Does your mind seem to 'work too quickly'?

[Hdier]

Here's the thing: when I was in elementary school, I had a bunch problems stemming from one thing: my brain worked to quickly. I would forget to finish a sentence, sometimes even skip paragraphs, when I was writing papers for school, and I still have to conciously make an effort not to do that at times. I'm wondering if anyone else has that problem, and if it's linked to personality type.

[justmeiguess]

Yeah I did that. My arm was in such a hurry to get a thought down on the page before I forgot it that I often didn't finish off words. For example "the" often became "th" or "t". The only problem is if I can't get it down quick enough I get frustrated with what I do end up putting down as it never seems to be phrased as well as it was originally. Put simply, things always sound better in my head. Actually, thinking about it, this sometimes affects my speech. When I try to voice an idea at the speed that it comes into my head, rather than taking the time to 'translate' it from thought language to spoken language, words tend to come out in the wrong or or I end up rambling as I try to order my argument.

As for whether it has to do with type, I'm not sure. I'm pretty sure a friend of mine has also reported not finishing off words and she's definitely not INTJ nor introverted for that matter.

[Hdier]

Yeah, I talk way to quickly most of the time (to people I know) so that I can get out what I want to say. Most of the time, though, what I say isn't anything of value. I do this as a self-defense mechanism against myself (I talk to myself, and don't want other people to hear what I'm thinking).

[justmeiguess]

Yeah, I talk way to quickly most of the time (to people I know) so that I can get out what I want to say.

Yeah, I talk too quickly too. It's proven to be more of a problem since I began university as my friends can't tell what I'm saying due to the speed and my Northern accent. This means I often have to repeat myself and I hate having to repeat myself. Especially if it was a joke.

[Hdier]

I have the same problem, though I have an odd mix of accents (I will randomly not pronounce letters, or pronounce a word in a random accent, none of it intentionall), which probably is related to the fact that my dad was in the USAF.

Oh, yeah. And what does a Northern accent sound like?

[justmeiguess]

By Northern I mean northern England. Here, I've found a random YouTube clip of the Yorkshire accent: To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

[BlackHawk]

I don't have problems thinking too quickly. My mind generates ideas faster than my hand writes them down, but it doesn't affect the final product. I'll often have a paper written in my head long before it's actually on paper, even if I type/write constantly while thinking.

[Epicurus]

Its very hard for me at times to remember what I was thinking of a few seconds before, and I have to start over again. Sometimes I don't remmeber what people where saying some few seconds before and have to ask again even if I heard them perfectly well. Its not a huge problem really but at times annoying, especially when I haven't slept to much but even when I have. Its happened sometimes that I have ''been stopped'' by myself in the middle of a sentence not remmebering what I was going to say, not very usual tough because Im not in the midst of conversations very much.

[yami]

I also find that my mind works too quickly when I write. Typing is fine, since I type very fast. When it comes to writing, I tend to forget what I was writing mid-sentence and have to think for a bit before I remember what i was trying to say.

As for when I'm speaking, I tend to speak quickly. Although I have managed to speak slower recently for one simple reason: not having to repeat myself

[mind_wander]

Yeah, I know this is a problem for me, most of the people in INTJ chatroom has mentioned this too my attention.

[chikwbrains]

My biggest irritant is having to repeat myself. I get p.o.'ed very quickly about that. I think a lot faster than I speak or write, so a lot of the time, I dont get Ideas out completely. I find that I have to slow WAY down and think very carefully about what I am trying to get across for the intended receiver to understand my point. I also say the phrase "do you understand what Im saying" alot. Not because I think the other person is dumb (usually) I just need to make sure Im communicating correctly.

[TruorTupnm]

Ugh. Yes. For writing, it is not normally a problem, and I usually check over everything before allowing it to be read. For speaking, I have the same problem as many. Brain going too fast, I have to get all of the ideas out, other humans going too slow, I get impatient, have to slow down. I'm just trying to get it out before I forget. When will we make creepy little psychic headsets, that we might communicate at the speed of thought? Ah, also, when I am especially sleepy, I have been informed that I am way easier to understand. Not fun.

[Santana28]

absolutely. one of my hallmark issues.

in fact, i refuse to write unless i absolutely have to. i get letters mixed up and leave things out (or whole words frequently) because i can't write as quickly as my brain thinks. I type 70+ WPM so it helps me express myself much better, but i still lose track of my thoughts rather frequently. Its very annoying... i think up something absolutely genius and i go to write it down and i can't remember it. I can't begin to tell you how many novels i could have written by now if i could slow down my thoughts.

