Five CrazyBusy words you need to know
I didn’t get to hear the author speak at last week’s conference, but I picked up a copy of Dr. Edward Hallowell’s CrazyBusy: Overstretched, Overbooked, and About to Snap!.
Hallowell applies what he knows about ADHD and ADD to those of us who are going crazy in the digital world.
I LOVE his list of new words for new problems. Here are my top five…
- Screensucking
Wasting time engaging with any screen: computer, video game, TV, PDAs. “Held by a mysterious force, a person can sit long after the work has been done…. not especially enjoying what he is doing but not able to disconnect to turn off the machine.” - EMV or e-mail voice
“The unearthly tone a person’s voice takes on when he is reading e-mail while talking to you on the phone.” - Gigaguilt
The major guilt we feel when we are unable to keep track of the million tasks that we think we can accomplish with our high-tech lifestyle. - Morning Burst
Your clearest thinking, freshest time of the day. For most people this is the morning. Hallowell calls the disruption of your clear-thinking time Morning Bust. - Fuhgeddomania and Loseophilia
Forgetfulness due to data overload, and the tendency to lose things because you’re juggling more things than a human brain can manage. - Doomdart
An obligation that slipped your mind that “suddenly pops into your consciousness like a poison dart.”


Claire on 26 Aug 2008 at 8:13 am #
Okay, I may need to pick up that book. I love these sorts of new ways to think of things. I especially love the ADD/ADHD angle, as that applies to me as well.
steph on 26 Aug 2008 at 8:37 am #
Oooh, the first one is mine, for sure. Actually, I’m guilty of talking on the phone but sneaking in my email as well. Ugh.
This looks like an interesting book! Can I fit it into my crazybusy schedule?
Rebecca Smith on 26 Aug 2008 at 11:13 am #
I LOVE new vocab words — and there are fantastic! EMV is my favorite. Although I do enjoy my morning burst …
D.J. on 26 Aug 2008 at 12:36 pm #
These words are the net result of far too much multi-tasking, or is it multitasking, or toomuchfrigginworkinmyhead. How is that for a word?
D.J.
Staying On Task on 26 Aug 2008 at 4:22 pm #
Re: Screensucking:
I’ve started to use Q10 http://www.baara.com/q10/
(it’s free) to stay on task with writing tasks.
It pretty much eliminates screen distractions – and the plan’s to build a habit of completing said task and rewarding myself with an off-screen non-gizmo treat!
Also, the Firefox plugin “LeechBlock” is a great way of zapping the habit to “screen graze”, where I nibble at multiple browser screens with no bl##dy aim in mind – just “chewing the cud” as we’d say in Norn Iron.
Stay strong!
Mark McClure
Beware the Free Download | Life on Avenue Z on 05 Nov 2008 at 8:23 am #
[...] night I looked for software that would keep me from blog surfing, news reading and other “screensucking” [...]