Strategies for transitioning in and out of a hyperfocus state

[not_an_orange_cat]

This is something I struggle with terribly. Does anyone have a strategy to "switch gears" and even out, so to speak, when you start to get stuck in a hyperfocused state?

My brain gets into this deep groove with The Current Project, that unless it is completely finished, nothing else can happen. Even if I try to do other things, 90% of my attention is not there. And then, if The Current Project is finished, there is a vacuum, and I'll want to hyperfocus on something else rather than return to any kind of balance. Like the momentum gets way too high.

How do you wind down and recalibrate? How do you create a "space" to hyperfocus without causing a detriment to other aspects of daily life?

 

[Levitator]

Sometimes I neither want nor need to wind down, but it's nice to develop multitasking skills for when they're needed. I think it just takes practice, and maybe the main skill that comes to mind is note-taking, because that reduces the momentum for spooling back up on task resumption, though nothing feels quite the same as uninterrupted continuity.

 

[not_an_orange_cat]

Sometimes I neither want nor need to wind down, but it's nice to develop multitasking skills for when they're needed. I think it just takes practice, and maybe the main skill that comes to mind is note-taking, because that reduces the momentum for spooling back up on task resumption, though nothing feels quite the same as uninterrupted continuity.

Do you mean taking notes on what other priorities require attention? Or…?

I’ve used the bullet journal method to keep track of things, which is therapeutic because it forces a more careful consideration of time. Going back to that might be rather helpful, actually.

 

[thejuice]

Planners and timers

 

[AuroraBorealis]

This is something I struggle with terribly. Does anyone have a strategy to "switch gears" and even out, so to speak, when you start to get stuck in a hyperfocused state?

My brain gets into this deep groove with The Current Project, that unless it is completely finished, nothing else can happen. Even if I try to do other things, 90% of my attention is not there. And then, if The Current Project is finished, there is a vacuum, and I'll want to hyperfocus on something else rather than return to any kind of balance. Like the momentum gets way too high.

How do you wind down and recalibrate? How do you create a "space" to hyperfocus without causing a detriment to other aspects of daily life?

I enjoy being in hyperfocus mode, but often it leads to exhaustion and a meltdown later on, so for a while I've been trying to not let myself get too deep into hyperfocus mode so I don't get stuck. It happens particularly often when a computer screen is involved, I don't know why.

What I do is: As soon as I notice myself getting pulled into hyperfocus (I get a bit cold and shaky, sort of hypoglycaemic feeling but not uncomfortable, I start to stare at my project, not lifting my gaze anymore), I force myself to take a short break, get some water, go to the bathroom, something like that. Then I go back to my project. Also, I keep drinking water, I just drink on and on while I work. This leads to me having to go to the bathroom, like, every half hour, and thereby forcing breaks that prevent my hyperfocus to build up so much that it exhausts me.

I haven't figured out yet what amount of hyperfocus I can handle without melting down later.

 

[Levitator]

I just see it as a thing where you are organized internally and have your priorities all scribbled down in some corner of your head, and if you stop, it all goes away, and you have to review what you are doing in order to pick up where you left off. So, if you write that stuff down, you can get some of the organization and planning out of your head, somewhere more permanent where you can come back to it.

I don't see it as some sort of acute inability to depart from the project for even an instant, but it will be something I stick to for days or weeks, overall.

 

[not_an_orange_cat]

I enjoy being in hyperfocus mode, but often it leads to exhaustion and a meltdown later on, so for a while I've been trying to not let myself get too deep into hyperfocus mode so I don't get stuck. It happens particularly often when a computer screen is involved, I don't know why.

What I do is: As soon as I notice myself getting pulled into hyperfocus (I get a bit cold and shaky, sort of hypoglycaemic feeling but not uncomfortable, I start to stare at my project, not lifting my gaze anymore), I force myself to take a short break, get some water, go to the bathroom, something like that. Then I go back to my project. Also, I keep drinking water, I just drink on and on while I work. This leads to me having to go to the bathroom, like, every half hour, and thereby forcing breaks that prevent my hyperfocus to build up so much that it exhausts me.

I haven't figured out yet what amount of hyperfocus I can handle without melting down later.

Me neither, lol.

Screens do have an effect. As an artist, when I do digital paintings, I can spend 16 hours working with only minimal breaks for food/bathroom. When I work in traditional media, I tend to notice hunger or pain in my body more and take more breaks, working in 3 to 5 hour stints. My best guess is that the light from the screen messes with my internal clock/circadian rhythm, so it compounds a hyper-focused state.

I've been able to combat that a little bit by making sure I have natural light available when possible and look away from the screen periodically (out a window - also to help prevent eye strain). I use f.lux to dim the screen at night.

I just see it as a thing where you are organized internally and have your priorities all scribbled down in some corner of your head, and if you stop, it all goes away, and you have to review what you are doing in order to pick up where you left off. So, if you write that stuff down, you can get some of the organization and planning out of your head, somewhere more permanent where you can come back to it.

I don't see it as some sort of acute inability to depart from the project for even an instant, but it will be something I stick to for days or weeks, overall.

Ah, thanks for explaining further.

Creating an environment where I can stick to a single project for days/weeks in a balanced way is something I'd like to learn to do better.

 

[Levitator]

Me neither, lol.

Screens do have an effect. As an artist, when I do digital paintings, I can spend 16 hours working with only minimal breaks for food/bathroom. When I work in traditional media, I tend to notice hunger or pain in my body more and take more breaks, working in 3 to 5 hour stints. My best guess is that the light from the screen messes with my internal clock/circadian rhythm, so it compounds a hyper-focused state.

I've been able to combat that a little bit by making sure I have natural light available when possible and look away from the screen periodically (out a window - also to help prevent eye strain). I use f.lux to dim the screen at night.



Ah, thanks for explaining further.

Creating an environment where I can stick to a single project for days/weeks in a balanced way is something I'd like to learn to do better.

I guess it's a little of both. I'll occasionally be glued to something to the exclusion of things like eating, and then I realize I'm really hungry. More often, though, it's like I have the project parked front-and-center in my mind, and it can stay there for months. Very often, I have no desire to tear myself away, and I'm fine with it. It's good, regardless, to develop organizational skills so that if life intrudes, you can shed some of the momentum involved with task switching.