Right-Brained Academic Struggles: Advice Needed

[n.karthick]

Hi all,
I am right brained and my academic career is seriously affected. I am a graduate student and I am not able to cope up with my fellow mates who are all almost left brained i.e., well organised, sequentially doing things, good at maths etc etc., (I am not completely weak in math, the way I do things is landing me up in problems like late finishing of my assignments and submission of reports etc.)
Can anyone guide me how can I start using my left brain so that I will stop my day dreaming and come to reality. I always try to do tough tasks that too many things in parallel ending up in nothing. My colleagues take simple problems, go step by step solve them and show progress which is well appreciated.
Is there any mental exercise or any method to use my left brain at least to the extent I come to "normal' state like others so that I survive in this world. (What I mean is, instead of thinking big and failing at the end, why can't I do simple things and survive? But my mind won't allow me to do that, even if I wish!)
Any help or advice is appreciated. Thanks

 

[eri]

That left/right brained stuff is a load of crap. You can't focus because you're either not working hard enough or you're not interested in your work. You have nothing else to blame this on. I'm 'right brained' (left handed) and I did just fine in my graduate work.

 

[deRham]

I somewhat agree with eri, though there could be a legitimately special way you think - who knows, you may have one of many different kinds of psychologies which require special approaches.So to really get advice, someone needs to get to know you and your problems more deeply. Matters of psychology aren't a matter of an easy collection of exercises suggested in PF.

 

[Klockan3]

It is called "being impatient", not "right brained", the medical term is ADHD. It is not bad per se but the lack of focus will hurt your quantifiable work aka your grades, the only real deal to fix it is to learn everything better than your peers allowing yourself to perform as well without focus. Or you can start taking adderall.

 

[Moonbear]

I'm going to be very direct with you about this too. Why are you in graduate school if you don't love your subject enough that you can stay focused on it?

As the others have explained, being disorganized and lacking focus have nothing to do with being "right brained" or "left brained." If you don't love what you're doing enough for it to keep your attention, you really don't belong in grad school.

 

[n.karthick]

Thanks for all replies. I was of the conclusion that right brained is the cause for my slow and low performance. So what I have to do is hard work from now on, so that I can outperform my peers. (I have good interest in my subject and I can really put more effort to satisfy the grade requirements, simultaneously fulfilling my own interests)

 

[snshusat161]

There is nothing like Right or left brain or at least I don't believe in that.

From what you have told, I think I am somewhat like you but I never faced such problem like slow solving of problems and late submission of assignment. But before I proceed I want to conform whether I am like you or not. Tell me how many crazy behavior of me are in you.

1. Problem of never giving importance to any teacher and only importance to books.
2. lot of overconfidence, like even in the field you are not interested, suppose singing and after watching Justin bieber You go in reverie and think if this young boy can do why can't I.
3. Very well in practical works. I mean can you do very well in practical by just reading books and watching some pictures in that books. Like in high school determining correct salt analysis in a single try every time without any practice or without the need of any teacher.
4. Unable to determine which subject you are good. For me when I study maths I think I am best in Maths and just other hour when I pick physics, I change my mind and think no! Physics is my favorite subject.
5. Go in daydreaming after every topic you read in books. Start correlating different topics you already know, pretend like teacher and think like how can I teach my friends despite you know that you would never like to share your knowledge with your competitors.

If such uncommon behavior is in you then tell me and I will tell you some ways which I have used to overcome such problems. Not fully but at least I don't face problems like you.

 

[Troponin]

That left/right brained stuff is a load of crap. You can't focus because you're either not working hard enough or you're not interested in your work. You have nothing else to blame this on. I'm 'right brained' (left handed) and I did just fine in my graduate work.

I think it's usually a slippery slope with statements like this.
There are scientists in the field of cognition, neurophysiology, etc., that devote their life to situations like this.
You may believe it is a "load of crap," and I can't say that I would disagree with you, but unless you're an expert in the field, I don't think it's apropos to speak as one.

If someone with a PhD in cognitive neuroscience came on here and started calling theories of physics "a load of crap," and insisting that they're all worthless because they've experienced counter-examples to the theories in their own life...you can imagine what the response would be. I'm definitely not an organized individual. I have to have a visual "image" of anything before I can understand it. Studying notes is absolutely worthless to me unless I have some background "group" with which to associate the information.
I have to "picture" anything if I want to understand it. Whether or not my "picture" is correct, I don't know...but without it, I can't understand anything.

