Do you have Office A.D.D.?

Ways to manage this deadly workplace disease: Attention Deficit Disorder.

Usually men are more vulnerable to A.D.D. because they do not have the benefit of the multi-tasking skills that evolution has given women.

Traditionally, very short attention spans have been associated with children.

Until the mid 80s, psychologists and physicians believed that A.D.D. hit at the stage of transition from child to adulthood.

But, now the researchers confirmed that childhood A.D.D. can continue well into adulthood. Cell phone and e-mail, the biggest tools of multitasking are the greatest enemies of concentration. Every e-mail message popping up at the corner of your monitor is the biggest hindrance to your concentration.

When you are disturbed while doing something, your brain cannot go back seamlessly to the job it was doing before the interruption.

For some of you, A.D.D. is an inbuilt condition. They have very short attention spans as with children. Responsibilities increase as they grow up, but concentration will not become better. This condition finally leads to unfinished jobs, raising panic attacks and stress. All of these finally cause psychological disorder.

A.D.D. can disrupt lives and leads to poor productivity. It can be mild, moderate or severe and the symptoms vary from person-to-person.

Some of your lives with A.D.D. may be full of overwhelming chaos – never ending tasks, loads of stuff and out-of-control clutter. Some with a very short attention span show hyperactivity.

How to Know if A.D.D. or A.D.H.D. lurks inside you?

Check out these symptoms to confirm whether you have this disorder or not.

  • Having trouble in completing the projects and jumping from one activity to another.
  • Feeling irritable all the time.
  • Difficulty in falling asleep and difficulty in waking up all the time.
  • Getting bored easily within 15 minutes of starting something to do.
  • Trouble in remembering the daily tasks.
  • Forgetting the things like keys, phone numbers, important documents, etc.
  • Finding trouble in balancing your cheque book.
  • Difficulty to engage in leisure activities.
  • Having the habit of interrupting others or replying even before questioning by some one else.
  • Discovering yourself over-committed and often getting late.
  • Feeling overwhelmed and disorganized in your daily life.

Follow these steps to avoid A.D.D.:

  • Do one thing at a time. When you are on the phone, give your full concentration towards the conversation. Note down the points which are useful. The same applies to your mail box. Avoid multitasking like chatting with a colleague while checking your mails.
  • Empty your mail box. Switch to your regular tasks; after you are done with your inbox. Assign specific times to check your e-mails and act immediately such as responding, deleting, forwarding, filing and finally at the end of your working day empty your mail box.
  • Discuss with your boss, whether instant response during work hours is really necessary.
  • Talk with your colleagues and limit the number of emails sending to each other during the day.
  • Break your task into smaller ones and work in small spurts.
  • Ask for help when you are in need.
  • Make use of the tools in order to keep your life organized, like to-do lists, outlook reminders and personal digital assistants.
  • Be practical while making the to-do list.
  • Practice regular workouts to remove some of the noise inside.

Diet changes can lead to A.D.D. as low levels of blood sugar intake can lead to short attention span. Glucose is essential for proper functioning of your brain; lack of glucose interrupts your focus. Iron deficiency in your diet may obstruct your focus [Coping tips for ADD].

A.D.D. makes it difficult to understand how others think and feel; thus leading to socially inappropriate behavior. This condition needs psychological counseling.