The Upside of ADD
It’s the dreaded word–ADD–Attention Deficit Disorder. But there’s an upside to ADD as published by the Wall Street Journal. Finally, something good.
You see it is good to be a daydreamer.
There is a link between daydreaming and creativity. There is something good about not paying attention. People come up with new ideas.
In fact, studies have found that employees that have some down-time, “leisure internet surfing,” are more productive. It’s good to focus and then it’s good to let your brain daydream and become creative.
You know how kids and adults with ADD have a hard time focusing when there are external distractions?At Harvard University, 86 students were given a mental test to measure their ability to ignore external stimuli, like the noise of an air-conditioner. Being able to ignore, typically means you have better focus, an essential characteristic of productivity. But, they found that the undergrads that had a tougher time ignoring external stimuli were actually seven times more likely to be “emininent creative achievers”.
I love that part of the movie “Uncle Buck,” when John Candy goes to see the Principal at the elementary school about his niece, Maisy. She is only six years old and the Principal is complaining that Maisy is a
“bad egg… “a twittler, a dreamer, a silly heart, she is a jabberbox, and frankly, I don’t think she takes a thing in her life or career as a student seriously.”