Because of that, topics of perhaps a more visual nature are MUCH easier for me. Classical Mechanics from the view of Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalism felt very easy for me because I was able to visualize an image of what is going on with the problems (again...whether or not it is accurate, I don't know, but it is developed from the laws I've learned to that point).
I had less trouble understanding general relativity than I did with topics considered much easier to learn as well.
E&M means absolutely nothing to me unless I can picture what the problem is asking. I don't mean to make the "look at me, my situation is SO unique!" post, but I don't know another way of getting my point across.

As for the OP, I would say that you have to find out "how" you learn best, and find a way to make that work for you.
Other students may learn best by taking organized lecture notes, making note cards, and studying them in an organized fashion until they understand the material.
You may need to begin with the "base" equations for whatever physical theory you're learning and play with them until you develop your own intuitive feel (or picture) for what they do.

You may find that some other, completely different method, is best.
You may even want to talk to a doctor to see if ADD medication would help you. (Again, whatever my own personal beliefs on those kinds of medications may be...I'm not an expert in the field and will keep them to myself)But, I doubt anyone here can tell you what is the best way for YOU to study...you have to find the best way to learn with whatever kind of brain you have.

 

[Sankaku]

But, I doubt anyone here can tell you what is the best way for YOU to study...you have to find the best way to learn with whatever kind of brain you have.

Well said!

 

[snshusat161]

I think it's usually a slippery slope with statements like this.
There are scientists in the field of cognition, neurophysiology, etc., that devote their life to situations like this.
You may believe it is a "load of crap," and I can't say that I would disagree with you, but unless you're an expert in the field, I don't think it's apropos to speak as one.

If someone with a PhD in cognitive neuroscience came on here and started calling theories of physics "a load of crap," and insisting that they're all worthless because they've experienced counter-examples to the theories in their own life...you can imagine what the response would be.


I'm definitely not an organized individual. I have to have a visual "image" of anything before I can understand it. Studying notes is absolutely worthless to me unless I have some background "group" with which to associate the information.
I have to "picture" anything if I want to understand it. Whether or not my "picture" is correct, I don't know...but without it, I can't understand anything.

Because of that, topics of perhaps a more visual nature are MUCH easier for me. Classical Mechanics from the view of Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalism felt very easy for me because I was able to visualize an image of what is going on with the problems (again...whether or not it is accurate, I don't know, but it is developed from the laws I've learned to that point).
I had less trouble understanding general relativity than I did with topics considered much easier to learn as well.
E&M means absolutely nothing to me unless I can picture what the problem is asking.


I don't mean to make the "look at me, my situation is SO unique!" post, but I don't know another way of getting my point across.

As for the OP, I would say that you have to find out "how" you learn best, and find a way to make that work for you.
Other students may learn best by taking organized lecture notes, making note cards, and studying them in an organized fashion until they understand the material.
You may need to begin with the "base" equations for whatever physical theory you're learning and play with them until you develop your own intuitive feel (or picture) for what they do.

You may find that some other, completely different method, is best.
You may even want to talk to a doctor to see if ADD medication would help you. (Again, whatever my own personal beliefs on those kinds of medications may be...I'm not an expert in the field and will keep them to myself)


But, I doubt anyone here can tell you what is the best way for YOU to study...you have to find the best way to learn with whatever kind of brain you have.

You know, some tricks works for each and every person.
for example:
1. If you can understand from book then go ahead of teacher. This not only help you understand more in class but it is kinda related to psychology too. That knowledge will let you presume that you know whatever teacher is teaching and this feeling ultimately bring you to race. race from another fellow students to solve the problem first in the class. (after all its like, pride and honor which force you to go for what you deserve).
2. If you can understand from teachers then I don't think You might have any problem.

His problem is reverie. In this crappy education system we have to write and write. nobody going to care for our imagination. Reverie waste lot of time, lot of precious time. There is only one way I know to get rid of this reverie problem and that is competition. Don't be unique, focus on competition. Don't try to understand more than the extent of examination. Don't learn exhaustive cause it's science and your brain doesn't have that much hard disk to accommodate all such information and ultimately everything will become mess. After getting poor results in 11th and lot of scoldings from teachers I had thrown every book of mine and I kept only one book (even unaware how good how bad that book was) and my results improved dramatically.

Remove this feeling that you can get yourself recognized by doing hard assignment. go with the world. Just run for marks not for recognition in class cause after your school or college life this world is going to see your progress report card not that recognition which you will earn by doing hard work.

 

[TL92]

how do you know you use your right side of the brain more? are you judging this based on the hand you write with lol?