It seems like we’re in the middle of an epidemic of ADT or attention deficit trait according to Dr. Edward Hallowell and it’s making us dumber.

Why can’t you pay attention anymore?

the constant and relentless chatter coming from our computers, phones and other high-tech devices is diluting our mental powers….you’ve become so busy attending to so many inputs and outputs that you become increasingly distracted, irritable, impulsive, restless and, over the long term, underachieving.

Multitasking doesn’t work either though the attempt to do so can get your adrenaline going. Hallowell says no one really multitasks. You just spend less time on any one thing.



It’s the great seduction of the information age. You can create the illusion of doing work and of being productive and creative when you’re not. You’re just treading water.



Remember frazzing? That’s the frantic, ineffective multitasking, typically with the delusion that you’re getting a lot done.

The brain doesn’t multitask, it toggles among tasks rather than processing all tasks simultaneously.

Says Hallowell

We need to preserve time to stop and think.

If you don’t allow yourself to stop and think, you’re not getting the best of your brain. What your brain is best equipped to do is to think, to analyze, to dissect and create. And if you’re simply responding to bits of stimulation, you won’t ever go deep.