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CrazyBusy: Overstretched, Overbooked, and About to Snap! Strategies for Coping in a World Gone ADD
Are you too busy? Are you always running behind? Is your calendar loaded with more than you can possibly accomplish? Is it driving you crazy? You’re not alone. CrazyBusy–the modern phenomenon of brain overload–is a national epidemic. Without intending it or understanding how it happened, we’ve plunged ourselves into a mad rush of activity, expecting our brains to keep trac...more
Hardcover, 256 pages
Published
December 18th 2007
by Ballantine Books
(first published March 28th 2006)
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Listened to audio book in car while commuting Sept 2008
The 2 good ideas to take away:
1. Leeches vs Lillies -- identifying activities and people into each category; get rid of the leeches.
2. OHIO - Only Handle It Once -- with email, bills, etc., do the proper thing with it the first time, rather than re-read it or re-review it before filing it, replying, etc.
Otherwise, I didn't care for the book & wouldn't recommend it. The author gave far too many examples/illustrations of a single point bef...more
The 2 good ideas to take away:
1. Leeches vs Lillies -- identifying activities and people into each category; get rid of the leeches.
2. OHIO - Only Handle It Once -- with email, bills, etc., do the proper thing with it the first time, rather than re-read it or re-review it before filing it, replying, etc.
Otherwise, I didn't care for the book & wouldn't recommend it. The author gave far too many examples/illustrations of a single point bef...more
This book makes the argument that modern life has stretched people so thin that our collective busyness is detrimental to our well-being.
This book is very clearly not written for the working mother (or primary caregiver). The entire first half of the book reiterates the same points over and over again - that we are too busy, that our time-saving technologies are harming us, that we need to find time to connect, that we need only handle things that matter… but as a working mom I find it unrealist...more
This book is very clearly not written for the working mother (or primary caregiver). The entire first half of the book reiterates the same points over and over again - that we are too busy, that our time-saving technologies are harming us, that we need to find time to connect, that we need only handle things that matter… but as a working mom I find it unrealist...more
Who cannot relate to being "overstretched, overbooked, and about to snap?" As with his other books, Dr. Hallowell presents not only the problem (overcommitted, speeded-up lifestyles), but some practical solutions as well. I rolled my eyes along with the anecdotes he presents, completely identifying with his subjects. If you want to do something good for you and your family, read this book -- especially if you think you don't have time to.
The first half was an exceptionally long-winded and repetitive description of modern life. We're all stressed, too busy, freaking out, rushing around, yadda yadda yadda. The author covered this ad nauseam, to the point of including a glossary of his own annoying made-up terms, invented to describe aspects of the problem. I guess I have too good an imagination, because reading all the yammer about the ways we stress ourselves out and make our lives miserable, over and over, was really stressing m...more
Skimming is the way to read this book or it will be one more things added to your crazy-business!
Skip the first 41 pages - it's just filler unless you want to commiserate with others. Then look at chapter titles. Part 2 is creating a system. (Setting limits, getting best return on time investment, finding your rhythm, setting a positive emotional environment, don't get distracted, delegate, slow down.) Connect with what matters to you, cancel what doesn't, control technology, create organized s...more
Skip the first 41 pages - it's just filler unless you want to commiserate with others. Then look at chapter titles. Part 2 is creating a system. (Setting limits, getting best return on time investment, finding your rhythm, setting a positive emotional environment, don't get distracted, delegate, slow down.) Connect with what matters to you, cancel what doesn't, control technology, create organized s...more
OK. I learned some productivity tips for minimizing electronic distractions. I found the made up words distracting though.
