This document discusses attention deficit trait (ADT), a neurological phenomenon caused by an overloaded brain. It begins by outlining increasing demands on modern attention from numerous information sources. ADT is characterized by distractibility, inner frenzy, and impatience due to brain overload from overwork. Sufferers experience low-level panic and guilt. The document then provides recommendations for organizations and individuals to address ADT, including creating a supportive work environment, prioritizing tasks, getting sufficient sleep, and limiting multi-tasking to protect frontal brain function. It stresses the importance of leadership in developing a positive work culture and matching employees' skills to tasks to reduce illness and turnover.

1. Submitted to: Sir Ashfaq Ahmad Khan Lodhi
Submitted By:
Ishtiaque Ahmed
Zeeshan Ali Khan
Hassan Fraz

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Norms of our Society
Work attitude and Environment
Overloaded Brain Circuits
Brain Function
Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention
Deficit Trait

3. The chief value of the modern era is speed – the form of
ecstasy that technology has bestowed on modern man. –
Milan Kundera

4. 
While you give your best to work but sometimes it is
difficult to understand why you underperform, in
spite of you being Smart, Then its time you should
know a couple of things about your Work, Attitude
and Environment.

5. 
Increasing demands on our attention…
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Waterfall of information
Tidal wave of tasks
Relentless requests
Ongoing shifts of context
E-mail, phones, cell phones, voice-mail, text
messaging, Blackberrys
 Push to do more with fewer people
 Expansion of world to encompass the globe
 Addiction to speed…do everything faster, faster,
faster
“Never in history has the human brain been asked to
track so many data points…”

6. 
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Fear or Panic
Guilt that you can’t keep up—or can’t just
suck it up
Rushed in everything you do
Curt or irritable
Flexibility and creativity decline
Working memory declines (the number of
data points you can keep track of at once)

7. ADD (Attention Deficit
Disorder)
A phenomenon in which
the Brain is effected by
the physical and chemical
changes.
 ADT (Attention Deficit
Trait)
A newly Recognized
neurological
Phenomenon.
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8. 
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Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD or ADHD)
 Rooted in genetics, affects brain physically and chemically
Attention Deficit Trait (ADT)
 Upon overload, brain fires signals of crisis:
▪ Fear
▪ Anxiety
▪ Impatience
▪ Irritability
▪ Anger
▪ Panic
▪ Impacts endocrine, respiratory, cardiovascular,
musculoskeletal, and peripheral nervous systems

9. 
What does ADT stand for ?
 ADT : Attention deficit trait
 Cause : Brain overload caused by overwork
 Symptom : Distractibility, inner frenzy and impatience
 Result : Difficulty in staying organized, setting priority and
managing time.
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As our minds fill with noise, the brain gradually loses its
capacity to attend fully or thoroughly to anything

10. 
The ADT sufferer feels a constant low level of
panic or guilt. Facing a tidal wave of tasks,
curt, peremptory and unfocused, while
pretending that everything is fine.
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ADT is characterized by ADD’s negative
symptoms which include a tendency to
procrastinate and miss deadlines.

11. 
Results in “survival mode” behavior:
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Impulsive judgments
Hard to think clearly
Black-and-white thinking
Angrily rushing to closure on tasks, decision, etc.
Robbed of flexibility
Sense of humor evaporates
Forget big picture, goals, values
Lose creativity and ability to change plans
You may meltdown, blame others, sabotage self…or,
go into avoidance mode and denial

12. 
Promote positive emotions
▪ Create a trusting, connected work environment
– promote brain power by fostering connections
and reducing fear
▪ Have a friendly, face-to-face talk with a person
you like every 4-6 hours

13. 
Take physical care of your brain
▪ Sleep
▪ Good diet, lower in refined carbohydrates
▪ Take a multivitamin and an omega-3 fatty acid
supplement
▪ Exercise (your brain loves the chemicals that
result from moving your body)
▪ Don’t drink much alcohol

14. 
Organize for ADT
▪ Keep your frontal lobes in control
▪ Break large tasks down into smaller ones
▪ Keep a section of your work space clear at all times
▪ Keep a portion of your day free of appointments and e-mail
▪ Limit your e-mail hours
▪ Attend to critical tasks first when you start your day…don’t get
sucked into the e-mail or voice mail black hole
▪ At the end of the day, make a list of no more than 5 priorities for
the next day
▪ Do your most important work during your best time of day
▪ Note how you work best (music, standing, walking around, etc.)
and set up your work space to allow for it

15. 
Protect your frontal lobes
▪ Take time to comprehend what’s going on
▪ Listen, ask questions, digest

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Slow down
Do an easy route task
Move around
Do not worry alone – ask for help, delegate,
or brainstorm with a colleague

17. 
As demands continue to increase, a toxic,
high pressure environment leads to high
rates of employee illness and turnover.

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Leader should invent a positive
environment
Leader should match employees’ skills to
tasks.

19. 1.
In Firms, that ignore ADT symptoms
EMPLOYEES
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Underachieve
Create clutter
Cut corner
Careless mistakes etc. etc.
In fact the company should make
 A friendly work environment
 Less stressed work load

20. 
Almost all management of self-improvement books talk
about prioritizing work or every task that you take up.
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You need to ask yourself how important is this task and
when you need to finish it? You do not have all the time
and energy to do all things.
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If you don’t prioritize, many things will be undone and if
they are important things, then it purely affects your
performance.
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When you focus on the top priority activities, you will
achieve much more than before.

21. 
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Quality sleeping -> Quit smoking
Standing, walking and thinking while working hours
Exercise
 Playing tennis
 Hiking -> mental refresh-ness
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Reading the book
Clear your desk
Put your things in right place
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22. 
“Overloaded Circuits: Why Smart People
Underperform,” by Edward M. Hallowell,
MD. Harvard Business Review, January
2005

23.  Thank You