Driven to Distraction at Work

by Edward M. Hallowell

Are you driven to distraction at work?

Bestselling author Edward M. Hallowell, MD, the world’s leading expert on ADD and ADHD, has set his sights on a new goal: helping people feel more in control and productive at work.

You know the feeling: you can’t focus; you feel increasingly overwhelmed by a mix of nonstop demands and technology that seems to be moving at the speed of light; and you’re frustrated just trying to get everything done well—and on time. Not only is this taking a toll on performance, it’s impacting your sense of well-being outside the office. It’s time to reclaim control.

Dr. Hallowell now identifies the underlying reasons why people lose their ability to focus at work. He explains why commonly offered solutions like “learn to manage your time better” or “make a to-do list” don’t work because they ignore the deeper issues that are the true causes of mental distraction. Based on his years of helping clients develop constructive ways to deal with distraction, Dr. Hallowell provides a set of practical and reliable techniques to show how to sustain a productive mental state.

In Part 1 of the book, he identifies the six most common ways people lose the ability to focus at work—what he calls “screen sucking” (internet/social media addiction), multitasking, idea hopping (never finishing what you start), worrying, playing the hero, and dropping the ball—and he explains the underlying psychological and emotional dynamics driving each behavior.

Part 2 of the book provides advice for “training” your attention overall, so that you are less susceptible to surrendering it, in any situation. The result is a book that will empower you to combat each one of these common syndromes—and clear a path for you to achieve your highest personal and professional goals.

Genres: Adhd, Nonfiction, Self Help, Productivity, Psychology, Business, Personal Development

256 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2015

About the author

Edward (Ned) Hallowell, M.D., is a child and adult psychiatrist, a NY Times bestselling author, a world-renowned speaker and a leading authority in the field of ADHD. He has authored twenty books including the 1994 ground-breaking New York Times best-seller on ADHD, Driven to Distraction. In aggregate, Dr. Hallowell's books have sold more than 2 million copies on various psychological topics including how to: raise children into happy adults, manage worry, develop focus, forgiveness, connecting on a deeper level and how to inspire the best from employees. His most recent book was his Memoir, Because I Come From A Crazy Family The Making Of A Psychiatrist. His next book, ADHD 2.0 releases on January 12, 2021. Pre-order your copy today.

He is the host of “Distraction,” a weekly podcast that offers insights, strategies and tactics for coping and thriving in this crazy-busy, 24/7 over-connected modern world.

Reviews

[Emma Sea · Rating 2 out of 5]

My name's Emma and -- this will be deeply shocking to exactly zero people on Goodreads -- I have an internet addiction. A screen time problem. Electronic FOMO.¹

Unfortunately, Hallowell's solution is a complete non-starter for me. "I [prescribe] human connection as a replacement for screen time."

Dude, all my connected humans ARE ON THE SCREEN!!!!

I'm going to read his Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through Adulthood now. Although I don't have ADD as such, maybe it's got some more specific content about developing focus.

¹ Arguably, I also have a problem with Idea Hopping. God knows, I've held about 57 flavors of job across my lifetime (I prefer to think of it as being flexible in the face of uncertain economic times.) I did not read the chapters on Worrying, or Playing the Hero. At least there are some problems I do not have.

[Aimen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author of this book definitely does a good job highlighting attention/focus issues in today's world, but he also does a good job at making a lot of the information up. Also constantly advertising his previous books. You go Ned.
Don't get me wrong, he's probably a very experienced and knowledgeable writer, however he doesn't need to overthink every situation in terms of ADHD. It's great how he addresses all the problems and gives tips and guides on how to deal with it. Still, most of the content is common sense.
Chapter 1- he wrote something about how technology is one of the greatest distractions and how he calls it "screen sucking".
Throughout the book he just creates these terms for himself like RUEP and ADT. Like it's not that deep.
I want to say that the book was good to read but I will probably never recommend it to purchase. It's literally common sense to realise phone and Internet addictions will create an issue of attention and focus.

[emily]

Further ruminations on update 2 / page 135:
It's funny, because I can see the intent behind the fictional case studies, but they just don't feel realistic. The "screen addiction" one feels so outdated-- he recommends keeping a record of when you "log on" and "log off" the internet, as if that's something you have to consciously choose OR something you can avoid doing while at work. The author does admit to being in his late sixties, so that might explain the slightly out-of-touch feel to these studies. Also, all the "subjects" are straight and married. Not very universally appealing.

