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[ENFP] ENFP concentration issues

melC

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Hi everyone, this is my first post here.

I've been interested in MBTI and personality typology for several years now, and have turned a few of my friends and old flings onto it, i think it's fascinating!

My question is do other ENFP's have difficulty concentrating?
I'm 23 now, and have had lots of difficulty concentrating on school, reading, and even conversations with people because I get distracted and preoccupied so easily. Sometimes, it's by a thought in my own head, other times it's by external stimuli,....but usually it's the former. In college, the only way I got through was with ADHD meds which I was prescribed by a psychiatrist. I'm on the fence about going back on...:dry:
Any other ENFP's have similar difficulties? What helps you to focus?
 

Savage Idealist

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I might be ENFP (I'm xNFP definitely), but I have this same problem. I'm very easily distracted and prone to ruminating in my own imgaination when bored with something, often because if something can't maintain my interest then I'll entertain myself with personal thought and crazy ideas, or I might just look outside the window and enjoy the scenery. I also take FOREVER to get reading done; often I'll stop after every paragraph and relfect on the material I just read, then think about something related to that, then go on another off tangeant, then realize that I just pissed away 10 minutes and havn't even gotten past a single page of what I was reading.

Also, welcome to the forums :hi: Oh cool you're from Philly; I used to live near there :)
 

melC

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hey thanks for the welcome, and for your response, Savage Idealist.
It is quite frustrating that I cannot sit still and concentrate for long enough to finish assignments on time. :cry:
...This leads to me becoming anxious, then I'm so anxious I can't focus, then I get anxious because I can't focus, and so on...
grrrr.....
What helps you?
 

Savage Idealist

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hey thanks for the welcome, and for your response, Savage Idealist.

Sure thing :yes:

It is quite frustrating that I cannot sit still and concentrate for long enough to finish assignments on time. :cry:
...This leads to me becoming anxious, then I'm so anxious I can't focus, then I get anxious because I can't focus, and so on...
grrrr.....
What helps you?

Uhhhh, I don't think I've ever found a reliable cure to my inability to concentrate. I suppose the best thing to do, well what I usually attempt to do, is to consciously make as great an effort as possible to focus on whatever task or assignment is at hand, and if I drift off into thought, remind myself quickly that paying attention to my primary objective is of grave importance. However if the task or assignment at hand isn't urgent within that moment, and concentration just will not come, then usually I go and preoccupy myself with something else for a while, and return to the task or assignment later, after I've had a chance to clear my head of any troublesome thoughts, random ideas, etc.
 

Esoteric Wench

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[D]o other ENFP's have difficulty concentrating?... What helps you to focus?

I have a very hard time concentrating. The only thing that's really helped me was going to get diagnosed as having adult ADD. The meds for this do help me focus.

I'd love to hear it if anyone has a better idea.
 

HotpinkHeatwave

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I honestly think I'm ADD.

Example of my train of thought:

"Well, its really hard to explain, and its a long stor- OH MY GOD, look at that tree. Look at the hole in that tree! You could fit ten people in there!"
 

melC

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glad to see all us ENFP's are ADD/ADHD.
now let's get some TJ's on here to throw out some answers...:newwink:
 

INTP

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I dont think adhd/add is so common with Ne doms as though generally, i think that they just get easily misdiagnosed due to Ne going all over place and sharing some characteristics with those mental disorders.
 

melC

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I dont think adhd/add is so common with Ne doms as though generally, i think that they just get easily misdiagnosed due to Ne going all over place and sharing some characteristics with those mental disorders.

Interesting. I suppose the line between order and disorder is a fine one and may in fact be subjective, but sometimes, ya just gotta get shit done. Unfortunately, I need meds in order to do that. :shrug:
 

Porcelain Hearts

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I have the worst type of focus. So I could use people's advice from here too.

Do some of you, types aside, find better productivity at night time? People can argue we have our own individual circadian rhythm that manages how we work most effectively, whatever the case I find my inner critic is more relaxed and I'm oddly entranced by the dark and gradually become anxious to start/finish before I "retire in my grave". It's even a disservice to sleep being Ne.

I will mention when I'm designing on creative suite, having multiple projects open at the same time fuels my inspiration to work. For example, when I get bored designing a logo, I open the next window and touch up on an illustration. And when I get bored of that, I open another design project or return back to the logo and rotate. I basically have to entrench myself with the technical work but keep it interesting by using new angles as a constant muse so that my work can cultivate (because I never actually visualize the final product). I always start with a blueprint on paper or in my head but often doesn't get anywhere after a certain threshold.
 

