Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Distractions and Memory Lapses . . . More Tell Tale Signs

Disadvantaged by Distractions: Even under the best circumstances, most people experience periods where they find it difficult to stay focused or able to concentrate on a specific task. Instead, their attention is divided and disadvantaged by distractions. Distractions are everywhere and can be external, such as a television in the background, or internal, such as emotional spinning over a personal issue. Under stress, lack of focus is worse because the ability to filter out distractions is further compromised by the fact that the effects of stress are distracters themselves. Anxiety, headaches, fatigue, frustration and any kind of personal overload are likely to contribute to a kind of temporary, stress induced A.D.D. Add these to the more tangible external distractions and the ancillaries begin to overshadow the important. They will not be ignored! As a result, attention ricochets and focus is all but lost. When this happens, productivity becomes challenged and to make matters worse, it becomes more and more difficult to properly process, retain and recall information.

Absent Minded Memory Lapses: Attention and memory are closely connected and they are both huge quality of life issues. It’s frustrating to see productivity decrease and it’s downright scary when you can’t seem to remember a thing or find yourself questioning the things you do remember. This can cause even greater stress because of the doubt and confusion that absent minded memory lapses create. If you are not focusing then you are basically skimming, which is a way of going about daily routines in auto pilot. The less focus, the less likely that even simple information like names or where you put something will not be registered, easily recalled, or even retained in memory at all. It can wreak havoc when you find yourself unable to recall details of a morning meeting or a conversation that you had with someone only a day earlier. Have you ever forgotten something you just reminded yourself to do? If you have ever thought you were losing your mind because you couldn’t remember something, then stress, not diminishing brain capacity, is the likely culprit.

Attention = Retention. Whether it’s positive or negative, the squeaky wheel gets the grease because the squeaky wheel calls for attention. Pay attention to the tell tale signs but don’t wait until their squeak is a shriek! Once you recognize them, you will be able to focus on the important and filter out the irrelevant.  RELAX. SET. GO. . .

3 comments:

  1. Some good information here... I'd like to write more but I have to go turn of the TV, put my guitar away and turn off my Sirius radio. :)


    Nice job... Keep up the good work.

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  2. I like the book CrazyBusy: Overstretched, Overbooked, and About to Snap! Strategies for Coping in a World Gone ADD by Edward Hallowell (http://amzn.to/uln0n) -- helpful in keeping me organized when I'm prone to multitasking.

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  3. This is right on!! When is the book launch? I need it now!

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