[desire machine]

So I find that I tend to be all or none w/ my focus on stuff... I'll get into topics, it may be a subject I'm learning about or a hobby ..and I won't be able to help but focus a lot of my mind and energy into it : I'll think about it all the time... think about it when I'm laying in bed, read stuff and watch videos on line about it, want to always have conversations on it... basically be obsessed with a topic ...and there's usually a few and they fade in and out.

The thing is I don't really have any control over whatever my latest obsession is and its not like I can force myself to focus on a topic.

For instance I've been working on writing a book... and I find I can be obsessively focused on it...which was the case a few weeks ago.. but now I can't get myself to focus on it at all.

I've been obsessed w/ learning about topics like psychology and mbti... but now there doesn't seem to be anything I can get into learning about.

My latest obsessions have been playing guitar, particularly looking at and acquiring various effects pedals... and playing fantasy football... neither of which have been very productive uses of my times. I feel like even w/ watching tv it's similar occasionally I'll find a show I can get into and binge watch it... otherwise I can't really bring myself to watch any tv aside from occasional sports.

Following news I'm similar... I'll follow stories and read news everyday... for a while like a couple weeks.. and then I can't bring myself to pay any attention to any news for the next couple weeks.

I feel like this behavior/ mode of operating is often a struggle, not just because I'll become obsessed with stuff,but because I can't find anything that interests me to focus my attention on and often can't get myself to focus my attention on things that would be good if I did. also a lot of time I feel restless and don't know what to do w/ myself because nothing is peaking my interest and I fail to be able to motivate myself to do anything.

....I've come across entps expressing similar habits of obsessing over stuff..i've been feeling especially useless lately so I thought I'd start a thread to see what everyone here has to say about obsessing over stuff, if that mode of behaving is a struggle for you at times, as well as sharing what your latest obsessions have been.

Thanks for any input

 

[Parrot]

I look for things that provide me with the most dopamine and spend an obsessive amount of time on them. For awhile, that dopamine release was PerC, before then was adderall. Then discord and now Facebook. Not great at finding balance.

 

[atamagasuita]

I sometimes shut my phone up.

Because obviously I'm a phone addict. Like who isn't right? Fucking Internet.

I just turn it off and challenge myself,

"loser, do you have self control?"

 

[reptilian]

Low dopamine levels means high dopamine seeking. I used all sort of drugs to help myself. I'm fine now and only take memory enhancers. I have a high risk/ high reward goal which I am going towards. I also believe in destiny and that as long as I do my best and be my best life will continue to be good. Otherwise we all die one day right?
What do you think people need that you can give them? use Library Genesis and start your journey

 

[Geonerd]

That is me, pretty much all the time. Unfortunately the thing lately that I cannot focus on is work (which is something that is the most important to be focusing on). I go in waves of interests and always have, although the older I get, the more I go back to revisiting hobbies or interests over starting completely new ones. For example, I have knitted for over 15 years. I do not like making overly complicated stuff but things that can keep my fingers moving but is fairly mindless. It works as a fidget spinner for me. However, I go through waves when I don't touch a ball of yarn for months and then I will obsessively knit for a couple weeks.

Lately, I have always been a huge reader but I have not found a book in the last few months that can keep my interest.

I really have no solutions. The only thing that works for concentration at work is to put on my earphones.

 

[desire machine]

I have a high risk/ high reward goal which I am going towards. I also believe in destiny and that as long as I do my best and be my best life will continue to be good.

I'd be interested in hearing more about your goal if you're open to sharing ... if you don't feel comfortable disclosing stuff..np, what I'd still be interested in that maybe you could share is how well do you find you're able to concentrate and focus on that project?

I'm guessing your goal is a long term endeavor. I find myself with long term endeavors (for example I'm wiring a book) it's difficult for me to maintain the focus... I'll be very obsessed and focused on working on it for a few weeks, but then that enthusiasm and focus wanes for me and it's hard to get back. Do you find difficulty staying focused on things long term?

