[the Thing]

Hey guys,

I am considered by my peers to be extremely smart, by the logical/mathematical sense of the term. Also am a Mensa member. Despite this, my school/work performance sucked for most of my life because I couldn't fucking sit down and stay focused.

I was diagnosed with ADHD by several MD's who were all experts in their respective field. I went on Ritalin, then Adderall at 14. This sort of worked apart from the tremors, hypertension, night terrors and the occasional psychotic episode that stems from prolonged use of this stuff.

I quit the stuff when I moved out of the family home for good at 18. The side effects all went away but I couldn't keep my focus again. Shortly thereafter, I discovered a good replacement: cocaine. I self medicated with coke, various amphetamines (mainly dextro aka. speed but you never know what exactly you're buying on the street so when I scored something that worked I just went with it) and other times whatever research chemicals / "bath salts" I could get my hands on. This worked to a varying degree of success, I was able to pursue my B.S. and keep a full time, bachelor's level engineering job (without actually having a bachelor's degree) at the same time, got creative with some real estate investments which today gives me at least some sense of economic stability; even though it's not enough today to go location independent and keep my lifestyle.

Then at 23 I quit all the things. I went on EEG neurofeedback (Google it) for a couple months which worked nicely, then kept me performing at a normal level for a few years but slowly faded away. I stayed drug free for the most part since (I did the occasional "once in a blue moon" swing but never started using anything regularly) and managed to perform at a somewhat-above-average level. I started a business that at the end got me a decent chunk of cash, then started a second one in which I blew all of it.

Now, a couple years later. I noticed one thing. I can't fucking focus. At work or working on side projects, doesn't matter. The "do something" drums in my head are beating full force. I have a very clear picture of what I should do, that has a good chance of making me successful. But when I have to sit on my ass and actually do it, I can focus on anything but what I have to do. For example, instead of working a very promising business idea, that solves an actual problem in a well established sector of business, that I've discussed and validated with professionals working in said sector; I'm writing this post. I can feel that I'm under performing and it's hurting me. It will hurt me even more in the long run if I can't solve this once and for all.

I did some coke and popped a pill a while back, I did all the coke my girl had on her (which would have definitely worked on a normal person) the effects lasted about 5-6 minutes and the pill which was supposedly speed gave me ABSOLUTELY NOTHING except a fucking headache. The only good thing that came out of it was the stuff actually worked on her and I got one of those drug fueled 4-hour long hardcore fuck sessions out of it. I don't think self medicating will work for me, considering that it's safe to assume that at this point my dopamine receptors are stretched out like Tijuana $10 dollar ass. Never mind the fact that messing with my brain chemistry will only make my problem worse in the long run. Therefore I'm looking for advice on what I could do to improve my focus in a healthy and sustainable way.

It can't just be me with a focus problem. Help me out RVF.

Cheers.

[eatthishomie]

Try listening to binaural beats that are labeled for focus and concentration (look it up on Youtube) with a good set of noise-cancelling headphones. I just got into them myself and I think they are helping me focus better a little bit at a time.

There are also binaural beats for energy and for sleep/relaxation if you're having trouble with that also.

More info on binaural beats, from MikeCF:
http://www.dangerandplay.com/2015/05/28/...o-and-why/

[the Thing]

(01-10-2016 06:49 PM)eatthishomie Wrote:  

Try listening to binaural beats that are labeled for focus and concentration (look it up on Youtube) with a good set of noise-cancelling headphones. I just got into them myself and I think they are helping me focus better a little bit at a time.

There are also binaural beats for energy and for sleep/relaxation if you're having trouble with that also.

More info on binaural beats, from MikeCF:
http://www.dangerandplay.com/2015/05/28/...o-and-why/

Thanks for the near-instant reply. I tried an app called Pzizz that generates binaural sleep tunes, on and off for 7-8 years now. First it was a Mac app and now I think it's on both major mobile app stores. Didn't really work. I have always fallen asleep when I actually felt sleepy, whether or not I used the app.

