, very bad job experience. The manager was abusive and a complete no-brainer. I tried my best to not let him get under my skin, but somehow he did. This affected my interest in programming and then one thing led to another and finally the good days of procrastination started.

Not only I procrastinate at my work, studies, but also while playing games, watching movies, reading novels or any other form of hobby. Unfortunately, I avoid hiking and any sort of physical activity because I have been told so by my doctor. I once tried hiking but was unable to, so not an option for me.

Though I am trying to develop some willpower to focus on one thing at a time. Even though I focus on work at hand for small time period, that will help in finishing it a timed fashion.

[NeedSomeAnswers]

It sound to me like you may be suffering at least a bit from depression.

It is always a difficult thing to pinpoint, and i am no doctor, but i have had a couple of very close friends go through quite severe depression.

are you enjoying your self much of late ? do you have a lot of fun ?, or do you lack motivation ? do you constantly find yourself worrying about things ?

Maybe i am wrong, but that how it sounds to me.

[Shaggy Hiker]

I guess this all started when I had a bad, very bad job experience. The manager was abusive and a complete no-brainer. I tried my best to not let him get under my skin, but somehow he did. This affected my interest in programming and then one thing led to another and finally the good days of procrastination started.

Yeah, that will get under your skin. I went through some of that, and it definitly had an impact on how I saw things. Takes a while to rebound.

[Harsh Gupta]

@NSA,
I could be depressed because I always find it difficult to find a job. Blame it on my bad luck, but me being an introvert makes it difficult for hiring manager to select me (I guess they can sense it). But I have done my bit to overcome it. Rest of your questions doesn't matter anymore. I don't have much fun and I constantly worry about few things but I guess I have managed to live with them.

@Shaggy Hiker,
I always knew I will rebound. The worry is I haven't till and so is not a good sign. I need to rebound quickly now.

Talking to guys is helping. It is helping me in identifying possible causes.

I don't care if I procrastinate. It was that I used to love learning about computers and programming; and I have now lost that spirit. I need to rekindle my interest for them atleast. I can live procrastinating otherwise.

[MarMan]

You are not alone Harsh.

Back in the 90's it was easy to find a job, I am a skilled programmer and there was a shortage of them. Then I went on my own (a mistake) and the bubble burst. I lived in my car for a year. I worked as an electrician, I installed sprinkler systems, worked in a wharehouse. I did seek help and got diagnosed as autistic (high functioning). Then I got diagnosed with pervasive development disorder. But I have been going to therapy for a few years and it has been helping. They helped me find a job, although getting $15 an hour for a programmer with 10 years experience is insulting. They keep telling me it will get better and I get sick of hearing it, but they are right. I just can't give up. I procrastinate because I don't want to deal with all the crap, but that doesn't make it go away. I just have to keep my apointments and not give up. Easy, no. Doable, yes. I think I can... I think I can...

[NeedSomeAnswers]

I could be depressed because I always find it difficult to find a job. Blame it on my bad luck, but me being an introvert makes it difficult for hiring manager to select me (I guess they can sense it). But I have done my bit to overcome it. Rest of your questions doesn't matter anymore. I don't have much fun and I constantly worry about few things but I guess I have managed to live with them.

Have you ever spoken to anyone about your fears ? and your problems with your old job and how that has affected your confidence ?

Feeling confident makes you feel good about yourself, and can mean that you allow yourself to enjoy things more.

You say you are introverted, well building up your confidence will massively help you in interview situations, must employers judge people not just on there competence but on how they come across in the interview.

Talking about these things is good, it could help you to you talk with a professional or friend or family member, it could well be worth it.

[Shaggy Hiker]

@Shaggy Hiker,
I always knew I will rebound. The worry is I haven't till and so is not a good sign. I need to rebound quickly now.

We are shaped by the experiences we have. We can't just reset back to an earlier saved game. You learn how to be a better person by watching somebody else be a worse one. That's about as much as I got out of it.

[Hack]

You learn how to be a better person by watching somebody else be a worse one.

I like that...very true, and very quotable.