Snagged this book for a buck, the aftermath of a love affair with a lovely little optimist whose self-help shelves were multitudinous. She offset my relentless pessimism and lectured me often on eating better, setting up boundaries, taking up zen meditation seriously and trying yoga, all that fun stuff. Given that my life tends to run at 120 mph, I take on too much work - often to avoid dealing with other, depressing stuff and to glean the filthy lucre I need to pay the vultures - this book was...more
Ironically I feel like I have had no time to read this book!
i've read a couple of hallowell's other books on add/adhd, so i expected that i'd like this one as well. love how the book is written in an "add/adhd" (in this case, crazybusy, i guess) friendly way--nice, short chapters.
apparently i needed to read this book more than i realized. i got so busy that it took me almost four months to finally finish it! however, i guess that now was the time for me to seriously consider what i'm doing with my life, especially my time, which i notoriously squander an...more
apparently i needed to read this book more than i realized. i got so busy that it took me almost four months to finally finish it! however, i guess that now was the time for me to seriously consider what i'm doing with my life, especially my time, which i notoriously squander an...more
Um, I'm too busy to read this?
Tidbits I did pull out of this before I returned it to the library:
At the heart of making the most of life today is the ability to treasure and protect your connections to what you care most about: people, places, activities, pets, a spiritual connection, a piece of music, even objects that are dear to you. But you must not have too many connections or none will flourish. Pick the ones that matter most to you and nourish them religiously; make that your top priori...more
Tidbits I did pull out of this before I returned it to the library:
At the heart of making the most of life today is the ability to treasure and protect your connections to what you care most about: people, places, activities, pets, a spiritual connection, a piece of music, even objects that are dear to you. But you must not have too many connections or none will flourish. Pick the ones that matter most to you and nourish them religiously; make that your top priori...more
Ever wonder how you get through the day in the modern high-tech communications world in which we live? If Blackberrys, PDAs, voice mail, text messaging, e-mails, longer workdays and information overflow are making you crazy, Dr. Hallowell has some news for you. (like, for starters, you're not alone.) This Massachusetts author and ADD psychiatrist, begins by taking you through a rather extensive, yet easy-to-read, analysis of the current trends that have foisted themselves on society through tech...more
So, ti's to return to some easier reading. CrazyBusy talks about the frantic modern life which makes us go faster but falling farther behind. It's a subject I think that all of us can relate to on some level.
Edward takes us through some humorous examples of our modern life. They are fun and see ourselves and hopefully laugh at ourselves. He then starts pointing out a strategies to get a hold of our life ... like a time budget.
We hear about financial budgets and diet diaries but not time budgets....more
Edward takes us through some humorous examples of our modern life. They are fun and see ourselves and hopefully laugh at ourselves. He then starts pointing out a strategies to get a hold of our life ... like a time budget.
We hear about financial budgets and diet diaries but not time budgets....more
The first section of this book seemed more like a collection of essays than a coherent book. The second section of the book gave some good ideas for deciding what is most important in your life, but I've already done many exercises like that, so nothing really new for me. Just a reminder that I need to GET OFF THE COMPUTER!!! and read more books out on the patio. :)
Nov 19, 2009
April WW
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
lifelonglearners,
2009
My work has a Life Long Learner's book club and I joined it when I saw them about to start this book...figured it couldn't hurt! Funny to see a book about this because I've been saying for years that everyone in our society has ADD now because of the way things come at us and the way we are expected to react to all of the input. Not sure if or how reading about it is going to help but if nothing else, misery loves company. haha
Update 9/9/09: I am laughing at the fact that having a reading assign...more
Update 9/9/09: I am laughing at the fact that having a reading assign...more
Mostly disappointing. I went into it sold on the premise that the constant distractions of today's society can create ADD-like symptoms, but the book did not provide much new information. Granted, the book's layout did not translate well to audio: too many lists. I was just hoping for more.
Some good tips on how to manage time, but it's unlikely that I will do the full-scale evaluation of time spent like Hallowell suggests. I guess if I get that desperate, I may, but for now, I've got a few take-always that make this a worthwhile read.
Hallowell provides a strong argument for slowing down and prioritizing what is important to you. He also urges adults to play, something we tend to forget to do as we get busier. He seems to spend a bit too much time explaining how we 'lose' our time when most of us already know that. He does, however, provide some very pragmatic bits of advice for reclaiming one's life. Worth taking a look at if you are feeling like it's all a bit too much.