No idea about the focus beats however. Will try.

[Tactician]

Hey, I don't know how beneficial this will be for you in particular, but I'll just throw it out there: http://www.returnofkings.com/76501/how-y...ical-music

Quote:

Even if you haven’t had a stroke, classical music is sure to help your visual attention, by activating areas in the prefrontal cortex known to increase willpower. Music therapy is already becoming a popular form of treatment for children with ADHD, who have trouble paying attention.

- from #10

I, along with a close friend, used to listen to a lot of classical music during university while studying.

There is a large variety, so it may take you a while to see which composers and songs you like. Here's a start with suggestions from our fellow members: What's your favorite classical music?

[Balkan]

Sounds like you're a very intelligent guy that has always relied on an external fix for productivity. In my experience, productivity can only be consistently generated through discipline and habit formation. Nootropics and modafinil might be a healthier alternative to your previous drug usage but even those are a band-aid solution to a more chronic problem. Someone recently told me that they reached a crisis in their life when they weren't producing to their desired level (creative field-cinematography) and that their perfectionist tendencies further prevented them from producing before they fixed all the minutiae. He wasted months in a vicious cycle of perfectionism and procrastination. In retrospect, he said he should have plowed through the resistance and that the work itself would've cured any of the original stagnation. I know your post was asking how to be more productive but I had a moment of fruition when I realized that the work itself was often the fix. So arranging your daily routine to maximize your productivity can often break through these barriers. Anyways here are some things that've helped me..


-Gain momentum in the morning via small victories. Take a cold shower, chug a liter of water with a shot of ACV
-Put yourself in an environment to get work done. Leave your house, go to the local library, starbucks etc.
-Ketogenic/Intermittent Fasting diet. For some reason, I feel more cerebral during diets with long fasting periods.
-Daily exercise. Either first thing in the morning or as a midday study/work break. I have more raw energy in the morning (even though I'm not a morning person) and it feels like a waste for me to spend that time working out but alas some people seem to get utility from it.
-Meditate. I do Wim Hof breathing exercises for ~5min, which clears my mind and allows me to dive deep into 5 minutes of subsequent meditation.
-Bright Light Therapy. Reset your circadian rhythm and wake up earlier. Although you still sleep the same number of hours/day, getting up earlier somehow seems to increase my productivity.
-Keep an excel chart with <5 items to accomplish each day. Fill in the squares red/green depending on if you accomplished them. This helps you visualize your productivity and often is sobering in how little you get done. For example, my columns are 8 hours of sleep, wake up by 7am, gym, and study 4-5 hours.

[Moma]

OP, what's your dietary intake like? Do you take fish oils? Have you tried Udo's choice oils?

[Oilrig]

Ginkgo biloba helps with my energy and focus at work. 120 mg, give it a shot.

[Seth_Rose]

(01-11-2016 04:50 PM)Balkan Wrote:  

Sounds like you're a very intelligent guy that has always relied on an external fix for productivity. In my experience, productivity can only be consistently generated through discipline and habit formation. Nootropics and modafinil might be a healthier alternative to your previous drug usage but even those are a band-aid solution to a more chronic problem. Someone recently told me that they reached a crisis in their life when they weren't producing to their desired level (creative field-cinematography) and that their perfectionist tendencies further prevented them from producing before they fixed all the minutiae. He wasted months in a vicious cycle of perfectionism and procrastination. In retrospect, he said he should have plowed through the resistance and that the work itself would've cured any of the original stagnation. I know your post was asking how to be more productive but I had a moment of fruition when I realized that the work itself was often the fix. So arranging your daily routine to maximize your productivity can often break through these barriers. Anyways here are some things that've helped me..


