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Concentrate Better By Doodling

Posted by timothy on from the la-la-la-la-shiny dept.

Kelson writes "The next time you see someone doodling during a meeting, don't criticize them for drifting off. It turns out that doodling is the mind's way of keeping itself just busy enough to avoid checking out entirely and slipping off into a daydream, and doodlers actually remember more of that boring talk. (Judging by my college notes, this probably helped me remember a lot of otherwise-boring lectures.)"

22 of 94 comments (clear)

  1. I knew it. by stoolpigeon · · Score: 3, Funny

    Just need to print a copy of the article and keep it with me. I've gotten into troubling quite a few times for doodling.

    --
    It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
    1. Re:I knew it. by MaxwellEdison · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Anytime I started in a class I made it a point to talk to the Professor and let them know that I would likely be doodling my entire time in their classroom. I did this to head off confrontations that may arise throughout the course. Any that expressly forbid me (how DARE you doodle! THINK OF THE CHILDREN!) I made a bargain with, they would call met out in class when they saw me doodling, I would answer their questions (likely while still doodling) and then they would correspond doodling with listening. Of course the fact that most of what I was doodling pertained to my engineering graphics classes may have had something to do with it as well.

      --
      -=Bang Bang=-
  2. That's what I told my teachers... by Narnie · · Score: 5, Funny

    i doodled throughout school. I told my teachers that it was my way of staying awake and attentive. I'm glad somebody did the research to validate my BS.

    --
    greed@All_Evils:~#
  3. I have doodled for at least 30 years by revlayle · · Score: 3, Informative

    Pretty much in ever class that I remember since the 3-4th grade. All through college and every meeting I bring pad/pen to.

    In fact, my meeting notes, have WAY more random scribbles and weird drawings than actual notes.

  4. Silly Slashdot! by h4rm0ny · · Score: 3, Insightful


    We know doodling works for us. But people don't because they want to give the appearance of attention. The people who actually set doing work above the appearance of doing work have already found a way to not be in the meeting in the first place.

    --

    Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
  5. Someone tell gradeschool teachers by Walkingshark · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I understand things the first time I hear them in almost all cases. This has been true since childhood. As a direct result, the normal teaching style in most gradeschools (say something, then repeat it in slightly different ways many many times) was nearly unbearably boring for me. I would try and allieviate this boredom by doodling, and this often got me in trouble.

    I'd like to go back and find the fucking idiots who wouldn't just leave me alone and let me draw and show them this article.

    --
    The world you experience is only a close approximation of reality.
    1. Re:Someone tell gradeschool teachers by Walkingshark · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I don't consider something explained until it has been fully explained. Once it has, I almost always get it. Sometimes, a teacher thinks they are explaining something but they aren't, or they're only giving part of the explanation, or they're just doing it wrong in general. In those cases, I press them for more information.

      Generally though, school is designed for the lowest common denominator, and so the concepts being communicated are so simple that it would be hard NOT to get it in one go.

      --
      The world you experience is only a close approximation of reality.
    2. Re:Someone tell gradeschool teachers by timster · · Score: 4, Funny

      Heck, as long as you're talking about the teaching in "most grade schools", I remember not only understanding the explanation the first time, but understanding what aspects of the teacher's explanation were inaccurate and often even how the explanation could be clarified so that the other students could grasp it properly.

      It goes without saying that I learned how to keep my mouth shut without even being presented with an explanation.

      --
      I have seen the future, and it is inconvenient.
    3. Re:Someone tell gradeschool teachers by Eudial · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I understand things the first time I hear them in almost all cases. This has been true since childhood. As a direct result, the normal teaching style in most gradeschools (say something, then repeat it in slightly different ways many many times) was nearly unbearably boring for me. I would try and allieviate this boredom by doodling, and this often got me in trouble.

      Boredom is the curse of people with higher than average intelligence going through school. Grade school completely fails in my experience to deal with it, and it only gets marginally better in High School.

      The sad part is that not everyone can deal with this lack of stimulation, and start causing trouble, in the worst case undermining their future.

      --
      GAAH! MY PRINTER IS ON FIRE!!! PUT IT OUT! PUT IT OUT!
    4. Re:Someone tell gradeschool teachers by TriezGamer · · Score: 3, Insightful

      This is one of the major difficulties I had in college. I never learned to study properly in high school, and I also had difficulty adjusting to the concept of homework. In high school I managed to complete nearly everything in class because the teachers often gave time to do work in-class. Not so with college.