[Pam Cipkowski · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sounded promising, but not quite what I thought it would be. Hallowell outlines six ADTs (Attention Deficit Traits)--behavior types or ways that people tend to lose focus at work: "screen sucking” (internet/social media addiction), multitasking, idea hopping, worrying, playing the hero, and dropping the ball. I saw a little of myself in each of these, so I was hopeful that I'd find some good advice to combat these traits. The problem is that he bases each of these types on very individualized case scenarios, all of which needed complex, individualized case management and solutions, with the help of a psychologist and/or psychotherapy. Most of the case scenarios also focus on very successful, six-figure earning, power-driven Wall Street types--not your average worker bee needing some tips on focusing their attention. I did find his tips on creating boundaries, maintaining structure, and goal-setting to be helpful, though. Wouldn't really recommend this, though, or pick up anything else from this author in the future.

[Roderick Vonhogen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I heard that Halloway's book 'Driven to Distraction' about ADHD was worth reading, but it wasn't available to me. So I picked up this one, assuming it would be a discussion of how people with ADHD can function better at work. This is not the case.

The thesis of this book is that our entire society has ADHD type traits, and that simple solutions can help us focus more. There appears to be very little science-backed advice in this book. Instead, the author offers some very generic, common sense opinions on how to avoid distraction. There was very little worth remembering in this book.

The only remark that stuck is that it is important to take breaks and to relax, because that's when your brain recovers and recharges. Working harder and longer doesn't lead to better results if you don't rest your brain.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading 2015 - For a few years now I have noticed it increasingly difficult to focus my attention at work. Not to the point where my work suffers significantly, but definitely to the point where perhaps I am a ways off my best. This has been a topic of conversation at work amongst a few of us, and someone mentioned this book. "Driven to Distraction at Work: How to Focus and Be More Productive"
by Edward M. Hallowell.

I thought I would give it a read and I am a little surprised to say that I think it will help. I took the test suggested in the book; you can find here hbr.org/assessments/adt . The test clearly showed me that I have a problem saying 'No'. I am someone the author refers to as 'Playing the Hero.' I tend to worry more about other people's needs than my own, and that is not good for me, and ultimately not good for my work, health and sanity.

The book tackles several types of attention issues, and the author is a Doctor and one of the leading experts on ADHD. Traditionally seen as a childhood disorder, ADHD seems to display itself in adults too. If not the full-blown disorder that might require medication, as what he calls Attention Deficit Traits, which you can manage by changing your behavior.

I found the book useful; not life changing maybe but my issues were not crippling. Since I started reading it, I have learned not to shoulder the woes of my entire organisation, and I have successfully managed my boundaries better, allowing me to spend more time on the things I should.

I recommend folks take the test in the link above and if I shows an area for concern it might be worth a read of this book.

[Cori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well worth the read. I felt like this had some solid takeaways as well as essential reminders for things I know but need a kick in the butt for repeatedly and often. I also had a couple "OOF-why-you-calling-me-out-like-that" moments in Part I where Hallowell had the reader check the boxes on the areas of distractions that are specific to them (one area I hit a solid 8/10 and another a dismal 10/10, although neither were any kind of surprise).

I recommend for anyone struggling with feeling "brain fragmentation" at work, although those working in the realm of psych probably aren't going to find a litany of revelations as a whole.

I'd rate this book a PG.

[Sam Williams Jebaraj · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best self help books I’ve read. In the first section of the book, The author addresses the psychological reasons behind our behaviour and how to address such behaviour and resolve issues with distractions at work due to too much electronics and other factors. The second section addresses how to perform well at our jobs and in our lives. By using simple techniques. If you need a self help book to address performance issues due to distractions and other factors this book is a good read.

[Rachel Nabors · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are a lot of books about getting things done and how to be more effective. But for me I often feel the more I try to do, the less effective I am. And there might be something to that.

This book isn’t just for adults diagnosed with ADHD/ADD: it is for anyone experiencing symptoms in line with that diagnosis. Many “effective behaviors” we learn as young adults or even as children might get us to where we are but then hinder us in the long run: multi-tasking becomes a loss of focus and control; hyper-awareness made you a great coordinator but now you just can’t shut anything out and toggle between fixations on little things you should move on from; using online tools to stay up to date becomes a sinking feeling when you aren’t looking at a screen.