Great book with some very interesting insights into the "modern world". I was expecting a more precise road map for how to approach structure & focus but I realized at the end that the generalities presented were exactly what the "Doctor ordered".
There were some interesting details and a great chart on determining the worth of time spent on every activity. The downside though was that there were many example stories that were just redundant and unneeded, not to mention boring.
This book really opened my eyes to a new way of thinking. I found myself thinking, "Oh maybe it is me that needs to change and not my husband!"=) Highly recommended for anyone who wants to find a way to slow down in this crazy busy world.
This book was published in 2007, but I think it is even more relevant today, especially "screen sucking." I had been thinking about canceling cable, and finally did it after reading this one. Though I didn't do the full run down of how I spend every waking minute, I think people might be surprised how much time they spend on the computer/smartphone/tablet and watching TV and how little pay off there is from it. I'm using a computer as I type this so I am not totally cutting this out of my life,...more
"Overstretched, Overbooked, and About to Snap" An honest view of our maxed-out lives and some strategies for taking time back, slowing down, and recognizing the pros and cons of our new connectedness and technology.
I found this book very helpful. I am full of energy and enthusiasm and this book helped me take a balanced look at my life. It gave me strategies to avoid over doing.
Apr 26, 2008
Susie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
People who are feeling overwhelmed, distracted, unfocused
This is a fairly dry read but I thought it was good information. It gives a good explanation of WHY most people today feel so overloaded. He also has a couple of lists that I found helpful, one is of the distractors that keep us from doing what we REALLY want to do and the other is of ways to work on keeping focused on what you REALLY want to do.
This quote was meaningful to me: "The best reason to take your time is that this is the only time you'll ever have. You must take it or it will be take...more
This quote was meaningful to me: "The best reason to take your time is that this is the only time you'll ever have. You must take it or it will be take...more
Solid on observations about the modern world, short on practical solutions. Primarily a stop-and-smell-the-roses kind of thing.
An ok read, but not brilliant. The book is in two parts that roughly splits the book in half. The first part is pretty fluffy. The second part is more prescriptive and has a couple of good tips.
I attempted to listen to the audio book of this text - must admit, the first three chapters just made me more stressed and agitated than when I began. I don't know whether it was the man's tone, the pacing or the writing itself, but I found listening to this doing more harm than good. However there were some really interesting nuggets of information mixed into the "how bad, and I'm making it worse by spreading it around more and more" words I was listening to in the car. I think I'd like to buy...more
My favorite chapter was Ten Principles to Managing Modern Life. I'm going to post the list of principles in my office at work so that I can remember to delegate and ohio (only handle it once). Chapter 32 continues with 50 more specific suggestions. I need all the tips I can get.
My least favorite chapter was New Words for New Problems Some with New Solutions. In this chapter the ADD specialist gets a little nutty and goes overboard coming up with new words to describe the strangeness of modern l...more
My least favorite chapter was New Words for New Problems Some with New Solutions. In this chapter the ADD specialist gets a little nutty and goes overboard coming up with new words to describe the strangeness of modern l...more
I read this for fun. It's not a Christian book, but it has clever insights into the fast-paced world in which we live.
I guess I am too busy to read this. Got a couple chapters in, but ironically kept skimming because I was too busy. Maybe another time.
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Edward M. Hallowell is a child and adult psychiatrist who specialises in ADD/ADHD and who also has ADHD. He is the co-author of the book Delivered From Distraction. He also created The Hallowell Center for Cognitive and Emotional Health in Sudbury, MA. He is a Harvard alumnus and has been on the faculty of Harvard Medical School since 1983. He received his medical degree from Tulane University Med...more
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“Always valuable, your attention has now also become one of your most insecure assets and most-sought-after possessions.”
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“The best reason to take your time is that this time is the only time you'll ever have.”
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2 people liked it
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Jan 02, 2011 07:19pm