If youre an adult with ADD, you know that its impossible to stay focused 100% of the time, unless were hyperfocusing on something, of course. Then, we cant be dragged away. But what about those times when youre in a company meeting and youre trying to pay close attention to something until that old ADD creeps in and tears your attention away to put it someplace else? You cant help it.

Yet, this can sometimes create problems. How embarrassing is it when youre zoned out and the big boss asks you a question? Youre like, Uh-oh.... Right? So, you give some crazy answer and everyone just kind of stares blankly at you and the meeting moves on. Boy, do you feel stupid! Well, dont. Youre far from stupid. You just have ADD. This can happen when someone is explaining an important project or when youre trying to get the basics for solving a complicated problem in math class. You zone out, miss an important detail, and youre lost.

Youre frustrated. You dont even know youve missed important information until the blank stares come or when your project is completed, but not the way it was supposed to have been done. Or, you flunk the math quiz. What can you do?

The first thing is to realize that its not your fault. Its your ADD. Yet, there are some steps you can take to assure that youll do things right most of the time.

Keeping paper and pencil handy at all times is important when you have attention deficit. You can make notes of important things you need to remember, and the action of doing this could help hold your attention to the topic at hand. Just dont go overboard with the note taking or it could become a distraction in itself. Just write down some clear points that you can use to jog your memory when the meeting or class is over.