如果你经常注意力不集中、开会心不在焉、冲动消费或者丢三落四……那么，要小心哦，你很可能患上了“成人多动症”……

By Karen Pallarito

天心 选注

You’re late to work again, behind on a project, or can’t remember the action points from the last meeting. If you’re one of the adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), it can be a constant challenge to stay on task.

You can get distracted by external stimuli like noise or internal stimuli like daydreaming. These different distractions require different coping strategies.

Here’s how to pinpoint your weaknesses and 10 strategies for getting the job done.

Write it down 写下来

If you want to raise an important point in a conference call, but don’t want to butt in, you may not absorb what the others are saying while you wait to bring it up.

Better to jot down a keyword to remind yourself what you want to say, says Linda Richmand, a certified professional coach with a specialty in adult ADHD. “Now you’re ready to fully attend.”

She recommends keeping a “random-thought pad” on hand, whether you are at your computer or folding laundry. Enter important reminders and any brilliant ideas that pop into your head so that you are less distracted by them as you work on the present task.

Map it out 画个图

In a day chock-full of appointments, odds are good you’ll forget to pick up the dry cleaning on the way home.

A study found that the human brain can handle two complicated tasks simultaneously. Add a third, though, and the brain can’t keep up. People lose track of one of the original tasks and begin making errors, the study found.

No need to keep it all in your head. In the morning, map out your day, including errands, and refer to your “road map” throughout the day, Richmand suggests. It helps to visualize your plan like athletes do before a big game, she adds.

Create the right environment 创造环境

Make your environment work for you. If noisy colleagues are rattling your concentration, request a quieter work space.

However, it’s not uncommon for people with ADHD to find dead silence even more distracting. If you focus better when listening to music or with ambient noise in the background, then try to make it happen.

Prioritize tasks 合理排序

Paying the bills: Could there be a more boring task? You procrastinate and the late fees pile up. The trick is to make it a priority, Richmand says.

Schedule time for plowing through the thicket of envelopes, and don’t do anything else until the job gets done. Elicit your spouse’s or partner’s help. Have him or her bring you coffee and cookies—anything to ease the monotony.

Take a quick break 快速休息

If boredom is ruining your productivity, take short breaks. Just getting up to walk around, have a yoga stretch, or take a quick sip from the water fountain may be all you need. When you’ve completed a task, give yourself time to regroup.

Be careful, though, not to move into procrastination mode and let a quick break morph into an hour-long Facebook chat with friends.

Set a timer 设定时间

If your on-time arrival is suffering, it may be because you’re squeezing in last-minute tasks before heading out the door or failing to set a realistic departure time.

Figure out how much time it really takes to get where you’re going and let technology work for you. Program your phone to alert you when it’s time to get going. Or, when you go to sleep the night before, set a timer that’s more than arm’s distance from you so that you’ll be forced to get up.

Plan some joy 奖励自己

It’s OK to reward yourself for sticking with a task until it’s completed. “Make sure you plan into your day something that’s enjoyable, something you look forward to doing,” Richmand suggests.

Have coffee with a friend, watch something great, or just take a walk at a local park, she says. Not only is it an incentive to finish the job, but it will also help you recognize “that it’s not all drudgery.”

Delegate 分配任务

A job well done doesn’t mean doing everything yourself.

Know when to delegate; know what you do well and what you don’t. Focus on your strengths and ask for help when you need it.

“Chunk” it 分步进行

If you have trouble estimating time or shifting gears from one activity to another, approach tasks for limited periods of time. For example, give yourself two 15-minute periods to work on something with a break in between. Psychologists call it “chunking” or breaking work into manageable pieces.

If you’re in the middle of a larger task, stop at a specific time and assess the situation. It may be time to switch gears and move on to something else.

Record it 备忘记录

Some people find gadgets work better than paper and pen for keeping lists and reminders.

“Do what works for you,” says Richmand. “Electronic organizers can be wonderful.” Smartphones are a great option, as are digital sound recorders. Input your to-do list, appointments, and upcoming events.

Vocabulary

ADHD 【医】注意缺陷多动障碍，全称为attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

action point （经会议商讨后决定的）行动，必须处理的事项

stimuli 单数为stimulus，（使人或物产生反应的）刺激，刺激物

daydreaming 白日梦，幻想

coping strategy 应对策略

pinpoint 准确地找出，描述（事实真相）

butt in 插嘴

jot down 草草记下

pad 便笺本

reminders 起提醒作用的东西

pop into one’s head 突然冒出（想到）

chock-full 〈口〉装满的，塞满的

appointment 约定，约会

odds 〈复〉（事物发生的）可能性，机会

simultaneously 同时地

keep up 跟上，赶上

errand 差事，跑腿

rattle 〈口〉使紧张，使慌乱

dead silence 静默无声

ambient 周围的

productivity 生产效率，生产力

prioritize 按优先顺序列出，确定（事项、问题等）的优先顺序

procrastinate 拖延，耽搁

pile up （使）堆积，（使）积累

plow through 〈美〉费力地坚持读/看完

thicket 灌木丛，密集的东西

elicit 引起（某人的反应）

spouse 配偶

monotony 单调无味，无聊

sip 小口地喝，抿

water fountain 饮水机

morph into 变成，变为

squeeze in （在很忙的时候）设法安排（做某事）

program 为……编制程序，此处指设定手机

get going 出发，行动

incentive 刺激，动力

drudgery 辛苦乏味的工作

delegate 委派（某人）做（某项工作）

chunk 此处为动词，指将……划分成不同部分

shift gear 〈美〉变换做事的内容

gadget 设计精巧的小机械（装置）

sound recorder 录音机

（来源：英语学习杂志）