"Multitasking, hopping from project to project, e-mailing while talking on the phone, rushing from meeting to meeting to get to the next appointment on time, ending the day with a frustrated feeling of neither fulfilling all of their goals nor performing at their best, let alone equanimity, when in fact, most of the time they do not. Instead, most of these people have a severe case of modern life – what I came to call attention deficit traits, or ADT."
- Driven to Distraction at Work, page 4
"Most people don’t see lack of focus as the root problem… [Most] simply blame themselves for their failure to being happier or more successful… If they even recognize how much their problem relates to impaired focus, they deal with it simply by trying to overpower it… They don’t need to work harder, just smarter."- Driven to Distraction, page 10
Hallowell says that many people have developed ways to help them deal with the numerous distractions or their “ongoing mental traffic jam”. These behaviors help in the short term, but may become regular habits that are present when they are not necessary.
According to Hallowell, you can take control back by “developing habits to help you consistently find focus and achieve your goals”. The basics of the plan include:
Hallowell says that each of the elements involves the powers that we all possess: body, mind, human connection, emotion, and structure.
Now let’s look at two of the “common ways in which people surrender their attention at work”: screen sucking and multitasking.
"The solution is simple, but extremely difficult to enact: turn it off. Of course, were it that easy, we wouldn’t need treatment programs."- Driven to Distraction, page 34
The first ADT is screen sucking. According to Hallowell, people who are in this category agree with one of these or similar statements:
Simply being online or surfing the Internet is not an ADT. It becomes an addiction when it interferes with your performance or with your ability to complete tacks.
If one of the statements describes you or if your performance is compromised by your time online, then you may suffer from this ADT. Hallowell states that people underestimate how long they are online; monitoring your time would be a good start. He goes on to offer specific suggestions, which include the following:
"It is neurologically impossible to concentrate on two tasks at once. What people really mean by ‘multitasking’ is switching attention from one task to another in rapid succession. If both tasks are boring… you can get away with it. But if either or both are complex… [both] will suffer, as will you."- Driven to Distraction, page 54-55
The inability to say no when you do not have time or constant multitasking is another ADT. There are benefits to multitasking in that you are “attentive to all that is going on” and you don’t miss anything. Conversely, he shows how it becomes problematic because “you are unable to pay full attention to anything”.
Hallowell states that people who are in this category agree with one of these or similar statements:
Occasionally saying yes when you’re overwhelmed or attempting to do more than two activities at once is not an ADT. It becomes one when it interferes with your performance.
If you are “overcommitted…chronically stressed…with no chance to slowdown”, then it’s a problem. Hallowell offers suggestions for those who may have this ADT:
According to Hallowell, we are victims of our own creation. He says that “labor-saving devices [have] catalyzed the unplanned explosion within which we live today.” Yet, the distractions or lack of focus does not have to be permanent. If turning it off, saying no, using time management techniques, or any of the other processes have not worked, Hallowell’s plan is for you.
Are you looking for practical, how-to solutions to life’s personal challenges? Best selling New York Times author and world-renowned ADHD expert, Dr. Ned Hallowell offers groundbreaking advice on how to survive in an ultra-competitive, ultra fast, attention deficit society while remaining sane, how to raise happy children, how to manage worry, the art of forgiveness and how to bring the best out of your employees. He also offers a prescriptive guide that shows how to get the most out of life with Attention Deficit Disorder.