“Driven to Distraction” tells compelling stories you’ll see yourself reflected in and gives helpful advice for breaking habits and re-forming behavior.

The section on worry got me right in the feels. Coming from a traumatic background, worry is my natural state—a self-defeating state more often than not. I laugh dryly when self-help books ask me to name the last time I felt pure joy (and I have to track the moments in a journal because it’s so easy to lose them in my internal Sea of Worries).

So, if you have ever wondered, as a working adult, “Might I have ADHD/ADD?” you should read this book. You’ll get something out of it.

[Aubrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Hallowell is one of the leading experts on ADHD, however in this book he uses his experience to address the phenomenon of what he calls Attention Deficit Trait. Hallowell coined this term to describe the increasing number of people who do *not* have ADHD but do suffer with attention issues due to various factors in their lifestyle. Typical of Hallowell, this book is frank and hopeful and full of useful strategies for improving focus. I wish his examples drew from a wider definition of "work" and not so much just office environments, but this book is still incredibly helpful to anyone hoping to make small changes and experience significant focus improvements.

[Maura Mann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some good takeaways for staging focused at work along with insight on why people will act in certain ways. That said, it is not a page turner. It was pretty flat and boring for me. I expected more.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great intro to what Hallowell calls "ADD traits" resulting from modern life and advice for loving with actual ADD. Listened to audiobook and liked the narrator, who I thought was Hallowell for longer than I care to admit.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hallowell breaks down 6 distracted employee types, including technology addicts, multitaskers who can't say no, idea people who can't follow through, those who do for others before themselves, worriers and those with clinical ADHD. The greatest thing about this book is how Hallowell creates a fictitious sufferer of each of his types, allegedly an amalgam of people he's counseled or interviewed. It's great because Hallowell clearly enjoys creating these personas, who have remarkably detailed backstories and habits and body types. They have passionate and revealing fights with their spouses, and their work personality is always a result of their childhood, with particular incidents spelled out. Methinks someone wanted to write a novel! So those are amusing.

The rest of it, though, not so much; he lists the pros and dangers of being each type of person (yawn), describing their qualities in a metric he created that doesn't really serve any useful purpose, and then at the end of each type section gives 10 usually limp and often repetitive tips for enhancing your focus. Nothing novel here: being told you need structure isn't enough of an answer for someone who needs structure. Being told to make three daily, three biweekly, and three long-term goals and check in with them regularly isn't going to work for people who need to do that -- they need a WORKBOOK. A little better are his hints for discovering what matters to you if you are an idea person who can't choose what to focus ON (e.g., make lists in funky fonts, large letters or colors). So there's some insight here, but I can't imagine really applying his techniques, especially since they don't stick in my head whatsoever.

[Sherry · Rating 2 out of 5]

There wasn't too much "new" information and a lot of instances where distracting issues were covered but not in the way to assist the reader or improving focus. Although I did not read this title cover to cover, but instead chose specific chapters I felt I could adapt and improve my own attention. I still had trouble seeing how an individual could apply this in real life.
I felt as if the author enjoyed hearing himself expound on the wide variety of reasons why so many get distracted, going in depth sometimes on issues that have nothing to do with the work place.
The book simply didn't impress me on being able to assist on 'practical application' of focusing, although it would be an excellent source of reference to have psychological and social debates in the white towers of our universities.

[Matt Stevens · Rating 1 out of 5]

LIbrary book. Actually surprised I finished it. Def not hte book for me. His examples are so extreme I couldn't find anything in common with them or I couldn't even identify any co-workers who had items in common with them.

Also, his examples, in my opinion, had so many of their bad habits blamed on their parents and child hood that I really wonder about hte applicability to other readers.

Would not recommend to anyone.

[Gerald Earnhardt · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book offers really basic advice such as don’t look at your phone, talk to a friend, set 3 goals, etc but doesn’t really go much further than that. He seems ultra obsessed with sex in this book which came across as a bit weird and off topic to me.

[Chris Esposo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting premise on distraction while doing things, and how to minimize that distraction. The author, who is a clinical psychiatrist, that was one of the first to identify ADD in the early 90s, believes that adults who operate in fast-paced or information-dense occupations may also suffer from "ADD-like" ailment which he labels Attention Deficit Trait (ADT), that has many different, potentially independent, drivers.

