Q2: Can you concentrate for long periods of time?

Some days  I’m so concentrated on a given task that I forget to eat. There have been many days where I’ve looked at the clock and realized that it’s late afternoon and I haven’t eaten lunch; that is, if the task has my complete focus. Several specific examples came to mind to illustrate my ability to concentrate; I’ve included a few of them.

• The first thing that came to my mind is my ability to concentrate for considerable time while driving. In particular, I love to drive long distances late at night. I seem to enter this strange level of concentration where I space out in thought, yet remain completely alert to my surroundings. Some of my most intense thinking has been done while zooming down the interstate late at night, my passengers fast asleep, and music playing.

• I have several Lego models of famous architectural landmarks. Every single one of these kits was assembled in one sitting, and not by conscious choice. Each one was started in some evening after dinner, with my intention being to start the piece, find a good stopping point, and then finish it the next evening. This has never happened. I get so focused on the project that I never find a good stopping point. “Just a little bit further”, I always tell myself. Before I know it, it’s very late at night, usually a work night, and I’m exhausted … and I have a completed Lego model.

• As a saxophone player, I am occasionally asked to play a piece during a church service. While already playing throughout the service in the background, the closer I get to my solo, I tend to experience a slight twinge of anxiety as I try to remember the key my song is in and the correct starting note. With music blaring all around me, I’ve noticed that it is very easy for me to tune out the loud music and to play softly to myself, a different song and a different key.