It's definitely worthy but extremely hard and painful to stick with it. You like to read then go and dig into it.
Nothing can stop the aging process and if you have even a mild ADD, it gets worse with age. Maybe this will help you, Nitro: Recent studies show that a structured excercise regime training program increases neurogenesisâthe birth and development of new nerve cells! http://www.dana.org/news/brainwork/detail.aspx?id=7374
That's interesting. So confusing. First they tell you the research is that you cannot grow new neuronal cells. Now all you have to do is walk
A wise observation. I am waiting for genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and smart materials to converge and strengthen my neuroplasticity. Wishful thinking, although, sadly, the Red Queen along with time, never sleeps. I always had hoped that if I could hoard enough knowledge before I got older that I would have safely stored it away before my learning capacity degraded. Too bad it doesn't quite work that way. One thought that always inspired me was that einstein did his best thinking while riding his bike back and forth between campus destinations, now if I could just get back on my bike and start using it. <i> A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams. ~John Barrymore<i>
30 years ago I was a USCF chess player. It was not unusual for a 3 game quad to involve 4-6 hours of play. Now I can barely manage a 45 minute online game with 1600+ players. That's the way of the world. You age, you get wiser, you get slower. Now don't get me wrong. I think I multi-task better than most people of my age that I know. But I'm not shocked if once in a while I take the Fantastic out of the refrigerator (where's the friggin milk?) or put my underwear on backwards (g). The number of things that I can juggle is just less than once upon a time. I have found that regular exercise helps. It's probably that dolphin thing (endorphins). And given the chance during the trading day, light eating and a 15 minute power nap recharges me better than a cup of coffee (clear thinking, no jitters). Many don't recharge with a power nap. The important thing is to find what enables you to perform at your current optimal ability.
for the top chess players it is all downhill after 40-45. the older players seem to be able to play rapid/blitz games at higher level than the ones with longer time control. so the deterioration in performance seems (at least partially) to be due to the decreased ability to concentrate for an extended period of time. what's interesting is that some have managed to sustain high level of play longer than others. Korchnoi who is 70+ only recently fell out of top 100. But the dude is totally obsessed with chess so he may have been able to maintain his performance through continued hard work. I am sure he also has some tricks that help him to keep his concentration.
Do some reading about this. It's not controlled like Modafanil. Out of stock now, but here is a link: http://www.antiaging-systems.com/iasstore/acatalog/adrafinil.html
Meditate. I used to do it day in and day out my senior year in college (2 years ago). I stopped for awhile, but when Dr. Brett Steenbarger (http://traderfeed.blogspot.com/)visited my firm a few weeks ago, it started me thinking again about how regular meditation could improve my trading. I could sit here and go on and on about how great the benefits of mediation are (they reach far beyond trading) or you could check out the results of completed research. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43006-2005Jan2.html) It's incredibly difficult when you first start because you're sitting and trying to only focus on inhaling and exhaling. All the while your mind is cluttered with the MOST RANDOM thoughts ever. It is difficult at first, but if you stick with it, it will be incredibly rewarding. My first few times I had to sit there for 30+ minutes and eventually everything falls away and all that you experience is the filling and emptying of your lungs along with whatever you choose to focus upon once your mind clears. Good luck.
I am totally with you on that, EXTREMELY difficult to even get yourself to sit for your half hour or hour with all the EVER IMPORTANT distractions that pull your cognition this way or that but oh so rewarding on so many levels beyond trading. i mean, why do we trade at all if not somewhere in the plan (be it money or freedom from a boss) is to be happier/more peaceful or less sorrowful somewhere down the line? for trading, meditation helps you be more equanimous with what the world/market is giving you in real time as well as help you to see it more objectively thus relatively free from the fear/greed response that often leads to our financial undoing, at least for that day. as far as age is related, i know and have known a few 60+ folks that have far superior, perfectly luculent concentration compared to any 20 something "intelligent" trader, lawyer or doctor alike. as far as i could tell, all due to meditation of one type or another. of course, this is just my perception and as with such, it is strongly colored by my conditioning and as i am a fan of Eastern philosophies... best of luck with the concentration and as the original poster did have a good zen quote on mindfulness, "When I walk, I just walk. When I eat, I just eat" i reckon they are already way into it.
Ritalin is a psychostimulant, viz., helps you focus intently for extended periods of time. From reading your opening post I thought decreased focus and ability to concentrate was what you were complaining about?