Can't focus. What should I do?

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One thing I found very helpful when I was going to Tech (at age 40!) was to tape the lectures. I could then listen to them over and over when in the car, or even leave it running when I fell asleep over my text books.

_________________
If it don't come easy . . . .
. . . .hack it until it works right

Aspie score: 142/200 NT score: 64/200
AQ Score: 42
BAP: 109 aloof, 94 rigid and 85 pragmatic

I was having problems focusing and it was reflected in my assignment grades so I decided to try a new location. I went to a coffee shop which was better than home though I was getting distracted by people in the coffee shop. Anyways I figured out after a couple visits there that if I brought something to keep my hands busy with (I brought a textured bracelet which I took off and fiddled with while studying) I was not getting distracted by my surroundings. My assignment grades have gone up since I made this change in study habits. I don't know if any of this will be what actually helps you to focus but maybe it will spark an idea (perhaps there is an alternative to the bracelet that will bring the focus away from your surroundings)

Good luck

I have another problem as well. When studying (especially when reading texts about things I don't really find interesting) I suddenly I realise I'm not really paying attention to what I'm reading. So when I've finished a chapter in my physics book for example, I might not remember or know what it's about. Is that an AS/ADD thing or am I just really bad at reading certain texts?

EDIT: It's a bit similar to the times when I find it difficult to hear/understand what people are saying. If someone tries to explain something or if someone reads me something I sometimes don't hear/understand what they're saying and in order to hear/understand I need to read it myself or have the person write it down for me. Feels pretty similar to what I feel when I don't understand/pay attention to what I'm reading.

I don't know if this is an AS/ADD thing but I do the same thing. Sometimes when I'm overloaded with work (I took physics too ) I have a tendency to plow through and pick up none of what I read. I think its the difference between reading because you have to and reading because you want to. If you just take it slow and try to imagine whatever concept is being described (take breaks and visualize or try to think about how what you've read applies to other concepts). If I just read all of the words of the chapter without imagining what they are trying to represent I'm not really learning and I end up in the same state you described (with no idea what I just read)

I also experience what you described about difficulty making sense of what someone is saying to me. I can relate, though I'm not really certain of the cause of these problems.