[honeybee]

I can say that I am not that competitve but avoids working in groups. I have never been a party person, doesn't like to mix with people, talk too less even with somebody I know and prefers to stay alone. Probably the reason I have kinda no friends in real life.

I was like that too, but in the last few years being a team leader I had to learn to communicate with other people (not that I was bad at it, but I liked to stay aloof). I am quite social now compared to a few years back, though I am still kinda shy in taking initiatives.

I guess this all started when I had a bad, very bad job experience. The manager was abusive and a complete no-brainer. I tried my best to not let him get under my skin, but somehow he did. This affected my interest in programming and then one thing led to another and finally the good days of procrastination started.

Not only I procrastinate at my work, studies, but also while playing games, watching movies, reading novels or any other form of hobby. Unfortunately, I avoid hiking and any sort of physical activity because I have been told so by my doctor. I once tried hiking but was unable to, so not an option for me.

Though I am trying to develop some willpower to focus on one thing at a time. Even though I focus on work at hand for small time period, that will help in finishing it a timed fashion.

Hmm.... Bad managers are everywhere. I once had a manager who told me my monitor wasn't functioning because I didn't know how to use a computer (inspite of the fact that he was running a hardware business alongside the software one, and I have been working with computers since I was in 7th standard). I have gone through many bad patches in my life, and am ready for any more that may come next.

I resigned from a job (above mentioned) without any job offer in hand, but got another job within a week's time. Last year in July I had to quit my job due to recession (the client company folded up) and was out of a regular job for 11 months. The one I am doing at present isn't too great either, but then life is not perfect. I can either be paranoid about what will happen next, or make the best of what I have today. Not that any choice is good or bad, but I have made the second choice.

Regarding bad managers getting under your skin, just remember: as a professional your commitment is to your job, not to your manager. If it simply gets worse, you can always change your manager (by changing jobs).

Why not take up a hobby or some kind of sport? Remember you don't have to be good at what you do (except maybe your area of specialization/work). So if you take up chess and end up losing to everyone in the club, that's no big deal. Taking up a hobby is to learn about a particular subject. So as long as you learn something about chess, don't care about the outcome of the game.

.

[honeybee]

... I worked as an electrician, I installed sprinkler systems, worked in a whorehouse. ...

No wonder it's difficult to concentrate

j/k

Harsh, whether you rebound or not, don't judge yourself. And don't pay attention to others who judge you based on whether you rebound. It takes a lot of guts to get out of a tough situation, but it takes a lot more to stay put. People who stay put aren't always helpless souls who can't avoid being ripped off. They are actually committed to their job and know they can't leave because they have a commitment to the job.

The police force in India is not necessarily an enviable profession. The payment is not something to boast about, they are regarded as corrupt by everyone (not all of them are corrupt), people are always trying to pull a fast one over them whenever they have to deal with miscreants, there are no regular duty hours or leaves. In general life is pretty stressful. Yet I always see them rising to the occasion, be it the Eid or the Ganesh festival (traffic jams) or any other occasion where they have to maintain law and order. Not everone is happy with the working conditions, but they still work with a commitment. That's what matters.

.

[AsmIscool]

Grab a rod and reel, find a pier and have a fish while you listen to the waves wash the all your problems away. That has always been my favorite trick. Take a walk down the street every night and have a cappuccino at a cafe. Get out and do something you do enjoy at the moment but do not sit there and dwell on the problem. Get it out of your head for at least a little while.

I have recently developed a severe anxiety disorder. This is more than a little distressing for me as I have never had anything like this before. So there is a charity down the road where I have volunteered my technological advice for 20 years. All their clients have had their issues for most of their life and they know a lot more than I do.

When they saw the state I was in they knew it was their chance to repay me for all my help and I have more support than you could imagine. Issues can be fixed with the right support but the procrastination will have to be dealt with first before you can seek the support. deal with the first problem and then take on the second. It wil be much easier for you that way.

[honeybee]

Grab a rod and reel, find a pier and have a fish ...

You mean catch a fish, and not have it as in "have a cigar" ?

.

[AsmIscool]

Ha! I like my favorite fishing spot as there is very little chance of one of the slimy things getting on your hook and distubing your tranquility.

