

How to acquire and develop mental Focus - arem

I have a problem, I'm learning how to program (C/Python -- keep the URLs coming!) but, find that I cannot focus very much on documentation that I read on either topic; instead I'd rather watch television, or sneak glances at IRC; etcetera, how do you achieve complete mental focus? Having motivation is one thing, having a constant will to study, is another.<p>Thanks
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zpoley
It sounds like you might want to try to better define for yourself why you're
trying to learn what you're studying. Without good reason to focus on what
you're trying to achieve through your studying there's probably very little
feeling of reward for doing it. Maybe developing reasonable goals for what you
would like to do with C/Python will help you focus on gaining the knowledge
you need to accomplish your goals.

If the documentation you're reading isn't satisfying, maybe try finding
projects online related to what you hope to accomplish, and start there. Try
reading their documentation and code, and then read C/Python documentation to
figure out what the code is doing when you don't understand.

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sambirch
Removing distractions is one technique. Kill your IM apps and work in a quiet
area. You'll still feel like checking those distractions out for a while, but
once you get into the groove you can work smoothly with little effort.

The other thing is that once you done some work, and you're getting tired and
finding it hard to concentrate, take a break. You tend to work more
productively when you're fresh than when you're weary.

~~~
bcl
I find that music helps keep me focused on the task at hand. I've got
different playlists setup for my different developing moods. ie. learning,
coding, designing, administrative, etc.

That along with actuall closing the IM, Email and IRC clients can go a long
way towards helping you focus.

I also find that when learning something completely new it helps alot to have
a small project to apply the new knowledge to. Even if it is something silly,
it helps cement the new concepts in your long term memory.

~~~
jergal
Indeed, classical music helps me sometimes, when I feel like doing silly
things, as opposed to study/research.

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owyn
I was a CS major but I didn't _really_ learn how to write code until I got a
job at a dot com startup in the mid 90's. I think school seemed too easy, and
I didn't work that hard to get decent grades, although now I regret not taking
advantage of the time I had. If an assignment is due friday, who cares. If
it's due RIGHT FREAKING NOW, because your company is ON FIRE then you work
hard. I mostly played MUD's at school. I worked my ass off once I got a job.
Turn off the distractions and light a fire. I guess the fear of failure is
what motivated me. Maybe try and do something risky and difficult.

~~~
aaronblohowiak
Tying task at hand to goal, consistently, a sense of urgency and a social
component are all key factors in maintaining focus.

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noss
Practice things that require long-focus in all parts of your life. Read books
instead of watching TV. Cook instead of eating out or warming up prefab.

If you have to read an article, before you start reading, remind yourself that
you tend to drift away, so set a goal on how much to read before you allow
yourself to take a pause.

This works well for me. It just takes a few days and I have stopped reaching
for quick information kicks.

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richardw
Here's an article on dopamine and information seeking - answers some of the
'why' we do this: <http://j.mp/38EhSy>

~~~
maigret
And I couldn't resist clicking on that link :)

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milestinsley
Break your time down into 1 hour segments, and just think about what you want
to achieve during that hour. Be strict: turn off all distractions until the
hour is up. It sounds like you _have_ time, but it's the knowledge that you
_have_ time that causes you to procrastinate.

Treat it like an important deadline. When you finish, enjoy the sense of
achievement, take a break, then start the next hour. The goal ultimately is to
be able to concentrate (productively) for 3-4 hours at a time.

Why not put a big countdown clock on the wall (that's what I've done!)

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jacquesm
Shut off the television and the IRC!

Stuff that distracts you has a much harder time of doing so when it isn't
active around you when you want to focus on something else.

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adaptives
To some extent at least this can be blamed on the amount of distractions we
have in this day and age.

Try the pomodoro technique. It has helped me, perhaps it will help you too:
<http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/>

Note: you can try it even without buying a pomodoro (I use a countdown timer
in my cellphone)

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Tichy
Maybe you are reading too much. Start coding asap - most tutorials do have
examples in every chapter, don't they? Python has a REPL, so just play around
with it while reading.

Maybe you can even think of small useful tools to program, that are possible
to do without knowing all the ins and outs of Python.

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rms
It's quite likely you meet diagnostic criteria for ADD. Talk to a mental
health professional. It's one thing to get distracted occasionally but it's a
problem if your distraction is more pathological.

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staunch
Continually remind yourself of how great it will be to be able to do X after
you've done Y.

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fetzig
my personal motivation:

* Do not read documentation before you begin to code. Start some project first.

* the app will be so amazing

* <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen> !

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c00p3r
Do not read documentation _before_ you begin to code. Start some project
first. Then if you stuck up - google and read. It will save your time,
increase level of learning, because practice is the best teacher.

Launch fast and evolve - this is the mantra of this site. =)

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anonjon
Hi, my technique to focus on learning a language is:

1.) Think of an interesting program that I would like to write.

2.) Write the program. As I write your program, I grep the documentation for
stuff that I don't know. When I can't figure it out from docs, I grep the
Internet.

I've never ever really been able to focus on anything that I don't find to be
immediately relevant to a task that I want to accomplish. Some say this is
ADD, I say it is pragmatism. Either way, I learn programming languages really
well in this manner.

If you use this technique make sure that this program is something that will
challenge you. Make it something in a domain that you maybe don't quite know,
or at least have some interesting property other than the language.

Language is but a vessel for thought anyway, languages influence thinking, but
once you know one language, you sort of know them all; (however, the really
interesting languages can fundamentally change the way that you think).

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duh
If you can't focus on it, it must not really be that important.

Quit your job and make it your means of survival.

If you're a student, focus on your schoolwork instead. If this IS your
schoolwork, consider switching fields.

~~~
sambirch
Being unable to focus can simply be a side-effect of being distracted, tired,
or trying to learn something that really pushes your brain.

The fact that you have a hard time doing something does not mean you should
give up on it.