[rocksteady]

wow, everything you guys have mentioned happens to me! I did a lot of drugs in my younger days, i thought it was because of that! whew, good to know! Our brains really do feel constrained by our clumsy bio - systems. God, I can't wait to be a cyborg!

[SMKN LS1]

You guys are really on the money here! I've always spoken too fast, skipped words, and even entire thoughts when explaining things. I had a performance review yesterday, and my boss told me to recognize that not everyone has the same strengths as me. He basically warned me that I can alienate people because they can't keep up. Sucks to be them.

When in school, were you also the first student to complete tests?

[rocksteady]

When in school, were you also the first student to complete tests?

of course, i actually took it as a small matter of pride. Sometimes I had a tendency to forget to check my work, but I would never get too many wrong..

[TruorTupnm]

Towards tests, yes, I was always the first, but it was mostly so that I could get that boring stuff over with and get back to whatever book I was reading. Of course, if I was ever up against someone else who was at least halfway intelligent, I would be competitive. :rolleyes: Speech rushing and stumbling to keep up with the brain has won me a few grins from those with the same problem. Those guys are cool, and we can sit quietly and patiently present all thoughts to each other. *sigh*

[mielikki]

Well, I have ADHD, so my mind is on overdrive constantly.
I was usually the first to complete tests, and I got bored very easily. So, the last 45 minutes where you had to sit quietly while everyone else finished up their exam were spent tapping my feet, squirming and generally annoying everyone else.

[Santana28]

When in school, were you also the first student to complete tests?

yup.

i was one of those "unmotivated" students - i never studied. sat in the back of the room and drew instead of taking notes. skipped assignments and only completed the bare minimun needed to pass the course... usually by stealing the answers, etc. Of course, all of my teachers knew this - and ignored it. Why? Because there has never been a test that i didnt ace. And in a school system where the grades are heavily weighted on test answers... i never had any problems.

I took the ACT on 3 hours of sleep. Everyone in the room had a graphic calculator - i forgot mine, so i did all of the math by hand. I still was one of the first done, and i ended up getting the 2nd best test score in my entire school. I thought i did horrible on it and i was intending on retaking it with better preparation... then the school counselor came into my classroom and singled me out and congratulated me on my test score. So i never did. My score was very good, but not nearly as good as it should have been. Oh well. I'd fail it now if i retook it because almost all of the useless knowledge on that test i have already discarded :)

[Rei]

Definitely too quickly.

Sometimes more quickly than I can make sense of. If I were working on a problem that requires problem solving for example. Sometimes I already have to solution somewhere in my head, but I can't seem to bring things together enough to put it down on paper.

Sometimes my head works faster than my writing, so I skip words and things and end up with a meaningless sentence. It's rather frustrating when you're in the middle of an exam... and you have to go back to make sure you wrote down what you meant to write.

[Aoiluna]

I think that the reason we are all such fast test takers is because intjs know exactly what they do or do not know. We know what we know and we know what we don't know I guess is the best explanation? We don't waste time with things that we know are not worth contemplating over if we have no idea. Our intuitiveness is a big part too, im sure.

[Hdier]

Are you saying that because we know what we talk about, and it is therefore retrieved quickly, and so we attempt to exhume it quickly in order to compensate, causing us to talk quickly and sometimes skip parts of our literature and speech? If it is, than I agree with you.

[justmeiguess]

Am I the only one who has never been one of the first to finish exams?

Although my brain works quicker than my writing hand, I seem to have more to say than the time allows.

[Hdier]

Hah! Not only am I usually the first one to finish a test, one time I was the only one to even get above a 90 (math test; I got 100) and I was the first one by far.

That's the only time anything that extreme happened to me, though.

[justmeiguess]

I remember I once got 99/100 on a geography test, way above the rest of the class. I'm just gutted that I never found out what I got wrong.

[Paul V]

Yes, definetely. I always finish tests/assignments first, or I'm the first to understand a new concept. I'm also able to tell within seconds whether I remember something or not. If I don't remember something in a few seconds, I probably won't remember it without serious effort. And my mind is always reeling with thoughts, one after the other... I'm also very impatient.