[FunkyDexter]

I had a bad bout of depression in my early thirties. I did my degree as a mature student and worked ludicrously hard because I saw it as the only way to get myself a better life in the future (otherwise I was stuck doing telesales and customer services jobs - not too bad but a dead-end, none the less). When I finished there were no jobs to be had. I was unemployed for 8 months before finally getting a job and then it was with a company using their own propriatrary language - yet another deadend. The next job involved moving about a hundred miles from home (and UK miles are bigger that US miles because we're smaller... fact!) and lasted less than a month before the fact that the boss was a dangerous lunatic became too obvious to ignore (shortly after I left he actualy threatened to shoot members of staff because he thought they were conspiring to ruin his business). The whole lot piled up in my head and really knocked me for six - all that I could see was that I'd wasted 3 years of hard work. The resultant depression lasted about a year and, at one point, got to the stage where I was sat in my car on my parent's driveway in full floods of tears having just had a trivial argument with my Dad.

Then I got over it. That's it. No secret formula. No clever trick. I just got over it. The thing is, the only person who can get over it is you. And it is a concious decision.

Depression's a funny thing. It's actually quite comfortable and it constantly tells us that we're right to be depressed. When you're depressed you have a million reasons not to do anything. That's nice because it means you don't have to do anything. You don't have to worry about failing at anything because you're worthless anyway so failure's an expectation. Don't worry about freinds and family and what they think because you'll never bother to see them. And they don't understand you anyway. And absolutely do not try lift yourself out of depression because that would mean the stuff you've been letting get you down doesn't actually matter and that you've been completely over-reacting to it.

These are the sort of thoughts that start to swim round your head when your depressed but they never get articulated. As soon as you do articulate them they look ridiculous and trite - because they are. But unless you articulate them they swim round your head and they feel MASSIVE. So articulate them. Try this:-

Sit in in a quiet room, speak you fears out loud (don't mumble, use a clear voice) and write them down. Then go back and look at them. Ask yourself, of each one, why you're afraid of it - what's the damage it could do you? And answer yourself, out loud again. If the words coming out of your mouth aren't starting to sound increasingly ridiculous at this point (which they probably are) then start challenging those assumptions:-
Assumption:"I can't find a job?"
Response:"Can't or haven't"
Assumption:"Haven't but I might never find one"
Response:"Never?"
Assumption:"OK, eventually I'll find one but it'll take ages"
Response:"Do you know that?"
Assumption:"No but it probaly will"
Response:"How long will it really take, if you work at it?"
Assumption:"A few months" (or whatever you believe, but be honest)
Response:"And in the meantime?"
Assumption:"I might starve"
Response:"Really?"
Assumption:"OK, probably not"
Response:"Next fear?
etc.

This might all sound a bit mad, talking to yourself and all that, but it really does work. Our minds constantly talk to us and feed us a load of unexamined assumptions but we never really listen, we just pick up the gyst and don't question it. The talk our mind feeds us almost always based on massive exagerations and reinforces whatever emotion we're feeling. So when you get depressed or angry our mind actually works to magnify that. Talking out loud forces us to listen to and allows us to examine what we're telling ourself. Since what we're telling ourself is usually a huge exageration and completely out of whack with reality it quickly becomes clear that pretty much nothing actually justifies the depression you're feeling... so you might as well just forget about it all and get on with life.

Once you start to realise that you're blowing stuff up in your mind then go back to my orginial advice (and I mean this in the most constructive and supportive way): Just get over it.

[TheBigB]

Whatever is obsessing your mind, try to see past it.
Looking back I seemed to be depressed because I was depressed.
Guess that's what they call a vicious cycle.
As a result I stopped caring for pretty much anything.

I still don't know what got me out of it.
I continued living my life, just one day at a time.
Maybe I stopped caring for my depression.
I don't really know what advice I can give you, but have someone who you care about and know that person cares about you too.
Didn't pull me out, but did pull me through.

[Shaggy Hiker]

(and UK miles are bigger that US miles because we're smaller... fact!)

Hoo Boy! Is that ever the truth. I grew up in New England, which is a bunch of small states based on a different system of government than the rest of the US. Looking back at it now, I'm shocked at my perception of distance there and here.