Patterns of Attending

Most of the time I'm hyper attending. I do homework while I listen to music. I study my Chinese flashcards while playing video games. When I write papers, I sporadically maximize some unrelated fiction project tabbed at the bottom, or visit a message board, or AIM one of my buddies. It's something a grew up with. I don't view it as a method of learning as much I do a bad habit.

While video games, light music, food, etc sometimes help me get my creative juices flowing, they hardly keep me in the right mental state to make real progress. Sure, opening up Sid Meier's Civilization 4 helps me crack open my Chinese workbook on the vacant area of my desk beneath my monitor. But it certainly doesn't help me do problems. Likewise, igniting semantic arguments over the internet on AIM or on a forum only wastes precious mind-space that I should be dedicating to the paper. Neither is drinking a good idea, but I've got to admit that it happens sometimes.

To be specific, I'd say I spend about 2-4 hours a day completely online, instant messaging, posting at forums, checking my e-mail, playing games, etc, 90% of which some kind of music is playing in the background. In addition to spending that amount of time online, I listen to music before I fall asleep and while I'm waking up (which accounts for about 1 1/2 hours in total of laying in bed just listening to whatever is on). Normally, I spend anywhere from 2-6 hours reading books, mostly school related. While offering up to the porcelain deity and sitting in the tub (this rarely if ever happens, but who doesn't like a nice bubblebath?), I've been reading Neil Gaiman's American Gods for a couple of months now, usually 2 pages at a time, adding up to about a grand total of maybe 20 minutes a day. Shockingly, I don't have time to play video games anymore but I'd say I average about 7 hours worth or serious gaming a week.

I don't do math homework anymore, but so thankfully I no longer have to associate music I love with the vile act. I try the best I can (with some success) to leave all music and sounds off when I'm reading, especially things for class and important novels which I want to actually understand. Since most of my studying is reading intensive, I try to keep music and aim out of it, but when I'm writing a paper I inevitable slip in and out of the internet.

I watch TV or read while I eat. Sometimes I use the computer, too. At home and most of the time at school, I eat with friends and family. Music is always on when I'm doing chores. As well as TV. Or both.

On a scale of attention worthiness, doings papers and homework is deep attention. At least a 1, 1 being extremely deep.
Reading heavy stuff, like Hales essay and Ulysses for my Joyce class, is definitely a 1.
Light reading is a 5. I can do mostly anything else while doing it.
So are chores. 5.
Going to classes is like a 2. Sometimes it feels like my participation really matters. Sometimes it doesn't.

My score averages 2.something. I suppose that means moderately hyper attentive.

When doing school work, it's pretty obvious that I like to be completely in the game.
But when I'm not focusing on something I think is important, I pretty much let everything go. But, mostly, I don't think that I'm paying hyper attention when I'm doing it. I feel like I'm not paying attention at all.