For some reason my mind is very fragmented today. I have the attention span of a gnat right now. I’m currently trying to focus on my journal club presentation (I picked a fun article for me, too. So, I’m actually sort-of excited about the whole presentation thing, but I just can’t concentrate today. Eh.), but it isn’t really working out for me. I figured this out when I read the same sentence three times. So, here are my top ten reasons for having the attention span of a two-year old today:
10. The switching to an early-morning schedule is taking its toll. Perhaps this is my brain’s way of going on strike. It has decided that since I insist on waking it up too early that it’ll just stop working.
9. The afternoon-lunch-slump. I have this theory that my behavior is really just a function of warring needs. The main two being: food and sleep. Once one is taken care of, the other rears its ugly head and demands to be satisfied. And I’m just distracted by the sleep-need. Or something like that.
8. Lack of caffeine. This isn’t to say that I’ve ingested less caffeine today, but perhaps I need to titrate up my caffeine-blood levels.
7. The weather is rather cloudy today and wasn’t there a study about attention and weather? I have plenty of anecdotal evidence to support the cloudy whether leads to increased sleepiness and lack of focus.
6. Perhaps I was hypnotized so that whenever I read the phrase, “The evidence suggests…”, I immediately have the urge to go look at lolcats and the like.
5. I, suppose, that instead of my brain being on strike, it could just be worn out. Maybe I worked it too hard yesterday and it needs a rest. Perhaps a beer even– you know, as a reward for its hard work.
4. Due to an unbloggable event, I get tomorrow off unexpectedly. So, I already feel like it’s the weekend and just want to go home. Nah, couldn’t be.
3. I’ve heard that being dehydrated causes distraction. So, perhaps I’m dehydrated and I need more water or beer.
2. Chocolate-deficient. I’ve yet to have my daily dose of chocolate and, perhaps, that’s the key to my academic success (or at least to my spreading waistline).
And last, but not least:
1. It could be that reading blogs is just slightly more interesting than reading papers. Perhaps.
Considering I’ve been trying to get through the same review article for the last two days for most of the above reasons and more, I have no grand advice. Maybe your brain is just spending it’s energy thinking about all the other things it also needs to get done and so can’t focus on the task at hand. At least, that’s what happens to me, I think.
The afternoon lunch slump is killer. For a number of reasons, I have no longer been able to eat during the day. Mostly, I’ve been running around like a maniac in my own lab all morning, and then running samples all afternoon/evening in a lab that isn’t mine, which provides me with internet access, but no way to eat (as in, I have to continually load samples, and there whole lab is no food allowed, and my building is a 10 minute walk away so I don’t even have time to get food).
So despite the fact that it has been 12 days since I have gotten more than 4 hours of sleep in a night, I feel surprisingly awake everyday, and I actually think it is because I never eat anything at all until 10 or 11pm. Which I know is totally unhealthy, but when you’re not diverting energy to digestion, you feel SO much better, and don’t get that post-lunch slump. Hmm. I wonder if I can just get an IV drip and cut out eating altogether. It would save time AND energy. That would be AMAZING!
You’re a scientist, aren’t you? Change one variable at a time and observe the effects.
So.
1) Have a nap. If that doesn’t work,
2) Have a coffee. If that doesn’t work,
3) Have some water. If that doesn’t work,
4) Have some chocolate. If that doesn’t work,
5) Have a beer.
Never fails, my friend…
Um… I pick 1 thru 5. mkay?
lol @#6. I’m having that exact problem today.
I second your emotion.
I like Cath’s idea except that it takes too many steps. I vote for combining 2 through 5 by having a mocha frappuccino with a shot (or more) of kahlua, and then taking a nap. Your attention span may or may not improve, but I guarantee your mood will! 🙂
Yea, #1, blog reading is more interesting!
I hear you. Notepad and pen and a list of small steps to accomplish is the only way I can get through an afternoon like that. Or taking notes on what I am reading, although reading articles is by far the hardest task to focus on, at least for me.
I love #6!
With your #1… depends on the paper of course… But overall, yes, blogs are that much more interesting.
SGG: I think that's a much better way of saying that I'm easily distracted and I think that's how I'm going to phrase it from now on!
EtBr: I have found that if I don't eat, then I have more energy. However, according to Former Labmate, I became increasingly more bitchy. But then again, Advisor might put up with a certain amount of bitchiness if I gave him good results! I do like the IV drip idea. I've heard them called feeding tubes…
Cath@VWXYNot?: Excellent idea, but Advisor would freak out if he came in while I was napping. Something about not being paid for sleeping…
Deb: Well, yes, that works (and is probably true!)
The Science Girl & Albatross: At times I swear that must have happened. Perhaps it occurred during research seminar. I'm already in a trance-like state while I'm listening to it.
Aunt Becky: And I third it again today!
Mad Hatter: I took your advice after work and I do have to say that the concentration remained unimproved, but my mood was exponentially better!
Silver Fox: Oh is it ever…
Science Girl: I think I'm going to have to start doing that as I'm forever having problems with reading articles. Everything seems more interesting than that. It's strange that I have this problem, though, because I like hearing about people's research. But somehow reading it just puts me to sleep!
Mimi: Well, there are articles that are interesting, but I think on the whole blogs tend to win out. 🙂
Mad Hatter’s idea is much better than mine.