I tend to have YouTube or Netflix going on my second monitor while I’m messing around with my designs. That may actually be the opposite of focusing, but it does a good job of distracting me from the fact that I have no idea what I am doing. 
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Go do something else for a little while that directly or indirectly feeds your creative self, watch a good movie, visit a museum, go to a bookstore and browse books or magazines (the bargain section at Barnes & Noble always has some interesting books), go see a comedy show, etc.
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This helped me. I used a Dremel and imagined it being a laser. Had to do some imagining around kerf as well. I’ll probably do the same thing with a craft knife or something next. Less imagination around kerf required.
Something else that works for me is to just walk away and immerse myself in something else for a complete break from brain function on the stuck thinking around something. Maybe read a book and be completely in that for a time. Humans can’t really multi-task like we think we can. We (as a species, not me,) can get really good at quick task switching, but not really doing multiple things at once. So, enter into that alternate experience entirely. Mindfulness is in line with the suggestions on meditation and using it for something like a different task can give your mind the break it might need. Mindfulness could help when you get back on topic, too.
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Partially my fault as well, I made the mistake of reading some things I shouldn’t have last night. But these are all good suggestions…some music, a movie, a good escapist fantasy, probably all 3…sounds like a great way to spend tomorrow, and i might just do it!
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Yep. I got a nice moleskin notebook in a Loot Crate once and it is always with me! If I’m tooling away on the computer and get hung up, I’ll often break out the notebook to doodle out some variations.
Good suggestions everyone!
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Our very own @tony is cofounder of Rescue Time, which lots of folks on our team swear by for helping them improve their ability to focus.
https://www.rescuetime.com/
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You should probably share what you read. (waves hand to perform Jedi mind trick)
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Niagen, magnesium citrate, and sunflower seeds in the shell.
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I go outside and pull weeds for about ½ an hour to take my mind off anything specific ( and try to get some sun and exercise). Either that or take timeout doggy wrestling on the bed !!
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I set an egg timer for 20 mins every time I sit down at a computer or project table, mostly to avoid sitting too long. When it rings I walk around the house and do some short menial task, like wash one window. It resets the brain, and gets the boring jobs done painlessly over time. I return to the project refreshed and often with new insights.
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What perfect timing…I just got an email from a kickstarter campaign I backed all about different calming activities 
For me, nothing works better than curling up on the couch with a book and coffee (and most recently, a cat, which makes things even better). Usually I choose an old book I’ve read countless times already- easier to sink into a calming state when it’s a familiar favorite. I’m currently on the illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets- highly recommend it and the illustrated Sorcerer’s Stone! They’re gorgeous, with a bonus of all the illustrations doubling as great inspiration.
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Gonna give that a look see - thanks! 
Nothing fun. (Latest Wikileaks data dump…some of the stuff in it scared me badly for the near term, and frankly filled me with horror and deep anger about what’s already gone down. Nothing more to be done about it, apart from steps already taken, which is why I’m having trouble settling back down.)
Don’t look at it. I’ll take that one for the team. I’m not going to be able to unsee some of that.
Pepitas okay? (Sunflower seeds pretty much got pulled universally for lysteria contamination earlier this year - I subscribe to the recall alerts. They had a really bad year.) 
Not a bad idea…might try that next. (Probably could use some more sun - it’s almost cool enough to do it now without burning to a crisp in 15 minutes, and the weeds are winning.)
Big problem here as well - i need to step away more often.[quote=“steph, post:31, topic:3178”]
What perfect timing…I just got an email from a kickstarter campaign I backed all about different calming activities 
[/quote]
Interesting - took the stress test linked there. (Average stress levels.) Probably just need to stay away from the inner workings of the sausage factory.
Thanks to everyone for the suggestions, and for replying. Sometimes it helps to just reconnect with other people when you’ve seen something nasty. Helps to get you back into balance.
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Trader Joe’s brand sunflower seeds aren’t on the recall list and they are my favorite brand! I can’t eat David or any other brand any more.
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If it’s about politics, I just finished Autobiography of Mark Twain: The Complete and Authoritative Edition, Vol. 1 and the politics he comments on from 110 years ago in there sound just like today. Teddy Roosevelt’s compromised correspondence was quite controversial. He used a private mail office run out of his estate! It’ll all blow over in a month. We do seem to be getting better at amping ourselves up every 4 years, though.
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I honestly don’t know what pepitas are, but my experience says that it will work if it has a seed that you crack in your mouth while eating. This activity keeps the brain busy and improves focus. I use them when I make a swing from the golf tee and when I’ve eaten while traveling and need to stay awake. It has saved my life a few times when I am really tired.
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Titrate my caffeine level to just below supraventricular tachycardia… A few PVCs per never hurt anyone… 
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Can you explain why caffeine makes me tired rather than stimulated?
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I love career specific verbiage. I had to google titrate to make sure I guessed it right.
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That is strange. I just looked in UpToDate (the source of all medical information for docs) and haven’t found a good cause. What dose are you taking (brew coffee 100-200mg/cup), Espresso (30-90mg/cup - yes, espresso while more taste is way weaker), tea (40-120mg/cup) and how often? Most adults should not take >400mg/day (although the founder of our lab drinks an insane amount and is 83, working a full 9 hour day every day, so…)
This is more classic for caffeine withdrawal, and there is some tiredness that develops when a bolus of caffeine wears off (better to consume continuously rather than in quick intake so you get less up/down levels). It should make you more alert with basically any underlying need for stimulation; depression, sleep deprivation, etc. There can be interaction with some medications like Beta-blockers as the caffeine tries to rev up your heart rate and the beta-blockers fight it back down.
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Wow. I’m planning to be him. I just did a quick calc and I drink the equivalent of 10 cans of Diet Coke a day. (It’s not a gallon 
). That works out to be about 450mg/day. I don’t drink coffee or tea. It’s not nearly as bad as I thought it would be 
Heck there are Starbucks drinks with more than that in one drink.
To your point, I consume it continuously to eliminate the surge/crash effect.
Interesting enough, although I will get caffeine withdrawal symptoms (mostly tired, not the headaches I hear other people get) if I stop all consumption on a weekend. But, I don’t usually drink it after 7 or 8 at night (after work) and don’t have any issues with sleep or withdrawal symptoms at night.
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