So what is hyperfocus? It is most frequently described as something of a trance-like state wherein someone with ADHD displays an intense, almost laser-like focus on a specific activity, often for a prolonged period of time. This behavior stands in stark contrast to the otherwise notoriously short attention span of those with ADHD. It’s a substantial reversal from the norm as the “easily-distracted” suddenly become nearly impossible to distract, focusing exclusively on one activity for hours and hours on end. Presently, hyperfocus is not officially recognized by the psychiatric community as a symptom of ADHD. Having said this, I’d like to continue by stating that, based on my own experiences in wrestling with ADHD, hyperfocus is a very real, very significant, and potentially very dangerous side effect associated with the disorder.

Channeling all of one’s mental energy into a specific activity without restraint and regardless of distractions can obviously be of major benefit in some circumstances. Indeed, Dr. Kathleen Nadeau, Ph.D., psychologist, author, and thought-leader on the subject, believes that there is a direct correlation between the professional success of those with ADHD and whether or not they hyperfocus on their work. To help illustrate that point we’ll take an Olympic angle on the subject: I can’t think of a better example of someone who has effectively leveraged hyperfocus than Michael Phelps. Diagnosed with ADHD at a young age, the swimmer is legendary for his ability to focus and concentrate on the race. Phelps’ hyperfocus on swimming has clearly paid off for him.

There are those who have, more or less, romanticized the symptom, elevating it to the level of some sort of quasi-superpower. Sadly, this is not the case and I think the morphology of the term “hyperfocus” conjures inaccurate meanings to one’s mind, as we are not discussing an increased ability to focus so much as an inability to regulate one’s attention. Essentially your brain is “stuck” in a particular gear or mode that you can’t easily shift out of. In other words, you are unable to directly control this seemingly turbocharged focus, you don’t think about anything else because your brain can’t think about anything else.

Let’s take a look at what I mean by being unable to control hyperfocus.

First, you can’t just flip a switch and be “in the zone”; the task or activity has to be one that interests you. For Michael Phelps that activity was swimming. For someone else it might be stamp collecting. Tragically, we do not have the luxury to pick and choose which activities cause us to go into the mode. As a result, it is entirely possible (and common) to be hyperfocused on activities that are less constructive, such as video games.

Similarly, you can’t flip the switch off at will – one of the major drawbacks to the phenomenon is trouble “disengaging”, that is, transitioning back to “the real world”. It is very difficult to disengage from this state without a fairly strong external stimuli of some sort, like someone physically shaking you.

Finally, when you hyperfocus, you are completely disconnected from everything but your task. While you are more or less immune to distraction, you are also in your own little world. You will lose track of time, ignore those around you, and perhaps most dangerously, your ability to effectively prioritize will suffer while in the zone. Things that you would ordinarily put high emphasis on, such as completing other (equally pressing) projects, eating, or interacting with friends and loved ones will be permanently downgraded to secondary importance so long as you are locked in. Again, let me emphasize this in very clear terms: Repeated, uncontrolled hyperfocus can have dire social consequences and will often result in neglecting the relationships that you cherish and value most.

In conclusion, you can’t control when it kicks in, can’t control when you snap out of it, and have somewhat handicapped judgment while under its effects. On the flip side, it can be leveraged in specific circumstances to achieve impressive results. Like most things, the trick seems to be minimizing the drawbacks while maximizing the benefits.

Ultimately the jury is still out on this one and I may revisit the subject in a future blog post as I try to develop a higher awareness of my ADD symptoms.

My return to the world of web development is probably the biggest update recently; I’ve been setting up a blog about Stupid Criminal Stories as well as designing a website for my upcoming Utah DJ business. It’s nice to have something to do with my spare time that could potentially earn me some extra scratch on the side, but it’s also the joy in creating something that keeps me coming back. I confess that I probably spend more time thinking about how to make money from search engine optimization than I actually do making money, but that’s life, isn’t it?

Other than that, life is fairly normal; just getting ready for my heavy work/classload this coming semester — 12 credits is just barely full-time but it’s a bit heavier when you consider my planned 30-hour workweek as well. I look forward to being busy and having things to do with my time though; I absolutely dread being bored.

The Volkswagen Jetta is a fine car. It also happens to be a girl car. Brother, you are not a girl. Therefore your car purchasing protocol on this particular model is quite simple: pass. If you don’t believe me, type in “is the jetta a girl car” in google and look at the tremendous number of discussions going on about this subject. I don’t care what your personal opinion is. The mere fact that there are so many debates on this topic should indicate that you are walking on dangerous ground.

Might I humbly suggest a 2006 BMW 328i? Checking in within the same price range as a VW Jetta, a used 3-series would handle better and do far less damage to your reputation! Now I understand if you’re worried about going with something used, if that’s the case then I’m going to just have to say that you’d be better served if you went with a new Nissan Altima or Mazda6.

There, I have done my duty as your younger brother. Your fate is in your hands, I’m washing my hands of the entire affair. You can get a Jetta if you want, but the sin be upon your head my brother.

The biggest problem is that there have been widespread reports of faulty manual transmissions on the S-Type wherein the transmission will “grind” while in 2nd gear. This appears to be across all models from 02 to 06.

So if I were to get an S-Type, I’d have to be particular about the transmission. Otherwise I’d probably need to stick with the base edition with an automatic transmission.

If I could get a good deal, I’d love this car though. Great handling, luxurious, etc. So it’s definitely on my list of cars to keep an eye out for. There were some updates to the vehicle on the 05 and 06 models that weren’t on the earlier ones either; so ideally I’d be looking at getting one from those years.

That being said, this is not a post about how I hate my car. Sufficeth to say that if I’m paying so much per month in maintenance on a car that I don’t like at all, it’s time to look at what to do about it.

Oh General Sherman, the adventures we had together.

What kind of car do I want? Obviously I want a sports car. Realistically I’ll have to get a “sporty” car, and I’m leaning towards the SpoCom (Sports Compact) segment.

Price Range: $15k or less; the higher it is, the longer I’ll have to save and I’d prefer to have something by the end of the summer at the very latest; no later than a few weeks before people start moving in for fall. In Provo the availability of cars in this price range takes a hit at that time of year as parents come to town and buy cars for their kids going to school.

Important Attributes: Reliability, exterior and interior appearance, speed, in roughly that order

I intend to own this vehicle for roughly 5 years. That is, through college and the first couple years or so of my career.

So I guess you can expect the next few posts to be about different cars and options that I’m considering.

This liberates me from the ongoing pressure to have an underlying professional subject for my posts. More accurately, it affords me the freedom to have a very loose theme: me and whatever I feel like talking about.

So welcome. I make no guarantees as to the regularity of my posts or the sanity contained therein.