 

[desire machine]

That is me, pretty much all the time. Unfortunately the thing lately that I cannot focus on is work (which is something that is the most important to be focusing on). I go in waves of interests and always have, although the older I get, the more I go back to revisiting hobbies or interests over starting completely new ones. For example, I have knitted for over 15 years. I do not like making overly complicated stuff but things that can keep my fingers moving but is fairly mindless. It works as a fidget spinner for me. However, I go through waves when I don't touch a ball of yarn for months and then I will obsessively knit for a couple weeks.

Lately, I have always been a huge reader but I have not found a book in the last few months that can keep my interest.

I really have no solutions. The only thing that works for concentration at work is to put on my earphones.

I've been writing for the last few yrs and when I have trouble concentrating, usually I'll read stuff related to what I'm working on ... it's a good way to stay productive and usually what i read energizes me to get back to writing.. but lately I'm in a rut where I can't bring myself to be productive writing or focus on reading anything :/

 

[reptilian]

I'd be interested in hearing more about your goal if you're open to sharing ... if you don't feel comfortable disclosing stuff..np, what I'd still be interested in that maybe you could share is how well do you find you're able to concentrate and focus on that project?

I'm guessing your goal is a long term endeavor. I find myself with long term endeavors (for example I'm wiring a book) it's difficult for me to maintain the focus... I'll be very obsessed and focused on working on it for a few weeks, but then that enthusiasm and focus wanes for me and it's hard to get back. Do you find difficulty staying focused on things long term?

I want to explain temperament from an evolutionary standpoint and correlate it to intelligence. I have other stuff too, but are not my primary goal and focus atm.

I wake up and read what book was recently open on my phone, when concentration fails cca 1-2h I go eat, after that back to reading, the next time concentration fails I either go meditate, fall asleep for a few minutes, eat again, drink green tea, think about how I am wrong, watch some LoL, or write. After that I google words or things I find of interest. Between meals I watch lectures or LoL. If exhausted I go running, helps with neck pain and headaches I get from weed. I don't like weed, I use it to get me neurotic and emotional so I get more creative and inspired.

I get rushes of joy after discovering something new. I keep disproving my theories and making new ones. Its weird how I am oblivious to reality sometimes, believing I have something even though I always find flaws within my theories, I guess this is saving me from depression and giving me confidence in my intelligence.

Imagine that this is not about you, you destiny is more important than your ego. You are not here to have fun, you are here for achieving something humanity needs. All the fucked up things I went through, I believe were for a reason. I tested my IQ, 143 on cultural (gF) (cca 128 classical), this got me more motivated, if I tested 110 I would set my standards much lower. I've been fucked up, but each year I get better and better. Wondering how much better can I get is what gives me life, hope and faith.

Whats your book on?

 

[desire machine]

Whats your book on?

I actually have 3 books drafted. I guess the main one is a book on an economic theory I have. I also have one on politics about putting economic ideas in place which would come after that, and one that could come before or after which is kinda philosophy on ethics, that's about justifying violence ( the main thesis of that is that differences of beliefs should never be used as a justification for violence). I started working on the economics book back in 09... a few yrs ago I felt that was dragging on and started coming up w/ ideas the one of justifying violence so I switched gears to work on that thinking I could get that done quicker... but recently I've found although I'm close to finishing it, it has turned into a bigger endeavor than I planned and so was looking to switch gears back to work on the economics book... but it's been difficult for me to concentrate on it.. I feel like I'm stuck in a rut. I have made progress, but it's been over 8 yrs now that I've been struggling to write a book w/ nothing to show for it yet.

I want to explain temperament from an evolutionary standpoint and correlate it to intelligence.

what do you mean by temperament?

 

[reptilian]

I feel like I'm stuck in a rut. I have made progress, but it's been over 8 yrs now that I've been struggling to write a book w/ nothing to show for it yet.




what do you mean by temperament?

