[Uytuun]

I've been working a bit on a fairly abstract and difficult matter today and I've noticed that I cannot reach a conclusion when I think...i.e. I can keep on thinking, I detect possible interpretations constantly that play with or replace previous ones, I get constant insights and feel like I move to higher planes of abstraction all the time...I'm the eternal "however" girl. I have to make a presentation of the stuff I've worked on today and it's pretty complex and that means I'll have to stop thinking at one point...but that's very counterintuitive.

Is this something you guys can relate to?

[notoppings]

Yes I can relate I tend to over think a situation and finally have to stop myself in order to get things done.

[sriv]

If that happens I just sleep on it or put it off to another time.

Maybe your Ni hasn't struck full force yet?

[Uytuun]

This isn't a situation...it's like philosophical thinking for uni in the context of the interpretation of a poem by a very cryptic man...I see possibilities and things that make sense everywhere ("Aha!") feels more like a Ni overload than a lack thereof.

[Monte314]

Here is a suggestion that might help you.

I have experienced what you describe: an idea presents itself, this leads to something else... pretty soon I'm out in left field somewhere. So, I start the whole thing over, only to end up, yet again, in some state that doesn't bring closure... and so on.

What I discovered was that this was happening because I didn't have a clearly formulated question in mind. I THOUGHT I knew what I was trying to do, but some ambiguity, some unspecified generality, or even a fundamental misunderstanding made it impossible to reach a satisfactory resolution.

I suggest you try expressing your problem as a concise question (or small set of questions). Make them as concrete as possible. It's even better if they all have "yes/no" answers. This often reveals subtle (but fatal) assumptions, misunderstandings, or embedded roadblcoks that hinder progress. In many ways, this kind of "question building" approach can be a very effective creative problem solving technique.

Another method I sometimes use with technical customers to help define a path to an answer is to "visualize" the solution. I proceed with these instructions to the customer:

"Imagine that we have just finished developing the solution to your problem. You can see it sitting here on the table in front of us. You look it over carefully... and you say to yourself 'This is EXACTLY what I wanted!' Got that? OK; tell me what you see...."

By imagining in concrete terms what the components of a good solution would be, it is sometimes possible to characterize it sufficiently to determine how to go after it.

Both of these methods address a fundamental problem in creative thought: knowing when you are "done". Often we wander around a problem in our minds hunting for a solution that we won't recognize even when we see it. Overcoming this natural limitation is often what distinguishes great from mediocre minds. The ability to recognize that the answer is embedded in stuff that everyone else has overlooked is 99% of what inspired genius is all about. Einstein was an exceptional example of this, but there are many others.

Bottom line for me: at least half of solving any difficult problem is asking the question in the right way, because a "well-asked" question will often answer itself.

[Arcani]

I have a similar problem where my mind wanders off on tangents from what I was initially thinking about. Usually it is in an effort to fully understand the topic and an surrounding information so I can answer as completely as possible. The problem is that in covering such a vast range of information, I end up finding another topic that interests me and captures my attention.

I find that to stay on track I do a few things.
First, I constantly ask myself "How does this relate to my topic?" If I can't answer that in a sentence, then I should look elsewhere for insight. Since that topic interested me I just write it down or open a new tab in firefox so I can go back later.
Another thing that keeps me on track is talking to myself. If I feel myself drifting away or I absolutely must stay on topic I will start having the arguments out loud instead of in my head. It's easier to notice when you're moving off topic.
The last thing I do is a little abstract, but basically I create a moderator figure in my head to make sure everything keeps running smoothly. I don't really know how else to explain it, it's a little weird I guess...

I also find that, when I remember to do it, Monte's advice leads to some really great insight and can definitely keep you moving in the right direction.