But when it comes to certain things (things that I want to savour, or things I want to do perfectly), I take all my time.

[HarleyQuinn]

I found this happens a lot in English classes...

I'll have an idea spurred by what somebody has said and while waiting for the teacher, I'll be contemplating what somebody else says so by the time I'm called upon... I've completely forgotten how my idea connected to the original point made by person A.

As for finishing tests first, yes, but now I take my time because I found that when I rushed, I tended to do what others have said in regards to forgetting words or finishing sentences. I hate double checking my work so I'd hand it in with mistakes and get penalized.

I do find it annoying when I'm writing and my mind is already two sentences ahead and so I start to write that sentence in the middle of the sentence "lagging" behind.

[Aoiluna]

Am I the only one who has never been one of the first to finish exams?

Although my brain works quicker than my writing hand, I seem to have more to say than the time allows.

Well I am referring more to multiple choice, fill-in, and true/false questions. As far as essays go, I do end up spending a lot of time because I work too fast, and then have to go back to insert more thoughts because they just keep coming. So in the end, I do end up spending more time on essays unless I was aware of the topic beforehand and planned it out, or if I know there is something specific the professor is looking for.

[Hdier]

I hate that; I had to take a reading test at the begging of High School and not only did I actually get a question wrong, but they never told me which one!

[SMKN LS1]

Well, I have a crazy hypothesis about this whole topic.

I believe that our biological bodies & minds simply cannot keep up with our essence/spirit/soul. :speechless: Ever feel like you're in a prison? I swear this body has too many limitations. I hope to someday be freed to simultaneously analyze 50 different things and think at the speed of light...

...or, maybe I should just go to bed and get some sleep.

[Hypomanic]

Yeah my mind races. I don't like sleep either.

[danalaina]

Yeah my mind races. I don't like sleep either.

same, and my mind also tends to work faster than my mouth/pen.

i notice this a lot when i'm writing...i'll be spelling the words out in my head as i'm writing them (just sort of a habit), but i'll sometimes skip over a letter on the page. didn't notice this until a few years ago, but then again, i don't have cause to use treeware for writing much anymore.

[Hdier]

I hate all of my physical necessities. Eating, sleeping, breathing...the list of time wasters goes on.

[PortInStorm]

I have trouble speaking with people because there's so much going on in my head. I've already got my ideas there, but then I'm thinking of the most parsimonious way to say it, while my mind is simultaneously branching out into new ideas. So as I'm trying to get out the edited material while thinking new thoughts, I'm also processing the person's reaction, involuntarily thinking their thoughts, and trying to adjust midstream accordingly. That gets me all the time. It's not that I haven't seen and learned social interaction, it's that there's so much going on in my head at the time, with a dollop of self-monitoring and perfectionism in there as well.

[ushop]

Yes! My mind goes crazy connecting things, particularly in English class when I flip through books to get relevant quotes and their page numbers. When I can't speak because someone else takes too long to get to their point, I sometimes bite my pen and repeatedly shaking my leg. I can get really anxious.

[DeadSpace]

yes, overdrive, teachers hated my handwriting...i tried to write as fast as i was thinking :\. Typings easier, i can get a pretty good clip going so there's not as much stutter betwixt processor and output medium (so to speak)
It extends to conversations though, and chat rooms, if i'm after information fast or in a hurry i'll switch to short speak, leaving off words i don't think are needed to convey information or questions, not intentional, automatic. heh, reread and realised...just did it 'it's' not intentional, 'it's' automatic (my english teachers every single one despaired of me)

[Tokey41]

Wow, I didn't know that was a result of the INTJ personality type... makes me feel better about it though! Anyway it doesn't happen to me much anymore in terms of writing exams, usually I do just go at my normal 'mind pace' and am one of the first ones done but then I slowly review every part of it afterwards to make sure I haven't left anything out or missed something.

But when I talk sometimes I just expect the other person to fill in the blanks and it doesn't work out too well.

[Hdier]

Wow, I don't think it's humanly possible to type as fast as I think...then again, I think more in general impressions, rather than words, though I know what the words are...I would go on, but I don't fully understand it myself. If I need to review, the first fully developed person in my head questions me about it (I'm being serious).