Try to imagine people waiting for you to finish your book. Like its something humanity needs. If there were hot chicks begging you to finish the book in exchange for sex and you not being allowed to masturbate... It would be a bestseller by now

Temperament is more affective, less conscious, more inborn, less mental. We are born with a temperament but not character (both develop). Character comes later, ie puberty when all the genes have evolved and environment adaptations have been stabilised. Personality is both.

 

[desire machine]

Try to imagine people waiting for you to finish your book. Like its something humanity needs. If there were hot chicks begging you to finish the book in exchange for sex and you not being allowed to masturbate... It would be a bestseller by now

I'm not lacking motivation... the problem is focus and productivity :/

Temperament is more affective, less conscious, more inborn, less mental. We are born with a temperament but not character (both develop). Character comes later, ie puberty when all the genes have evolved and environment adaptations have been stabilised. Personality is both.

are these temperaments you're referring to something you came up with?

i've heard of the four temperaments/humors that greeks and romans believed in, but i think that stuff went out of style when the scientific method came about ... i'm guessing you're referring to something else, but not sure i understand or am familiar.

 

[Froody Blue Gem]

I can focus really hard on a task/topic, and my mind can be one tracked in that way. I won't stop until I get the task done though there is always a channel of chatter, nonsense, bubbling beneath this. I may need a little time to process what I am going to do next, and it appears to an outsider I'm distracted when that's not the case. I can't stop thinking about whatever topic of interest I'm on. I want to complete things to the best of my ability.

When it comes to unfamiliar territory, I struggle to focus. My mind wants to stay on it but I get frustrated that whatever it is is just not computing for some reason or another, then I get stuck in a rut. My mind mostly focuses on my project ideas, the TV shows I'm focussed on, what I'm reading, etc. When connecting ideas, I may come up with something completely silly and random that makes sense in my mind, but it doesn't make sense to onlookers.

 

[Geonerd]

I notice also that I tend to get obsessed on a certain topic, TV show/movie, or interest. My husband will always act like it's a new thing for me to be obsessed but I have always been like that (he just was not paying attention to the ones that were quieter-or he was working a lot of hours so he never saw me when I was listening/watching/reading it). This happens a lot with music and often, if I kind of discover (or rediscover) a band, I will throw myself into listening to every bit of their catalog, listening to the albums through (instead of just downloading songs I like-especially with older bands, the albums are often meant to be played in order), watching documentaries/reading biographies, until I burn out on it (though they become part of my regular playlists). Things I've obsessively researched, listened to, or got into over the years (even if it is a music artist, I often would read biographies about the era or the band):

-Weezer (in the late 90s/2000s)
-Harry Potter-read my nephew's copy of the 1st book while hanging out at my in-laws and was hooked
-Walking Dead-a friend who tends to have similar interests as me was bugging me to watch and I loved it.
-Doctor Who-I watched it with my dad as a kid but really hadn't watched the re-boot. Several friends were bugging me to watch it. Once I did, I went back through to the beginning of the re-boot, read books about it, speculated on fan theories etc.
-Carl Perkins (and early rock n' roll/rockabilly in general)
-White Stripes
-Marvel comics-Journey Into Mystery and Thor comics are my favorites.
-Hamilton-My friend got tickets for us when they first went on sale in town and I started listening to the album to prepare (you really need to listen to music before you go to really get it all) and was obsessed with the music. It put me down a rabbit hole of reading about Revolutionary War/Early American history. In school, we could only high level learn about that stuff, it was cool to really get into the nitty gritty.
-Queen-my current obsession. I always liked them and remember listening to them as a little kid with my aunt in the late 70s/early 80s, I really remember their Live Aid performance when I was 10 years old (which I was glued to because several bands I liked at the time was there), and I am part of the Wayne's World generation who got re-introduced to them in '92, but the Bohemian Rhapsody movie (and vinyl records in general-I'm a collector) is really what got me listening to their whole albums, not just the hits.

This list doesn't include the non-pop culture stuff like MBTI, Apollo missions, different scientific topics, etc. that I've gotten obsessed with or the hobbies I've taken up and put down. It seems like once I really get into something, I can focus on that pretty intensely, though I do find it often will spark another interest that I will then chase.