Driven to distraction at work How to focus and be more productive

The current workplace expectation of doing more with fewer resources is putting additional pressures on workers, leading to longer hours, multitasking, and inability to effectively focus on tasks. Readers who feel that the distractions of work and life are causing them to be less productive at work may be interested to learn how to improve focus, from a specialist who has been advising people on that topic for years. Hallowell is an authority on attention deficit disorder (ADD) and he makes the distinction between ADD and ADT, the attention deficit trait he says can develop from stresses in the workplace. He shares proven strategies for managing six of the most common distractions at work, including screen addiction, multitasking, and heroism. The writing is conversational and engaging, and inspires readers to create individual plans based on the five elements of energy, emotion, engagement, structure, and control. Each chapter includes 10 practical tips for overcoming distractions, like improving concentration through flexible focus. It's a practical and encouraging guide to developing the mental clarity to achieve one's goals through enhanced focus.--Kryszak, Cindy Copyright 2014 Booklist

Not enough time, overwhelmed, too many distractions-sound familiar? If you can make the time to read it, this new work may have some techniques to assuage the chaos. Hallowell, a psychiatrist who has previously written similar books focused on those living with ADD and ADHD (e.g., coauthor, Delivered from Distraction), has now turned his attention to the broader world of the workplace. In a conversational style, using composite characters and scenarios as examples, he examines six common issues, including electronic distractions, problems with multitasking, anxiety, "idea hopping," underachieving, and being a "hero." Once these are laid out, the author provides practical ways to address them. His suggestions, while not exactly new (exercise, meditation, structuring your workday, connecting with those around you, thinking more positively, etc.), seem doable, unlike so many in similar offerings. VERDICT A useful book, focusing on issues most of us face daily. Recommended for public libraries and those with significant self-help or business/career collections.-Susan Hurst, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, OH (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.