[DeadSpace]

Wow, I don't think it's humanly possible to type as fast as I think...then again, I think more in general impressions, rather than words, though I know what the words are...I would go on, but I don't fully understand it myself. If I need to review, the first fully developed person in my head questions me about it (I'm being serious).

found i nice descrip that fit thought patterns, gestalt, chunk thinking, kinda fits, they're not words as such, but impressions is good...concepts, bleh...hard to reallly describe when i actually try to O.o
And you have people? i have bots ^^ assign them to keep track of things, or do background work (bots is just a label...dunno really what to call the splinters of thought processes)

[gallihand]

I usually apply the 80/20 rule with writing. 80% of what I want to isn't nearly worth what the other 20% is. So I pretty much take that 20% which is a culmination of everything put into a more correct English format and type it out. OTOH I'm left stretching for more volume in some papers and essays.

And I'm usually the first or close to the first person finished with tests when I'm not stretching. And its definitely due in large part to the "I know what I know and I know what I don't know." (And I've said that to someone who asked how I finished tests so quick)

[Hdier]

I have people in the back-left of my brain, and I have a ton of machines (though not robots) in the back-right of my brain. I take up most of the front.

[Provoker]

When I try to voice an idea at the speed that it comes into my head, rather than taking the time to 'translate' it from thought language to spoken language, words tend to come out in the wrong or or I end up rambling as I try to order my argument.

George W. Bush is notorious for making syntax errors in his speech. I think many people that can't speak their thoughts in a measured and coherent manner can't think in a measured and coherent manner. Their speech reflects this. People who can effectively express what's on their mind have a tighter grip on their mind. Someone who mumbles, makes syntax errors, or lacks coherence in speech likely has these problems occuring in the mind to. People who have a firmer grasp on a concept can speek about it extensively. Those who lack the ability to hold a thought, will certainly not be able to speak about it in real time. So I think there are correlations between thinking and speaking. Bad speaking often reflects bad thinking.

[Caramel]

George W. Bush is notorious for making syntax errors in his speech. I think many people that can't speak their thoughts in a measured and coherent manner can't think in a measured and coherent manner. Their speech reflects this. People who can effectively express what's on their mind have a tighter grip on their mind. Someone who mumbles, makes syntax errors, or lacks coherence in speech likely has these problems occuring in the mind to. People who have a firmer grasp on a concept can speek about it extensively. Those who lack the ability to hold a thought, will certainly not be able to speak about it in real time. So I think there are correlations between thinking and speaking. Bad speaking often reflects bad thinking.

That is an aweful lot of words just to conclude that Bush can't think. ;)

(I know that wasn't your conclusion at all.)

My brain works faster than I can speak or type, so I pause a lot. In typing this causes no problem, since noone can see how fast you reply anyway. In speaking I learned myself to halt at the end of a sentence to not look like a total idiot.

At exams, I always finish last. I write huge chunks of data on every question and put my reasoning down, even on multiple choice questions. I just write everything I know and every relevant connection I can make.

And another A4 filled with text. Exams kill trees.

[Hdier]

You're making Caramel comparable to George W.?! Why do you hate her so much? (please don't take that seriously)

Why do you do that (your second to last paragraph, Caramel)? It seems like a waste of time to me, but perhaps I'm missing something.

They only kill trees if they're on paper (taking them on the internet is much better).

[Caramel]

Why do you do that (your second to last paragraph, Caramel)? It seems like a waste of time to me, but perhaps I'm missing something.



I basicly do it because I want to make sure I don't miss any details. I'd rather spent a few extra minutes per question and answering it correct, than hurry over things and make a mistake.

Exams consist of two types of questions, the very specific detailed ones (S) and the insight (N) ones. The insight questions are easy, just connect the dots. Don't even need to study for it, just extract the underlying context of the question and use that to arrive at your answer.

That doens't work with a specific question, since there is nothing to compare it to / relate to. I study molecular biology, so let me give you a example question: "List both the intrinsic and extrinsic apoptosis pathways. Include how FasL signalling influences Bax signalling. A drawing is considered correct only if it contains all relevant proteins."

To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

Above picture could be the answer, with explanations of what every protein is and does.

As you can see, it takes a while to write that down.

I also study computer sciences, tests there only include insight questions with some math, so that doesn't take as much time.

EDIT: Or did you mean the multiple choice questions specifically?

Thats just ordening my own thoughts on paper. Since I study in connections, not loose objects, I usually don't know the answers to these propositions so I derive them from context / logic. "A is impossible, B is plausible but unlikely, C is just bullshit, so its D."

