Zedition wrote:
At work, I've trained myself to trick my thoughts into a loop. I count the connections. When I reach the third idea down the line from the original idea, I try to remember my original idea. That way, I'm not thinking too far ahead of where I'm talking and forgetting my original point.
I don't count the connections but I seem to have developed a sense for when I'm "thinking in tangents." What seems to happen is that a line of thought sparks off another line of thought, and usually I'll find myself jumping to the second line, in the (somewhat optimistic) hope of returning to the original shortly. But then the second line of thought sparks off a third, etc., until the original thought is long forgotten. My coping strategy is to try to limit the number of new lines to 2......though usually I end up with 3 or more. Then, once I've stopped the process, I try to remember the previous line(s). One thing's for sure - the impression that I've forgotten the previous line is often wrong...if I focus and keep calm, I can usually rescue the data. What baffles me is, why does the new line of thought always seem so important that I can't just ignore it and stick to the previous one?
As for synching speech with thoughts, sometimes my voice runs ahead of my thoughts, though mostly I think they're working in tandem. Occasionally words just come out. E.g. I'd been working with this guy who I felt was rather domineering, though I hadn't really brought that idea into full consciousness. Somebody suggested that I worked with him again, and I replied "he just wants a skivvy." It was only then that I realised he was domineering. Other times my talking just runs away with itself and I've no idea what I'm saying until I hear it, though that's usually when I'm tired or stressed. The "extra" words usually make some kind of sense but I usually regain my conscious grip on things as soon as I notice I've lost it, as I don't trust such utterances - they might be unclear, or they might reveal things about myself that I don't want to reveal. Part of the reason for the disconnection of my voice with my thoughts seems to be a compulsion to speak at all costs under certain social conditions......one of my current mantras is "if you don't have anything to say, don't say it." But it's not always easy to stick to it.