Do You Suffer From Scatterbrain Syndrome?

Occasionally I do. Yes, even as organized and prepared as I can be, I sometimes suffer from this. It usually occurs when too many things have to be done all at once. Or when I just am not in the mood to do what I'm supposed to do and I seem to create distractions to keep from working. Regardless, it happens to all of us and I thought it was interesting to see an actual term for this behavior. Take a read and maybe the ideas here will help you avoid that next bout of Scatterbrain Syndrome.

Do you ever feel like you are going in a hundred different directions but not really going anywhere? You start on a project and then abandon it when you think of something else? Or are you busy all day and get nothing done. This lack of focus or the “Scatterbrain Syndrome”

happens to everyone. Here are a few things to do that will help you focus.

Have a specific plan for each day. Know exactly what you want to accomplish each day. What is it the most important thing for you on this day?

Pick three or four tasks from your to-do list. If you have a huge, ongoing list it is easier to break it down. Looking at a large list can be overwhelming and distracting. Write three or four things on a piece of paper, on a white board or index cards or anyplace that separates them from the bigger list. Focus only on those tasks for the day.

Minimize distractions. Everything and everyone is fighting for your attention. If you want to finish something don’t answer the phone. Learn to tell people you are in the middle of something and will get back to them. Save internet surfing and TV as a reward for completing the task you want to do.

Stop multitasking. You might be proud of the fact that you can multitask but that makes your brain go in to too many directions. Start and finish a task before moving on to the next.

Take breaks. You probably think you don’t have time to take breaks, but what if they made you more focused and productive. During this 5-10 minute period spend some time meditating and clearing your mind.

Minimize stress. Stress can create a scattered brain, so you need to find ways to minimize it. The best natural antidotes are sleep and exercise. When you are tired, your coping mechanisms get weak. Doctors say that exercise is the best natural antidepressant on the market.

Keep an accomplishment journal. Sometimes it feels like you have the scatterbrain syndrome, when in reality you have accomplished more than you think. At the end of the day keep a journal of everything you did that day. This helps you focus on what you did do, instead of what you didn’t. Put your energy in the right place and give yourself the credit you deserve.

Being a scatterbrain does not mean that you are doomed to a life of forgetfulness or a lack of productivity or concentration. It probably means you’re pretty much normal, but you may need some new strategies.

Reasons To Use A Travel Agent

Reasons To Use A Travel Agent

CUSTOMER ADVOCACY: If you have a problem with a particular part of your travel experience, the agent is there to act on your behalf to see that restitution is made.

EXPERT GUIDANCE: Travel agents are experts in understanding and deciphering the myriad of travel information and codes out there. It’s what they’ve been trained to do and they do it every day.

PERSONALIZED SERVICE: Instead of an impersonal voice thousand of miles away, travel agents are your neighbors. They know what you want and what you value in your travel experience.

PROFESSIONAL ADVICE: Travel agents are there to make sure you get where you want to go, when you want to go and for the lowest price.

TIME: Instead of checking a long list of travel Web pages, which only provide rates and fares for the companies that have contracted with them, why not go straight to the source? A travel agent has all the information at their fingertips, saving you a few hours in front of the computer screen.

UNBIASED INFORMATION: Agents work for their clients, not for a travel supplier. It makes sense that a happy customer will be a repeat customer.

Make a Resolution to Take a Vacation This Year

Ten Healthy Reasons To Take A Vacation

The surf's calling, but if you're like many, you're feeling guilty about asking your boss for a little time off to relax--even though you desperately need it.

Not only do Americans get a meager amount of vacation time, they also tend not to use it all, according to Expedia.com's seventh annual Vacation Deprivation survey, conducted this spring.

Unsurprisingly, Americans got the least amount of vacation days per year among the countries surveyed, earning only 14 days vs. 24 days in Great Britain, 26 days in Germany, 30 days in Spain and 36 days in France.

In Pictures: 10 Healthy Ways To Take A Vacation

And despite reporting an average of 14 vacation days this year, compared with 12 days in 2005, 35% of the more than 4,100 U.S. adults questioned said they will not use all of their time off, leaving an average of three days on the table.

"Some people are fearful in this day and age about job security," says Munro Cullum, a professor of psychiatry and neurology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. "There's a push for productivity, and that can make people really avoid taking a vacation. Some people just figure they'll relax when they retire."

Sound familiar? Your behavior may impress your boss, but medical experts say you're not doing your health any favors.

Workaholic Woes
Stress produces physiological changes in our bodies, including higher blood pressure and a surge in stress hormones, such as adrenaline, which can cause blood to clot and increase the risk of a heart attack. By working all of the time, you're constantly subjecting your body to these responses, says Dr. Harvey Simon, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and founding editor of the Harvard Men's Health Watch.

Likewise, Cullum says, stress can impair the hippocampal function, which is crucial for the acquisition of new information, such as names, facts, PIN numbers and meeting times.

It's not clear whether vacations cause better health or whether they are just an indicator of healthier lifestyles. But taking time off does appear to have physical and mental benefits.

A 2005 study that analyzed research on 1,500 Wisconsin women showed that those who took vacations more frequently were less likely to become tense or depressed. Those women also reported being more satisfied with their marriages.

Cathy McCarty, the study's principal investigator and a senior epidemiologist for the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, says vacations help ease tension, which can lead to depression. Not taking a break also seemed to indicate that women were not spending time focusing on their marriages.

Even worse, the findings showed that nearly one in five women in the study reported taking a vacation only once in six years.

"It's the whole work culture," McCarty says. "Even people who have worked for me come to me with this tone of, 'I'm sorry, but do you mind if I take a day off?' I tell them to go--it's better for their health."

The data are damning for workaholic men, too.

A 2000 analysis of the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial, a study of more than 12,000 men ages 35 to 57 at high-risk for coronary heart disease, showed that those who took regular annual vacations had a lower risk of death than those who skipped taking time off.

Dealing With Your Vacation
If you're out of practice when it comes to getting away, experts say there are a few things you can do to make sure that when you do take a vacation, it's a relaxing one.

First off, try not to leave for your vacation on a Friday straight from work. Lugging your suitcase to the office and rushing to finish a project before dashing to the airport in rush-hour traffic will cause unnecessary stress, Cullum says. Ease into your vacation by giving yourself a day to pack.

While a three-day weekend is better than nothing, consider whether it'll really be enough time for you to unwind and feel rested. If you need more time off, take it.

And always try to schedule your vacation during a slow period at work.

"If you're worrying about that deal going through at work, you're not in the moment," says Dr. Edythe Harvey, a psychiatrist with international psychiatric center The Menninger Clinic. "You're not allowing yourself that break from constant work to re-balance yourself."