-Gain momentum in the morning via small victories. Take a cold shower, chug a liter of water with a shot of ACV
-Put yourself in an environment to get work done. Leave your house, go to the local library, starbucks etc.
-Ketogenic/Intermittent Fasting diet. For some reason, I feel more cerebral during diets with long fasting periods.
-Daily exercise. Either first thing in the morning or as a midday study/work break. I have more raw energy in the morning (even though I'm not a morning person) and it feels like a waste for me to spend that time working out but alas some people seem to get utility from it.
-Meditate. I do Wim Hof breathing exercises for ~5min, which clears my mind and allows me to dive deep into 5 minutes of subsequent meditation.
-Bright Light Therapy. Reset your circadian rhythm and wake up earlier. Although you still sleep the same number of hours/day, getting up earlier somehow seems to increase my productivity.
-Keep an excel chart with <5 items to accomplish each day. Fill in the squares red/green depending on if you accomplished them. This helps you visualize your productivity and often is sobering in how little you get done. For example, my columns are 8 hours of sleep, wake up by 7am, gym, and study 4-5 hours.

^^^Good stuff here.

OP what are you working on when you can't focus? If youre doing shit you dont want to do and dont like, it wouldn't surprise me that you cant focus. It's our body's way of saying you don't really want to do something.

Also, what's your discipline like in general? Do you regularly lift, eat healthy, save money etc.

[alecks]

meditation long term

[Mr.Conflicted]

(01-11-2016 10:55 PM)alecks Wrote:  

meditation long term

I've personally been trying to make meditation a daily habit for the last two years and I just can't make it stick. Which sucks because I think it would help me in many areas of my life.

[Beyond Borders]

^ Maybe try a float tank/sensory deprivation chamber. Look up Joe Rogan's video about it.

[The Beast1]

Hit the gym and do a strength training routine. It took a bit of time, but my focus as an adult is light years ahead better than when I was younger. The gym solved my depression and ADD tendencies.

Also eat a clean diet.

[the Thing]

Hey guys, thanks for the answers, so much gold in here.

(01-11-2016 06:44 PM)Moma Wrote:  

OP, what's your dietary intake like? Do you take fish oils? Have you tried Udo's choice oils?

I try to keep to a mix of protein, animal based fats and fibers. I try to minimize my carb intake but still drink the occasional can of Pepsi like twice or three times a week. Example daily intake as follows:
Breakfast - Scrambled eggs with minced bacon and cottage cheese, couple slices of whole wheat bread
Lunch - Poached salmon with broccoli and potatoes plus a light salad
Snack - Banana, some walnuts, couple bites off a dark chocolate bar (>90% cocoa)
Dinner - Stir fried beef with vegetables (broccoli, carrots, etc.) with rice and yoghurt
Snack - Same as above.
Add a protein shake if it's a workout day.
I do eat a lot of fish as well as take fish oil tablets if I hadn't been eating fish lately. I don't know what Udo's choice oils are.
I take a multi vitamin tablet, 2000 I.U. of Vit D, and 250 mg zinc, in the form of 5 x 50mg zinc gluconate tablets every day.
I down ~4g of L-Arginine with a can of Red Bull Sugarfree before gym so I can last longer and lift heavier.

(01-11-2016 08:20 PM)Oilrig Wrote:  

Ginkgo biloba helps with my energy and focus at work. 120 mg, give it a shot.

I tried that, any "herbal supplement" just makes me want to puke.

(01-11-2016 09:07 PM)Seth_Rose Wrote:  

(01-11-2016 04:50 PM)Balkan Wrote:  

Sounds like you're a very intelligent guy that has always relied on an external fix for productivity. In my experience, productivity can only be consistently generated through discipline and habit formation. Nootropics and modafinil might be a healthier alternative to your previous drug usage but even those are a band-aid solution to a more chronic problem. Someone recently told me that they reached a crisis in their life when they weren't producing to their desired level (creative field-cinematography) and that their perfectionist tendencies further prevented them from producing before they fixed all the minutiae. He wasted months in a vicious cycle of perfectionism and procrastination. In retrospect, he said he should have plowed through the resistance and that the work itself would've cured any of the original stagnation. I know your post was asking how to be more productive but I had a moment of fruition when I realized that the work itself was often the fix. So arranging your daily routine to maximize your productivity can often break through these barriers. Anyways here are some things that've helped me..

