: : : : : Depart Mentk : : : : :
: : : : : Well-Being : : : : :
later, having accomplished nothing.
We forget appointments, abandon
projects, and risk our safety ( 16 percent
of auto fatalities in 2008 were linked
to distraction, up from 12 percent in
2004, the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration reports).
In the mid-1990s Edward M. Hallowell, M.D., a psychiatrist who specializes in attention deficit disorder
(ADD), began hearing more complaints from adults who, he says,
felt “overstretched and overbooked.”
Being busy is not new, obviously, but
with each passing year, technology
exacerbates the problem. “With the
proliferation of ‘electronic devices,’
as the airlines call them, just about the
only place a person can be ‘not available’ is in the shower,” says Hallowell,
author of CrazyBusy: Overstretched,
Overbooked, and About to Snap!
The human brain evolved 500,000
years ago, and in some ways it’s poorly
equipped for the current challenges.
Scientists say humans are motivated
to search for rewards—an urge that
surpasses even the pleasure we get
from acquiring them. This might have
been a useful characteristic for our
prehistoric ancestors, prodding them
to search for the next promising berry
patch. It is less useful, however, when
we’re foraging amid the endless ex-
panses of the Internet or cable TV.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
; STUDY YOUR HABI TS
Don’t be a passive
consumer of culture.
Ask yourself every day
whether you are focusing on the right things.
; LIMI T YOUR INPU TS
Stick to favorite websites and TV programs
and resist aimless
Web and channel
surfing. Open-ended
cruising can cause you
to lose track of time
and goals.
; EXERCISE YOUR
“CONCENTRATION
MUSCLES” Focused
activities such as read-
ing an absorbing book
or meditating
will sharpen
attention and
relieve stress.
; LEAVE A TRAIL
When you think of
something for your
to-do list—or a juicy
but nonpertinent
article catches your
eye—make a note to
return to it later. Then
get back to the task
at hand.
; GET SOME AIR When
you take a break, unplug completely. Take
a walk, meet a friend
for coffee, play with
the dog. You’ll return
TAME YOUR
INFO APPETITE
refreshed—and with
better focus.
; LET I T GO Okay, so
you can’t figure out
why you recognize a
particular actor on
TV. Just because you
can get the answer
online doesn’t mean
you should. Which
will be more valuable
tomorrow—knowing
the answer or finishing
your work? —K.R.