Memory can fail, logic cannot.

[Pinkie]

I usually forget the final letters of words, just because mentally I'm three or four words ahead when I'm writing. Generally, my speech is quite coherent, but that's because I spend a long time thinking what I'm going to say. Which is probably quite annoying in itself, because I spend a while deliberating before I answer things.

[Zilal]

Wow, I thought I did this stuff because I'm just so absent-minded.

I constantly leave letters out of words when I write by hand. Constantly. It's only gotten worse as I get older. I'm always going back and sticking Ls and Ts in where I left them out. I suppose I write pretty fast... my handwriting is terrible.

Once in a while I'll leave a word out when I speak, but more often I try to say two words at once. My brain will decide on saying the word "nightly" and then--as I'm saying it--will decide the word "nocturnal" is better, and I'll end up saying "nighturnal" or something equally stupid.

I also pretty consistently answer questions on tests and homework without having read them through all the way. I'm always smacking myself when I get them back and see what I had points taken off for. I try to pay attention and read carefully but it's damn hard. My brain just jumps ahead once I've got an inkling and I don't even notice there IS more to the question.

I used to finish exams in a flash, but I've found myself slowing down as the material has gotten more difficult... now I usually finish in the middle of the pack. The first time that happened to me, I thought, oh my god. I must be doing so bad. All these people are finishing before me! Then I found I still had the highest grade in the class. This was a revelation to me. It had never occurred to me before that you might race through a test *without* knowing what you were doing. I still don't know why people do that.

[Hdier]

I have that problem with not reading through queestions as well, it's really annoying when reading through them would've gotten you 100% when you got a 89.23%.

My theory is that they're lazy idiots, or that they're just trying to impress people.

[Caramel]

I have that problem with not reading through queestions as well, it's really annoying when reading through them would've gotten you 100% when you got a 89.23%.

My theory is that they're lazy idiots, or that they're just trying to impress people.

@ First part: I agree, that is so annoying.

@ Second part: They're lazy idots who try to impress the other lazy idiots. At least, thats how it was in my class.

[lancelot]

yes my mind works too quickly, I leave out words in sentences.
I prefer to think conceptually, sometimes I over look details.
I also belive a conceptual person can present an important concept using basic words; Yet a person with a hugh vocabulary may have difficulty expressing or understanding important concepts.

[istheather]

Yes, my mind works very quickly, my problem is that I speak either way to fast and people have to tell me to slow down or I use terms or analogies that most people don't understand and I get that all to common blank, glazed over stare at me...gotta love that

There are also time when in a meeting for example when they are discussing a problem, people get aggravated at me because I don't say anything, but in reality I'm processing what has been asked and then I might make a comment on the matter after the fact.

[Rick]

All of this reminds me of something from years ago.

Someone was telling me about a CPU that could emulate another CPU in real time - meaning that the more powerful processor could perform all it's calculations and still do everything the other CPU could do.

Up to the time I was a teenager, once I got to know someone, I could "emulate" them. In other words, when they would make a statement or ask a question, I could play out all the scenarios of where they were headed with it, and mentally leap several steps ahead to answer the unasked question. It was...efficient.

It freaked my mother out a few times and scared her. She would ask me something, then, I would begin to answer, interrupt myself, start to answer, interrupt again, then finally answer the unasked question. During this time, it would sound like I was arguing with an immaginary person. When I finally answered, she's say, "that's not what I asked.". I'd tell her that I knew, but it was what she was getting to. It freaked her out enough that she asked me to stop and I did.

I've since trained myself not to second guess people. Wish I never had.

[anthrogirl]

It is so cool to know I'm not the only person whose brain continually runs on high speed. It's like running a marathon everyday in your head. When I have to write essays for uni I always miss out words, especially joining words like 'the' or 'or' because I'm already on the next sentence in my mind, nice to know I am not a freak!

[BadMojo]

Here's the thing: when I was in elementary school, I had a bunch problems stemming from one thing: my brain worked to quickly. I would forget to finish a sentence, sometimes even skip paragraphs, when I was writing papers for school, and I still have to consciously make an effort not to do that at times. I'm wondering if anyone else has that problem, and if it's linked to personality type.
Same problem here. Pretty damn annoying. When I write i sometimes leave out entire words or sentences, so I have developed an iterative work process.