-Gain momentum in the morning via small victories. Take a cold shower, chug a liter of water with a shot of ACV
-Put yourself in an environment to get work done. Leave your house, go to the local library, starbucks etc.
-Ketogenic/Intermittent Fasting diet. For some reason, I feel more cerebral during diets with long fasting periods.
-Daily exercise. Either first thing in the morning or as a midday study/work break. I have more raw energy in the morning (even though I'm not a morning person) and it feels like a waste for me to spend that time working out but alas some people seem to get utility from it.
-Meditate. I do Wim Hof breathing exercises for ~5min, which clears my mind and allows me to dive deep into 5 minutes of subsequent meditation.
-Bright Light Therapy. Reset your circadian rhythm and wake up earlier. Although you still sleep the same number of hours/day, getting up earlier somehow seems to increase my productivity.
-Keep an excel chart with <5 items to accomplish each day. Fill in the squares red/green depending on if you accomplished them. This helps you visualize your productivity and often is sobering in how little you get done. For example, my columns are 8 hours of sleep, wake up by 7am, gym, and study 4-5 hours.

^^^Good stuff here.

OP what are you working on when you can't focus? If youre doing shit you dont want to do and dont like, it wouldn't surprise me that you cant focus. It's our body's way of saying you don't really want to do something.

Also, what's your discipline like in general? Do you regularly lift, eat healthy, save money etc.

I actually want to try modafinil, heard so many great things but couldn't find any locally.
I use bright light therapy.
I take ACV by the spoonful. I actually like the taste
I can't stand doing nothing for more than a couple minutes so meditation is out of the question mostly.
I eat as described above, I regularly lift, I religiously avoid purchasing an object if my life doesn't depend on it, though I spend as I want on style, grooming, personal development etc. I don't live paycheck to paycheck that's for sure.
I leave the house every day since I basically have to (working full time).


I am doing shit that I don't want to do, but it's something that I'm good at (I work in tech) and I have to do it until I have enough side income so I don't have to do it. Hence forcing myself to focus.
A hell of a lot of people do things they don't like for a living, but not many of them have problems focusing doing it.

(01-12-2016 12:39 AM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  

^ Maybe try a float tank/sensory deprivation chamber. Look up Joe Rogan's video about it.

I would like to but I'm not sure if I can find one locally.

(01-12-2016 09:10 AM)The Beast1 Wrote:  

Hit the gym and do a strength training routine. It took a bit of time, but my focus as an adult is light years ahead better than when I was younger. The gym solved my depression and ADD tendencies.

Also eat a clean diet.

I'm on Stronglifts 5x5 with added exercises at the end if I have any stamina left. It indeed does work, but not so much that it solves the problem entirely. When I lose focus at the gym I just picture a girl I've talked to, dated or fucked recently, then bite my tongue and tell myself that that last set is my duty if I want to please that booty, and just push through it. The same approach doesn't work on mental tasks. Problem is, it's like porn addiction, you're so wired to the instant gratification and dopamine release that you don't feel the same satisfaction in any other way.

[Seth_Rose]

(01-12-2016 09:39 AM)the Thing Wrote:  

I am doing shit that I don't want to do, but it's something that I'm good at (I work in tech) and I have to do it until I have enough side income so I don't have to do it. Hence forcing myself to focus.
A hell of a lot of people do things they don't like for a living, but not many of them have problems focusing doing it.

First of all that may be true, but why do you have to be one of them?

You should create a project or side hustle doing something you really enjoy. Or it could be just a hobby. I'm curious how well you can focus doing things you truly want to be doing. The reason I keep harping on it is because perhaps your lack of focus is a manifestation of your subconscious telling you to stop doing stuff you dont like. Just a theory...

