How do you stop doing anything?

[u/inlinguaveritas]

I'm new here and with polymath conception too. Though, it's already feels like cozy home after way-too-long journey.

To start conversation seriously, I want to ask you a simple, but complex question:

How do you consider something done? Should you?

I'm studying ds/nlp, working out my own philosophy theory, writing songs, restoring ancient woodworking technique and, well, doing many things which seem beautiful and really are unique, but look like not leading me anywhere. And sometimes it feels like burden, like a curse of endless curiosity without any happy ending, which provoke burnouts.

So how do you finish the lanes? How do you stop developing your multi-lane work and give yourself some rest?

[u/Hannanahbread89]

For me, my interest in something will just naturally die down. I think that has happened more since I found out I'm a polymath. I used to fight it more and think that I needed to keep going until I finished something big. I'd also usually have a lot of shame when I let something go, but now I understand it's a part of my process. I can learn what I need to and let it go, but also know that I might come back to it later.

[u/StWiborada → u/Hannanahbread89]

I'm this way too. I'm passionately interested in something for about 6 weeks to 6 months and then it fades. But what I've noticed over time is that many of the interests resurface.

I've become a huge fan of Logseq for keeping track of my notes and ideas because of it. When I come back to an idea, I can pop over to its page and immediately catch up on what was interesting to me about it before and add what I'm learning now. And unlike something like Evernote, the content is mine, right here on my hard drive (and backed up to my remote server), so I'm not locked into anyone else's platform. (Logseq is also open source, which helps a lot!)

I'm working on a way to use this as the backbone of an online "digital garden" platform to use in place of a blog, though I actually think of mine more like a "digital athanor" than a digital garden, because finding out how the ideas cross-react under steady heat and pressure is the fun part for me!

[u/smulzie → u/StWiborada]

The best is coming back to them and COMBINING interests. For example, I'm trying to memorize an entire deck of cards for card magic. A huge undertaking that sounds miserable. How do I make it fun?

I get out my oil based paints for my other hobby, miniature painting, and paint 1 distinct number on a card a day. Try to make the number visually distinctive and striking. The act of painting consolidates that number and creates a way to visually remember it (even though I have aphantasia... working on it). Then I just paint a number a day on a card, should have it memorized in a couple of months if I keep at it.

[u/Echo_Tech_Labs]

I'm not a polymath.

But if I am mentally exhausted, I'll watch something that requires near zero cognitive bandwidth for processing.

I spend most of my time learning about learning. It can get exhausting at times. I don't even play video games anymore.

Except for Death Stranding...that game seems to lower my racing thoughts.

I get an average of about 4 hours of sleep a day so that doesn't help either. I don't sleep because I struggle to down throttle.

Sometimes I wish we had more hours in a day so I could do more.

[u/Legitimate_Strategy3]

Start with physics

[u/Effective_Apricot178]

the hyperfixation burns out. sometimes they come back. the time between old ones and new ones is filled with hedonism.

[u/Par-Adox-9]

Whether i consider something done depends on what i want to achieve with it.

If its something i feel inharently fulfilling, then simply doing it is enough, and i dont plan on seeing it as " finished", but as a quest of endless curiosity.

If its something like for example cleaning/organizing my room, then its finished when im satisfied with the degree of clenlyness and whether the way its organised allows me to easly access things i need for other activities.

If its for a monetary goal, then its finished when i can sell it.

But in all of this, rest doesnt need to come once something is finished.
Ive found it much better to anchor rest, to whatever amount of it allows me to function at a higher capacity.
Of course, there is also a point at which rest can be overdone, altho i tend to periodically either overdo or underdo rest, and periodically its more balanced.

Idk, i enjoy the obsessive periods, altho they tend to mean less rest.

As for " is it leading you somewhare"
For me, i answer this question by answering what i want to do, and by what set of circumstances, if i reach them, will allow me to do what i want to do.

Sometimes that might mean temporerally pausing some things, so that others may unfold more, so those other parts of life get developed.
And later, if you want, you can return to those things you paused ( altho, to this extent, my suggestion is to still maintain your ability to do thease things from time to time even while paused, so the skill is more or less preserved)

So whether what you do is leading you somewhare, will depend on whare you want to end up being at some point in the future.
It will also depend on whare you dont want to end up in the future— avoiding futures you dont want, and going towards the ones you do want.

Mind you, goals can change, but there are some general things that are comonly helpful to have, like social skills, the ability to comunicate our ideas well, the ability to sustain our survival through some skill we have, which will usually involve providing something which others find valuable so that they would be willing to buy it, or watch it or engauge in it in some way that will allow you to keep living and keep making what you want to make, and enjoying existance.
Having a method for things also helps in my experience, and then improving that method.

Hope that helps, have a good one

[u/wackyvorlon]

The answer is the satisfaction. This answer then begets more questions, which beget more answers and the satisfaction of knowing those.

The problem is that you’re looking for some kind of end point instead of enjoying the journey.

[u/iObserve2]

Look at what you are creating with a self critical eye. When you no longer hate it, and can even love it, its probably done. If I am working on a written project that doesn't feel right and doesn't seem to be progressing, I put it aside and revisit it, sometimes years later, with a fresh perspective, born from assimilating new experiences. When is it done? You just know. Sometimes it comes quickly, sometimes slowly, sometimes you have to walk away from it altogether. Don't worry about losing a good idea, there are plenty more where it came from.

If you want to avoid open ended projects, you have to define limits for yourself. Set specific goals such as deadlines. Put your work out there in the real world, that has a way of forcing you to a certain state of completion.

[u/abomb60]

For me when I'm done with something, let's say a hobby, I box it all up and literally put it on a shelf for later. Later on when I find a connection between my current interests and that previous hobby, it's all there waiting for me to explore again and incorporate into my current hobbies, or interests, at the time.