[Antares]

I have that problem. Sometimes it has its advantages, but most of the time, it causes me to jump over sentences or particular words because while I'm writing A, my mind is already on B or C and fully know what I'm going to say for them.

[pavman]

I tend to find that I go from A to C so quickly, most people look at me odd when I don't explain B. It is frustrating to have to explain things that shouldn't have to be explained.

But then, its not my fault they're so ... different.

I tend to talk very quickly when I know what I'm talking about and sometimes I've found it helps to ask the other participants if it made sense.

:)

As for writing, I've never had a problem writing. Except when I re-think some things and its too late to update it.

[AliciaS2R]

Yes, my mind works very quickly, my problem is that I speak either way to fast and people have to tell me to slow down or I use terms or analogies that most people don't understand and I get that all to common blank, glazed over stare at me...gotta love that

There are also time when in a meeting for example when they are discussing a problem, people get aggravated at me because I don't say anything, but in reality I'm processing what has been asked and then I might make a comment on the matter after the fact.

I also listen a lot without making a comment, some people feel that I am ignoring them. No, it's usually that I am processing what has been said (got to get a faster processor ;) ) or I feel that a reply is not necessary and probably just redundant.

[Antares]

As for writing, I've never had a problem writing. Except when I re-think some things and its too late to update it.

Haha. This is how I would write a Genghis Khan paper: Starting out as a leader of a mere tribe, he was a brilliant ruled the largest continuous empire the world burned cities in Persia.

It was supposed to be: Starting out as a leader of a mere tribe, he was a brilliant military leader and he ruled the largest continuous empire the world has ever seen: twice the size of the Roman Empire at its best and four times the Alexandrian empire. Despite his genius, he was also a cruel and ruthless conquerer. After his army won gloriously in the Middle East, he ordered the cities of Persia burned.

Or something like that. I can't exactly remember the facts ;)

When I write papers or do a project, I can always find ways to improve it, but like you, some of my ideas came too late; after it has been handed in.

[youngblooded]

I have smiliar experiences too. During classes for example, when my teachers asks us to write an essay, I would have finished at least half of the introduction by the time the rest have completed writing their name on their worksheets. Its not that my essay is fantastic or anything but I have always felt this urge to write down my ideas immediately.

[Antares]

I also listen a lot without making a comment, some people feel that I am ignoring them. No, it's usually that I am processing what has been said (got to get a faster processor ;) ) or I feel that a reply is not necessary and probably just redundant.

I just smile and nod, and people often think that I don't really care what they're saying. I know well enough that if I utter a word, they wouldn't understand it, and I'd have to explain my whole thinking process to them and then comprehension would dawn upon their faces. I find that rather annoying, but being a hypocrite that I am, I'm also annoyed when others answered my question with something totally irrelevant because their mind is waaaaay ahead, because I was just waiting for an answer to that question alone and didn't do much thinking on my part.

[Femme de Homme INTJ]

Yeah, sometimes too ly.

[coffeeloverfreak]

Here's the thing: when I was in elementary school, I had a bunch problems stemming from one thing: my brain worked to quickly. I would forget to finish a sentence, sometimes even skip paragraphs, when I was writing papers for school, and I still have to conciously make an effort not to do that at times. I'm wondering if anyone else has that problem, and if it's linked to personality type.

Yes! All the time!

I got teased a lot for having my own specific types of errors, especially in math, which I was always good at. I'd work out a 3-page complicated math problem perfectly, and in the last step, I'd add 1+1 and get 1, and it would mess up the answer entirely.

I also find my brain rushes ahead while people are talking, brainstorming or generating ideas. I'm constantly deconstructing or attacking what they're saying in my head, and I even go so far as to interrupt people to finish their sentences and then say "yes, but"... and proceed to tell them why they're wrong. I'm aware this is a very bad character flaw, and I'm not proud of it, but I find myself doing it far more often than I care to admit.

[Zilal]

I got teased a lot for having my own specific types of errors, especially in math, which I was always good at. I'd work out a 3-page complicated math problem perfectly, and in the last step, I'd add 1+1 and get 1, and it would mess up the answer entirely.

I had a rough time in calculus last semester because I make such stupid arithmetic errors. I get the *concepts* of calculus fine. But I'm constantly doing things like dividing a number by itself to get 0, or something.