    5. Re:Someone tell gradeschool teachers by DamienNightbane · · Score: 2, Interesting

      He sounds like most of the people I associate with. I dropped out of High School for the exact same reason and found that I was able to educate myself better by fucking off on the internet for the years that I would have been in High School than I was through most of Elementary School and Jr. High. When It takes a tenth grade English class a month to read To Kill A Mockingbird of all things and I was finished by the end of the second day of class, there is a problem.

      A herd does nothing but harm itself as a whole by slowing to the speed of the sick and the weak. Let the morons that aren't learning fall behind. That's what special ed classes are for. Do not bring the people capable of learning down to their level. Definitely do not make the above average people hate school because they're bored out of their mind the whole time. Society isn't harmed because little Johnny is too stupid to read properly. There will always be a demand for burger flippers and manual laborers. On the other hand, society is harmed when Tommy decides that formal education is useless and doesn't finish high school and go to college to become an engineer and ends up working alongside Johnny instead.

    6. Re:Someone tell gradeschool teachers by AlpineR · · Score: 2, Insightful

      My high school was located in a smallish town that was also home to the state's teaching college and a major medical school. So our teachers were quite good and prepared us for college by giving college-style homework loads (two hours homework per hour lecture). Unfortunately, high school keeps you incarcerated eight hours a day whereas in college you have lecture only two or three hours a day. As a result I was up past midnight most nights and back up around 5:00 AM to finish my work for the next day.

      What this all taught me was how to sleep in class and catch just enough to get started on the next homework assignment. I kept this habit through college, and it wasn't until grad school that I had to adjust to staying awake in class (since the content of the lecture was more advanced than the textbook or there was no textbook).

      Also, when I was awake I doodled, brainstormed for my projects, or did crosswords.

  6. I was going to write a reply by pwnies · · Score: 5, Funny

    I was going to write a long and well thought out reply that ended with me trailing off and it turning into ascii doodles, but apparently slashdot has an ascii art filter.

    "Filter error: Your comment looks too much like ascii art."

    Damnit /., I'm just trying to concentrate!

  7. Not convicing enough by Aphoxema · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I find the conclusion they came up with after the study interesting, but I'm not convinced that it is the only practical explanation.

    I'd like the dissuade anyone from taking this article as proof enough to start arguing to start making artists out of us all.

    --
    "Most people, I think, don't even know what a rootkit is, so why should they care about it?"
  8. What works for me is being Drowsy by David_Hart · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I found in University that I retained more information in classes where I was half-napping (not falling asleep). I haven't heard of any studies but my thought is that the brain may find it easier to organize information when you are drifting. Then again, maybe it's just me... (grin)

    David

    1. Re:What works for me is being Drowsy by maxume · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Random internet theory: Those classes were easier.

      --
      Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
  9. I was the doodling guy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    A few weeks ago I met my High School Philosophy teacher from around 20 years ago. I greeted him and he didn't remember me at first, then asked for a few more names from my promotion. He said "that was a good year, and then: "You are the doodling guy!".

    Yeah, I spent all his classes producing convoluted tesselations and stuff while I listened, then just read anything he proposed. He told me he was expecting a complete disaster at first but in fact I was one of the best students he'd ever had, neck to neck with another doodler a few years later.

  10. I watch TV while I work by omnichad · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I work at home (telecommuter for 2 years now), and whenever I get stuck doing menial work, I turn on the TV. I have to watch sitcom drivel to keep it from being too engaging, but it keeps me on task, and keeps me from drifting off onto Slashdot...like I'm doing now. CRAP!

  11. Meetings are BS by El+Torico · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Most meetings are merely excuses to avoid working, so doodle away!

    --
    In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is usually crucified.
    1. Re:Meetings are BS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Reminds me of the poster that says:

      Are you lonely???

      Don't like working on your own?
      Hate making decisions?

      Then call a MEETING !!

      You can ...
      SEE people
      DRAW flowcharts
      FEEL important
      FORM subcommittees
      IMPRESS your colleagues
      MAKE meaningless recommendations

      ALL on COMPANY TIME!!!!

      MEETINGS
      The practical alternative to work.

  12. La la la by Quiet_Desperation · · Score: 4, Funny

                            .--.
                      (\_/)/  _ \
                      (o.o) _(   |____
                     .- ".-`----'`"""")
                                  '--`

    Hmm hmm hmm. I'm sorry, what?

  13. Forces me to think by skeftomai · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I do this....I write a lot of notes or play witrh my phone to an extend during meetings.

    I find that catching bits and pieces forces me to try harder to put things together and understand them, and so I end up understanding things better.

    Also, if I try too hard to pay attention, I worry about paying attention more than what I am supposed to be paying attention to. When I do other things, it puts my mind at ease, and I can relaxedly listen.