Edit: That's a ton of zinc dude--250 mg. I take 30mg a day, and most guys max out around 50-100.

[rome26]

I have the same problem as you and a short term solution that seems to work best for people in our situation is to to engage in intense cardio for at least 15-30 minutes at the start of the day. Research has shown mindfulness meditation is effective for helping people with adhd.

[the Thing]

(01-12-2016 01:58 PM)Seth_Rose Wrote:  

(01-12-2016 09:39 AM)the Thing Wrote:  

I am doing shit that I don't want to do, but it's something that I'm good at (I work in tech) and I have to do it until I have enough side income so I don't have to do it. Hence forcing myself to focus.
A hell of a lot of people do things they don't like for a living, but not many of them have problems focusing doing it.

First of all that may be true, but why do you have to be one of them?

You should create a project or side hustle doing something you really enjoy. Or it could be just a hobby. I'm curious how well you can focus doing things you truly want to be doing. The reason I keep harping on it is because perhaps your lack of focus is a manifestation of your subconscious telling you to stop doing stuff you dont like. Just a theory...

Edit: That's a ton of zinc dude--250 mg. I take 30mg a day, and most guys max out around 50-100.

Well I gotta be one of them at least for a while, so I can take the money and use it to fund my plans.

I don't have problems focusing on my hobbies usually (snowboarding, harpoon fishing, building cars then smashing them around on the track) There has been times where I lost focus even when banging hot chicks but mega dosing zinc has fixed that for the most part.

Mega dosing zinc is definitely helping. There's a thread around here somewhere too, check it out.

[redbeard]

Great tips in here.

What's your why? What is your purpose?

It seems you're doing all the "right" things but aren't staying focused.

Focus is one of the most important resources we have, and although you're going through the motions, you have so much to unlock once you determine where you're going.

Two books I would HIGHLY recommend are "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill and "How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big," by Scott Adams.

Both of these books will help diagnose why you are lacking energy and focus.

This is alarming:

The Thing Wrote:

I can't stand doing nothing for more than a couple minutes so meditation is out of the question mostly.

"I can't do something....therefore me doing it is outside of the question."

Wrong!

Open your mind to the possibilities around you. "I can't" is a disease that we all must rid from our minds.

It sounds like you are a classic high-IQ, high functioning, overthinking engineer. Like myself. I had issues with anxiety and stress in university and the things that helped were:

Meditation - helped me focus and cut through the BS. I hated it when I started. It felt stupid. Why was I sitting on the floor? What if my roommates walk in? My back hurts. Wahhh. Once I got over myself and dove in, the returns were amazing. Mood increased, and focus felt like the fucking Death Star.

Healthy lifestyle - no drugs, vigorous exercise

Mindset shifts - Before Mike was publishing I recognized how changing your thoughts can impact your life. The key change was saying "fuck it." What if I failed a test? Fuck it. Doesn't matter. Did I ever fail a test? Sure. Did I ever fail a class? No. Because I thought rationally and understood when extra work needed to be done, and when I could have fun and enjoy life. Meditation, of course, helped make these decisions.

Always remember there are two things in life that we worry about. Things we can change, and things we can't change. Things we can change - do so. Go forth and work diligently to make them right. Things we can't change - accept that you can't change them, and move on.

Here is how I meditate.

CHOOSE who you are, and stop living inside your brain.

[Moma]

OP, try Udo's choice. Google it, I don't know if you are in North America. Take it daily for six weeks and note your mood in the interim. I have focus issues too. Your brain requires good fats to function, deny it and it will start messing you around. You can order it off of Amazon. Let me know if you have issues getting it and I will assist you.

[Valentine]

The most effective thing for improving my focus is time tracking (e.g. Toggl).

By having a clear overview of your day you can see how often you change tasks.

This, plus having to repetitively change the active task will start to frustrate you very quickly, which makes you want to stay on your current task for longer periods of time.

This has made the biggest difference for me, and I've tried/still do all the other things mentioned in this thread.