Comments on: Zen Kitten: Singletasking.

By: emma_g

emma_g — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:09:57 +0000

I realize you posted this a while back, but on behalf of all the halo playing ADD kids out there, I’d like to add on to the comment above by mentioning that ADD isn’t a lack of attention so much as an inability to direct one’s attention where one wants. That means that most ADD people struggle both with a lack of focus on some things and hyperfocus on others. Hyperfocused times can be very productive or not, but are characterized by intense concentration and a lack of awareness of time passing (like the “flow” state often described by productivity researchers, but without the ability to get it to happen consistently). Non-ADD people have predictable cycles of dopamine throughout the day, so can plan around times they can focus better/worse. ADD people have unpredictable times of focus/distraction.

For people with inattentive forms of ADD, multi-tasking as opposed to task-switching, (i.e. not calling and emailing at the same time, but rather knitting or doodling during a presentation, chewing gum, sipping a drink, listening to music, etc.) can actually improve concentration by providing an outlet for the wandering attention threads while maintaining focus on the main activity…the reverse of what helps many people without ADD, or with other forms of the disorder. It provides an outside trigger that keeps one in the moment (like your cats) instead of wandering around in your head (like tru during a conference call).

By: tru

tru — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:31:29 +0000

I agree that our society has become somewhat ADD and focused on instant gratification, which exacerbates problems of concentration and focus. A lot of this has to be addressed at a personal and cultural level.

For someone with ADD, though, it’s not so simple as “Using the skills you were taught”.

Concentration on things that aren’t engaging is the true bane of an ADD person’s existence, but it isn’t the only symptom.

Trying to concentrate when you have ADD and have a task that is not amenable to that concentration is somewhat like forcing two magnets of the same polarization together. The more you push, the more they slide away from one another.

True, there are things ADD folks can do to lessen that effect, but they are not the things taught in school and punishment is not a particularly effective tool in bringing about concentration. I was diagnosed with ADD when I was 35, and was finally able to start learning some of the tools to help me cope with the challenges I face.

FWIW, ADDers often have to fight to maintain concentration even in a positive atmosphere, when there are multiple distractions. A simple conference call is like a marathon where I have to push myself to re-train my focus on the subject at hand. Unless there’s web presentation, I’ve learned to actually shut off my PC and put my Blackberry out of reach. I use other methods I’ve learned, based on the way I process information, to help maintain concentration - but it’s still an effort.

All that said, I’ve never been freer than when I decided that I don’t do multi-tasking. I simply cannot - the expense of “task switching” is far too taxing - and I think it is even for those who don’t have ADD.

By: Heather

Heather — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:16:02 +0000

The basal ganglia portion of the brain becomes very active when a person plays video games and watches TV. The body releases dopamine which may be why a person with ADD/ADHD is able to focus on TV, computers and video games, but not school work.