Kitsune413

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I have an ENFP friend who was trying to get diagnosed with add.

I'm an ENFP and Its the same thing.

Something to be wary of is whether or not you're actually not focusing. I focus on thoughts in my head very well. External stimuli can be boring.

Taking medical speed will make you concentrate by dulling you down.. and will also eat a hole in your heart. Best bet is to learn good coping mechanisms.

ENFP's are actually known to overdose on caffeinated beverages to do the same thing. Helps them focus better.
 

Mia.

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I'm 23 now, and have had lots of difficulty concentrating on school, reading, and even conversations with people because I get distracted and preoccupied so easily. Sometimes, it's by a thought in my own head, other times it's by external stimuli,....but usually it's the former.

I’m INFP, and hypo-focusing and conversely, hyper-focusing have been issues my whole life. The hypo-focusing – in terms of finding it hard to pay attention to things I’d rather not be paying attention to for whatever reason - has improved substantially… my ability to force myself through sheer will-power has grown but it takes a lot of work. But the hyper-focusing is still an issue. If something is interesting to me, I focus on it to the point of tuning everything else out. This can be an idea, stimuli/appetite, interest, etc. Doesn’t matter – if I find it interesting or want to experience it fully, I completely immerse myself in it and master it. I go overboard.

I’ve never been diagnosed with ADD but the lack of focus almost got me held back in 3rd grade. My teacher (an SJ… big surprise) recommended I be held back because I never turned my homework in, and she assumed it was because I wasn’t understanding the lessons and was "slow." The summer went by, and before they officially had me repeat the grade they gave me an IQ test as well as a grade-equivalency test to have some sort of documentation that it was in fact my abilities that was the reason for holding me back. The results came back, and they told my parents that rather than being held back I should skip a grade and be put in the “gifted” class (whatever that meant.)

Here is an interesting link I found that has a lot of material on ADD being connected to Ne: http://www.borntoexplore.org/tempquotes.htm

What helps you to focus?

This is going to seem a little tangential, but this was one of the (many... many) reasons I went into entrepreneurship. I found that I focused best on tasks that I found challenging and new, engaged me creatively, and that I felt passionate about (Fi), and I wanted creative control of what projects I undertook for those reasons.

ENFP's are actually known to overdose on caffeinated beverages to do the same thing. Helps them focus better.

The amount of caffeine I ingest on a daily basis is insanity.

Do some of you, types aside, find better productivity at night time? People can argue we have our own individual circadian rhythm that manages how we work most effectively, whatever the case I find my inner critic is more relaxed and I'm oddly entranced by the dark and gradually become anxious to start/finish before I "retire in my grave". It's even a disservice to sleep being Ne.
.

Get out of my head man. I always chalked it up to being super pale.
 

Nijntje

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I find my inability to concentrate generally occurs because I get bored quickly.

Im not an enfp, but I find that having several things 'on the go' helps to alleviate said boredom and allows me to better concentre. Or I distract myself with background noise, so my brain has something else to focus on besides whatever is running through my head and let's me settle on the task at hand.
 

alcea rosea

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To the OP. I'm distracted very easily too. My mind wonders a lot. I have difficulties in concetrating on details. But I don't have ADHD/ADD.

The thing is to find a way to do things/to be the way that suits you and that keeps you interested. Another thing that I noticed is that this restlesness is getting better when aging. I'm 35+ and find it much easier to concentrate than when I was younger.

I dont think adhd/add is so common with Ne doms as though generally, i think that they just get easily misdiagnosed due to Ne going all over place and sharing some characteristics with those mental disorders.

I completely agree. I think the society has a very strong "ideal picture" of how people should be and people with strong Ne aren't just like the "ideal person" should be.
 

mmhmm

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i'm distracted very easily and i get bored extremely fast.
i work best under intense pressure.
 

DisneyFanGirl

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I am an ENFP with ADD. I was talking to a friend who said he often forgot what he was planning to say when I finished my thought because by the time I was done with my sentence or statement, I was miles away from the topic that made him think about his response. I often interrupt myself when talking. And I honestly cannot focus on anything that doesn't consistently hold my attention (like maybe learning lines for a play). My parents simply didn't know what to do with the child who was years behind her class in math and science and years ahead of them in anything creative.
 

erikric

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Only one thing that works for me: deadlines set by others.
 
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