[JTG]

Its very hard for me at times to remember what I was thinking of a few seconds before, and I have to start over again. Sometimes I don't remmeber what people where saying some few seconds before and have to ask again even if I heard them perfectly well.I have this problem, and also have the problem of not registering what people say to me and asking "what?" only to then realize what they said, before they repeat it. I think it's cause my mind is always so busy, it holds the info until it finishes what it was doing, then it accepts the audio input.

Writing has always been a painful thing to me, because i think much faster than i write, which means going back and trying to remember what i was thinking about when i started the sentence. As a result, my handwriting over the years has degraded down to some shorthand looking scratch marks that nobody can read but me, and sometimes not even me D: It's faster at least, so i don't lose my place as often.

Typing is a much easier thing, but i still don't type as fast as i think. At least it's easier to go back and restart a sentence. Backspace is better than erasers.

Math gets me in trouble too, because if it's a branch i'm not rusty in, i often look at the problem and see the answer. It's hard for me to go back and break it down into the steps that got the answer, so teachers who require people to show their work often are suspicious of me cheating or something. When i do show my work, my mind races ahead to the answer, and i sometimes make a mistake in notation, either doing a +/- wrong, forgetting to write down carried numbers, etc. It's so counterintuitive to get the answer wrong more often when i show my work than when i don't ._.

[aok]

Regarding the ability to document rapid thought properly and accurately, I've always found free association w/out the constraints of grammar the closest approximation. This of course, doesn't take into account whether or not others will be able to understand or comprehend it.

[interjerator]

I sometimes think I've said something to someone when all I've done is think it. That occurred more when I was young than now.

[ssfanatic]

Here's the thing: when I was in elementary school, I had a bunch problems stemming from one thing: my brain worked to quickly. I would forget to finish a sentence, sometimes even skip paragraphs, when I was writing papers for school, and I still have to conciously make an effort not to do that at times. I'm wondering if anyone else has that problem, and if it's linked to personality type.
I completely understand, im not a very good story teller bec i skip scenes and people just cant understand me. I also laugh at jokes WAAAAY before anyone else does, so everyone looks at me and i really dont like that.

[JTG]

Yeah i'm a terrible storyteller. There's way too much "wait go back, i missed a part" when i'm giving an account of something that happened, sometimes with jokes too.

[Cookabara]

Yes, yes, yes, all of the above.
I know it can be trained.
As I am getting older, sometimes it feels like the signal goes from the CPU straight to the vocal cords, without MY consent and still sounds right, even wise. There is hope.

[Surion]

I thought it was difficult to answer in this thread because of the the quick thoughts. :|
Reading each of your answers made me think a lot each time. And it was difficult to remember all things I wanted to share. It is even more difficult to read a book in this state. :)

I intentionally slow down, when speaking, to make sure people keep up with me. However, it still happens that I overrate the obviousness of some facts and as a result I remain not understood because of skipping elements which are crucial for them. I train myself hard in order to improve that. Maybe that's why INTJ's are the least understood type?

[Vaden Koch]

I have similar complications in trying to relay my thoughts, whether by hand or verbally. I speak incredibly fast, especially at work, and sometimes people have a difficult time understanding me and get frustrated. It’s not intentional, I am simply trying to communicate what I’m thinking, sometimes as I’m thinking it. Does that make sense?

And does anyone else become extremely frustrated with those who speak slowly? You know those types, what could be said in 3 seconds takes more like 8 or 9, even more with some people. I become frustrated, and my first conclusion to their prolonged act of speaking is that they are incompetent (I don’t mean to do this). Which I know without a doubt is completely untrue. I’ve worked with some brilliant people who spoke at this tortoise rate, but more importantly I really dislike harboring these negative initial attitudes towards fellow man.

[Uytuun]

Oh yes, no doubt about it. It doesn't help with understanding us. It's ok in writing when I can take the time to structure the stuff my mind has bombarded me with upon thinking of a certain topic, but conversation is difficult...only very patient/interested people that don't mind some incoherence, skipping thoughts, looking up in the air in order to find the right words, vague descriptions etc. will ever figure out my theories. I dislike monologues for that very reason, the blank staring eyes, the frowns...it's pretty discouraging. I'm also a dreadful story-teller. Thankfully not all people go mooooo when I try to explain something. It's always a nice surprise to meet someone that gives me the time to talk. I do then have the impression that I talk about myself too much, how ironic.

INTJs are probably good stream of consciousness writers.