That moment when your brain finally kicks in

[Fuzzy12]

Thought I'll post something positive for a change

I can go weeks, months even without doing anything productive or making any kind of progress on my work.

And then, almost magically, it suddenly all comes together. It usually starts with an idea and that kick starts a continuous process (has to be continuous, if I get distracted, I can't pick up again from where I've left).

For example, I currently have to design a procedure or an algorithm to solve a pretty complex and multi objective problem. It's interesting but still, I wasn't able to think about it at all for weeks. Then suddenly one day last week after I managed to read a paper, an idea struck me and I wrote down a pretty neat (& sensible) algorithm in about 45 mins. 45 mins for work that held me up for weeks.

Of course, since writing the algorithm, I haven't done anything else (like implementing it ) but still. I love those moments when my brain finally seems to work. It's as if a dark, unknown path has just been illuminated by streetlights. I can feel my mind going from idea to idea and making connections between them. It feels amazing. There is nothing that is more enjoyable than fleshing out an idea once your brain has really gripped it.

It's not the most efficient way of working but this is how I've done most of my work. At least the work I'm proud of. I just wish I could control it and I wish it happened more often. Or I could figure out how to trigger it at will.

[murlin99]

Yes I do that frequently. And is why I finally made a pdoc appt. My employer is becoming frustrated with my ups and downs. I will site idle for a month or more because I just cant figure out what direction to go with what my project. Last time my block lasted for almost 3 months. Then one day it just hit me and I worked 13 - 14 hours per day on the project for about 3 weeks. Now its time for the wrapup of the project and I am in total brain dad mode again, no matter how hard I try I cant find the answer and just get more and more frustrated every day. I can even look at code I wrote when I was in over drive and it makes no sense to me. I stare at it for hours and think "how the hell does this even work". Been this way my whole life.

[Slo-mo a-go-go]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy12

I can go weeks, months even without doing anything productive or making any kind of progress on my work.

It's not the most efficient way of working but this is how I've done most of my work. At least the work I'm proud of. I just wish I could control it and I wish it happened more often. Or I could figure out how to trigger it at will.

Good gosh, yes!!

Soooo uber-super-uber-frustrating!!!

Love when it happens, I would be as interesting as a brine shrimp if it didn't happen, but dang, that is not my hand on the trigger and I cannot aim or fire it off, just magically pops in and out.

[spunkysmum]

This is probably one of the most frustrating things about having ADHD. The inability to channel or control those moments, to will yourself to reproduce them. The having no control over the triggers.

[Slo-mo a-go-go]

Originally Posted by spunkysmum

This is probably one of the most frustrating things about having ADHD. The inability to channel or control those moments, to will yourself to reproduce them. The having no control over the triggers.

yes~yessssssss ARGGGGGGGGGGG YES!

[spunkysmum]

Originally Posted by Slo-mo a-go-go

yes~yessssssss ARGGGGGGGGGGG YES!

Wouldn't it be nice if there were somebody who could effortlessly "push those buttons" for you? You know, the way some people know how to push your emotional buttons to make you mad?

[Slo-mo a-go-go]

We can always dream!

[spunkysmum]

Originally Posted by Slo-mo a-go-go

We can always dream!

Even better if we could transform the mad-button-pushers into the more productive version!

[Ipsofacto]

One of the things that gives me hope now is that I know I was able to overcome that block in the past (long before I had any clue that I was ADD). I would often be faced with complex situations that seemingly could not be resolved.

Although I started meditating back then to control anxiety, I soon found that meditating improved my lateral thinking. Often the solution was there if I opened my mind to less obvious possibilities, or cross benching of ideas. The brain calm after meditating seemed to facilitate this. Like the OP's reading a paper, it would be something tenuously connected that would cause a click in my mind and I would see the solution.

These days I am meditating again because I want that eureka feeling back.