The book is laid out, in the case-format, half a dozen or so scenarios that illustrates a potential driver of ADT in a person, not all will apply to every individual, but the facet that these scenarios seek to illustrate are meant to he compact (I believe). These facets include multitasking, technology-induced distractions, ideation with no follow-up, overly worrying, chronic non-delivery or promises, goals, tasks etc., and overextension of one to team tasks, but not to your own.

The first half goes through these well, and the second half offers "solutions" to these issues. The solutions are basically wellness exercises, whose underlying logic is taking care of oneself is an enabler to consistent and efficient delivery. This is sound, but common sense advice.

Of all the topics, I found "idea-hoping" the most insightful, but the illustration for this topic (or the others) was not very diverse. The book's illustrations are all taken from upper-crust white professional case-studies, which I presume make up the dominant number of the author's clientele. For instance, the above-mentioned idea-hoping chapter's illustration came from a woman who grew up in well-to-do California lawyer family, where the subject had a chip on her shoulder because her mother didn't believe in her, so she did whatever to get into Stanford, majored in business and married a tech-entrepreneur. However, she was never able to get any of her ideas off the ground for her own business because she apparently suffered from the same doubt of herself she had in her childhood. I wonder if this was really the most insightful case the author could have picked for the challenges of "idea-hopping". Another case deals with a woman who served as her offices den-mother, by dealing with their angry boss. She evidently got this mental fortitude because she did a similar sort of thing for her alcoholic father as a child. This case read like something out of a 50s era suburban housewife drama.

This book would have been really superior if the case-studies weren't all taken from the same socio-economic class +/- 100k in income. Or at the very least pick more compelling cases. Reading the details of the secret pain from a well-to-do Stanford grad's inability to deliver projects to her VC backers, because her aristocratic mother felt she was slightly overweight, or not smart enough as a child, does not bring about much empathy from, or the average reader I suspect. Though maybe the average reader of this book would be a different case.

This also comes to next point, towards the end of the text, the author mentions how they are living paycheck to paycheck out of choice because although they could make more money, they choose wellness instead. If these cases are any indicator, the author clearly needs to up his hourly bill rate, cause his clients can surely afford it. Not a bad book, but definitely can be improved. Conditional recommend.

[Blue · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know why I bothered to read a second book by this hack.

For this book, the author is using a similar example-based book but is a bit more action-oriented. However, the author uses explanations that look like science, but are not. For example, mentions "genetic" traits of worry or such, that are reminiscent of the old (debunked) theory that giraffes have long necks because one stretches and then the offspring start with longer necks. What parents experience does NOT pass on to the children in the DNA. That is not real. (There has been some research in smart shots or some biological information transfers, or how pregnancy stress alters how the offspring react to stress. However, the author was very much suggesting explanations closer to the giraffe thing than anything with a scientific backing.)

Based on his first book, Driven to Distraction (1992), this book is tacitly following his views of ADHD, but not outright stating it. (Further supporting my interpretation that the author believes ADHD is not real but something that affects everyone.)

Read this if you want, but it isn't anything different than all the other self-help, corporate guru fluff. In particular, I find myself disliking this author. Fake science, discrediting ADHD in his "support", using fake or contrived seeming story examples, and then just the normal self-agrandising self-help-corpo-guru fluff that takes a short blog into full book length.

[Elliott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Edward Hallowell has seemingly lost his touch. As a 29 year old with ADHD, our diagnosis is probably one of the few things Dr. Hallowell and myself have in common, but it didn't stop me from devouring his first book on the subject, Driven to Distraction. But in this book, the differences between him and myself are seemingly stark and vast, and unfortunately I have reason to believe I have more in common with the average middle class worker he does with one.

In the time since writing the essential book on ADHD, he seems to have surrounded himself with wealthy patients with completely unrelatable struggles. His case studies are the wives of CEOs, children of Connecticut debutantes, hedge fund managers, and corporate VPs. Their pathological drive to do more and succeed more and earn more and more more more feels almost repulsive contrasted with the day-to-day working class reality. He mentions multiple times the positive traits of entrepeneurships and once mentioning somebody demonstrating "the best of what makes a free enterprise system work". This person he is saying this about is the bored housewife of a millionaire who has infinite free time. Of course.

Finally, as a writer who understands ADHD inside and out, he has made a book completely unreadable to somebody with it. He often slips into philosophical quotes and asides that have some tangible relevance, but mostly feel like first draft ramblings. This 200-odd page book feels like it could be less than 120 if he simply got to the damn point at times.

