Ask HN: I am lazy and cannot focus but I really want to learn new things

13 points by gumpieza 13 years ago | 16 comments

I think i might have a bit of ADD.

I cannot concentrate on one thing for too long. For instance: I was busy doing an iOS self study course , then jumped to an asp.net MVC course and now i am writing this question to HN.

ANY suggestions on how to focus on one thing at a time? I keep getting frustrated with my self due to the fact that nothing ever gets done. Thanks

n2dasun 13 years ago |

I often hesitate to chime in on a discussion like this, because my response is based on Myers-Briggs Type Indicators, and a surprisingly large number of people consider the MBTI as useless and lacking scientific foundation.

Regardless, here is my response to someone making this exact same complaint on reddit:

http://www.reddit.com/r/INTP/comments/sqhxw/motivation_and_o...

I always recommend that everyone find out their personality type by taking one of these MBTI-like tests. I see too many of these posts that have people feeling down on themselves for reasons that amount to not understanding who they are and what the benefits and challenges of it are. I can recommend the following:

www.careertest.net http://humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm http://similarminds.com/jung.html

why-el 13 years ago |

Here is my take on this: Do not develop a guilt-driven attitude towards reading. What I mean by that is, don't feel pressured to finish something you started just because you started it. When you stopped that iOs course, that was clearly because you weren't interested, so don't feel guilty for doing that. Even when you keep quitting reading, it is almost always because you are not interested and nothing else. I have had the same issue for months, going from this book to that book to that other book and so on. But when I was new to Git and was interested, I finished two books in a week. Another thing I should warn you about: When making first contact with a new topic that you are interested in, make sure you read enough to pass the newbie line. If you quit a book in the middle of basics, you will feel pressured to start over when picking another book on the same topic, hence stuck in a newbie loop. Happened to me lots of times.

zatara 13 years ago |

You need awareness. Stop comparing yourself with other people and learn what you want in your own way.

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Albert Einstein

bobfirestone 13 years ago |

I was diagnosed with ADD as a kid. It turns out I was just bored. There are only 2 reasons for jumping around like this. Either you aren't that interested or you hit a knowledge roadblock.

The knowledge roadblock is probably the easier of the two to overcome. Join a local users group. My learning was highly stunted until I had people around me that could answer my (frequently dumb) questions face to face. Sites like stack overflow are great but they are no substitute for someone who can see the look on your face that you aren't getting it and change course accordingly.

Is building iOS apps something you really really really want to do or something that would be cool to know? Learning new things usually starts by sucking pretty hard. When the interest level dips below the difficulty level it is easy to move on to the next thing. If your interest level isn't really high to start it is going to be easy to jump from thing to thing.

A general productivity tip is have a clear objective, a fixed time and write it down in a place where you are going to see it. Attach a reward to getting it done and a penalty for failing to complete the task. Finally have someone to hold you accountable. When the pain of not getting it done is worse than the pain of doing it you will get it done.

factorialboy 13 years ago |

Happens to me all the time. Here's my self diagnosis:

1. If I'm restless, I need to get excess energy out of my system. I run in the park. Do whatever works for you: gym, sports, bikes etc.

2. Try meditation to calm your mind.

Ugh what's this new age meditation crap?

It's nothing. Its a practice where you sit (or stand, walk, sleep, shower or whatever) and you consciously try to stop thinking and instead feel whatever sensations you're experiencing.

Ugh, is that all?

Yes, and its the hardest job in the world. You mind will wander away in seconds, and your job is to be aware of your mind wandering and then bring it back to stop thinking.

Eventually you'll become more calm, perceptive and you won't need any drugs to cure the "ADD".

NathanRice 13 years ago |

You need a learning partner that will hold you accountable. Self study courses are a horrible fit for you, and traditional education is a great fit. Find a "hack night" and make a learning buddy, or enroll in programming classes at a local community college.

keiferski 13 years ago |

Echoing other comments: set small goals. I used to make grand plans about spending 50 hours a week self-studying 10 different subjects. Unsurprisingly, I didn't get anything done.

So, instead, set small goals and work your way up. Personal example: I'm learning Spanish. Instead of spending 5 hours a day learning, I'm trying to do one Pimsleur lesson a day. (It's an audio learning program). It's only 30 minutes, and I'm on a 6-day run. Pretty easy, and I don't want to break the chain, so I end up doing it. 30 minutes a day, every day is better than a few hours here and there.

jp 13 years ago |

Headphones, music and write code ? Then write code, write some more code and then rewrite that code ? Basically, code.

Procrastination is often a sign of not being interested in the topic.

bestenm 13 years ago |

Yep, they are a lot of us like that, each trying to deal with it in their own way. I think it's the nature of our occupation: staring at a computer screen for hours is probably not the most natural thing ever. I really like factorialboy comments about meditation. For my part I've had a look at http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/, looks like it's working pretty well for me, simply taking short break between short working sessions.

rman666 13 years ago |

Set small goals. Keep a journal (or a list) of your accomplishments, no matter how small. Set a timer and use it to keep yourself on track for even small amounts of time at first (i.e., for the next 10 minutes I will do ...). Good luck. In the Internet era we are all suffering from too much distraction to one extent or another. You are no different than most (although perhaps more aware than some).

dholowiski 13 years ago |

I have the same problem (with no solution) I'm very interested to see what other people have to say.

debacle 13 years ago |

You might just be young, and that's okay. Set small goals for yourself, and work on finishing them. Work your way up to larger goals.

nodemaker 13 years ago |

People might disagree with this but try adderall XR in moderation.

(I am not a doctor or even a very smart person)

argonz 13 years ago |

There is some controversial study claiming that ADD might be linked to glutene/carbohydrate food intake.

pasbesoin 13 years ago |

Amidst all the rest, do not ignore your physical health issues. I had some physical health problems seriously impede my concentration. Specifically, chronic discomfort kept me from entering that state of "flow" that previously had represented the majority of my productivity (and happiness, by the way).

yashchandra 13 years ago |

It happens to me all the time both with business ideas and the learning of things I am interested in. I started learning Django framework for python, did a small user management app but did not like it much, moved on the web2py framework, built a couple of small CRUD apps, did not like it much, then moved to Flask framework (currently playing with). Sometimes, I dabble between JQuery, CSS etc. bits and pieces. here and there. nothing concrete yet but if I really think about it, it makes me happy. Focus on a specific item instead of a more generic item. Instead of thinking "I will do a iOS self study course", say "I will build this x function by building a small iOS app". When you try to build that small app, you will learn many things on the way.