RE: E: ADD/ADHD Problems and Tech Writing/Editing Careers

[Mailing List <mlist -at- ca -dot- safenet-inc -dot- com>]

On Behalf Of tom -dot- green -at- iwon -dot- com opined:

> In reading these shared experiences with ADD/ADHD, I can only 
> say that I have had these same issues such as, lots of 
> paperwork, time management, concentration and missed details 
> but I don't think I need to be diagnosed with some sort of 
> mental condition that qualifies me for some new drugs. I do 
> believe in "better living through chemistry" but I also 
> believe that just a little more discipline on my part will 
> help get my job more organized. I am probably minimizing 
> someone's truly bonifide condition and for that I apologize, 
> but I just don't see how lack of concentration can be a 
> medical condition. 
> 
> Now, you may ignaite the flames. 

You mean like toasting your toes for writing "ignaite"?  <gdr&h>

ADD aside, a number of conditions can make it literally 
impossible for a person to concentrate on endless niggling 
details. A headache will do it for me. I can have rather 
substantial pains in other parts of my body and still be 
able to perform mental work, but a headache is somehow 
just too close to me. It's the difference between "that toe 
really hurts" and "*I* really hurt".  For many people, 
low blood sugar throws their ability to concentrate. 
Willpower may keep your eyes open and pointed toward the 
page, but it can't make you notice things that don't 
trip the fuzzy threshold.

If you can accept that somebody like Peter D'Adamo might 
have at least a kernel of truth in his theories, millions 
of people might be constantly "off their game" just because 
they're eating wheat, corn, and a few other things that 
disagree with their bodies (those of us with blood type O or B).

You'd think that that would be improving, lately, as 
the low-carb notion sweeps the dieting world (which 
accounts for about half of all North Americans, among 
others and thus for a huge chunk of our audience). 
But if D'Adamo and others are correct, that just means 
that the people who naturally thrive on low-carb eating 
would be feeling bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for 
a change (able to concentrate on our docs), but 
all the people who naturally thrive on grains and 
carbs would now be off their feed and distracted by 
sluggishness and pains as they try to force themselves 
into the latest popular eating style that just isn't 
made for them.

There's not much that we can do about that sort of 
thing, other than be aware of it and minimize its 
effects on our own ability to do mental work... this 
writing stuff is mental work, still, isn't it?  :-)

All we can do is to make our stuff as accessible and 
usable as possible -- to quote Chuck Martin "They need 
to know how to get their task done. Now. 
The docs have to be designed so users get the information 
they need, when they need it."

As foggy/fuzzy as our readers' heads might be, the easier 
we make their task, the better we've done our jobs.
Big fonts... that's the ticket!

/kevin

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