I refrain from giving a 1 star because there are nuggets in here that are actually valuable. However, they have to be carved out amongst many various useless hunks of asides, special interests, and anecdotes on people most would find unbearable. Some wheat, but so so much chaff. Save yourself the struggle.

[Kyleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hallowell gives a multitude of scenerios of how distraction impacts our lives, and I was able to see myself, at least a little bit, in all of them. Real world situations on how technology, modern busy schedules, childhood tendencies, and brain patterns all impact us. He also delivers practical ways to improve your focus in almost every aspect of your life.

While a lot of what he says we have all heard before (exercise, get proper sleep, put your phone away, etc etc), the context and down to earth language he uses to talk about it all allows you to see it from a different perspective. He also emphasises the importance of human connection, safe guarding your time, and utilizing structure to your benefit - all of which I have noticed has drastically improved my own life when I give them proper attention.

I'm practical and can always use a more step by step self improvement book, this one comes close to diving deeper into the specifics.

[LALa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was one of the first books to start me on the ADHD self education path, and while i found this interesting, it focused more on what Hallowell coined ADT (Attention Deficit Trait), a condition that's more a result of the hustle and bustle of modern society and those implications. However, i am very much a candidate for inattentive ADHD. So, i think this would be more helpful for those who may find themselves victim to some of the categories he emphasizes: "screen sucking," "multitasking" (which surprise doesn't actually exist no matter how good you may think you are at doing it), "idea hopping," "worrying," "playing the hero," and "dropping the ball" (which uses the example of someone who actually has ADHD).

[Hayes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whilst there were a few insights here and there, a lot of the book is really just common sense wrapped up in some profiles and fancy terms the author has tried to coin. The profiles all could’ve been shorter, and the advice and the end for each of them was repetitive. Feel the author would’ve been better off cutting the profiles in half and using those pages to expand the latter half of the book.

[Tina (Sips & Scares) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, uh, no, thanks. Weirdly outdated ideas (log when you go on- and offline?!), fictitious case studies (with a sneaky side eye to a woman gaining weight—WOW), anecdotes I couldn't care less about and really nothing but ~20 pages worth of tips & tricks. Some are nice (reset your brain during work with a quick exercise burst of 2 minutes), but most of them are simply nothing new (TuRn OfF yOuR pHoNe)

[Fastener Gal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by a friend that is focused and productive. It was an easy read and made me evaluate the aspects of my life that needed improvement: mainly multi-tasking and worrying. I dog-eared several sections that were helpful as I journey towards my more focused and productive self.

[Kathleen Lamothe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super clear, ADHD-friendly format (but I guess that's kinda par for the course from one of the leading ADHD experts eh?) A treasure trove of tips, tricks, strategies, and suggestions for becoming more focused, intentional, productive, happy, loved, and, ultimately, feeling like we're living lives that really matter.

[Karly TyGr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be very helpful for those who may be dealing with ADHD or may just be dealing with the rise of attention issues in our society.

It is one of the first books I’ve read in my ADHD research, so I may change my opinion after reading more, but I found the stories told were relatable and helped make sense of the different ways we get distracted.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

Как это часто бывает у бизнес-тренеров -- книга фактически рекламный проспект персонального тренинга. Текст можно сжать процентов на 80 без потери смысла и фактического материала. Есть разумные идеи, но очень много воды. Большая часть рекомандации самоочевидна, в стиле "нужно делать, как нужно, а как не нужно -- делать на нужно".

[Sparrow · Rating 1 out of 5]

Preachy, privileged, repeatedly fatphobic. Disappointing to see that he used the same name as his previous works specifically geared towards adults with ADHD for a book that is entirely useless to someone with an actual diagnosis. The crux of the entire book is "try harder but in this specific way". I recommend you look for advice elsewhere.

[K.N. · Rating 1 out of 5]

My first DNF of my "For Karen" project. I just do not agree with the author's core ideas and, as someone with ADHD, find his suggestions unhelpful. Every time I thought about picking up this book again, I immediately decided to do something else. I need a book on how not to be distracted while reading this book.

[Patrick Green · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish this one, found it really difficult to read. The points being made were completely lost through giving such extreme examples. One starts off with browsing the Internet and then a person's life spirals out of control, marriage destroyed, deep depression. The points being made were probably good but little by way of solutions provided.