Name: Faster Than Normal
Rating: 4.4 (87 reviews)
Author: Peter Shankman

What’s in it for me? Maximize your brain’s potential.

Imagine using your ADHD to write an entire book during a 30-hour flight to Tokyo. Yes, you read that right. Not read an entire book, write one.

Well, that’s exactly what author Peter Shankman did. Shankman has harnessed the power of his ADHD brain to such great effect that he can accomplish incredible feats – like writing a book in 30 hours, creating and selling multiple businesses, or finishing Ironman Triathlons.

Most importantly, Shankman believes you can do the same.

Well, maybe not exactly the same thing. Your ADHD might backfire on planes, or your body might not like extreme endurance events. But what Shankman does believe is that you can harness the power of your ADHD to unlock your potential. You’ll need to find tools of your own – who knows, maybe a plane works for you, too – establish personalized rituals, and avoid the specific triggers that lead to your self-destructive behavior, but Shankman’s experience can point you in the right direction.

If you don’t have ADHD, this Blink can still help increase your productivity and decrease your distractions. And who couldn’t use some of that?

We’ll start at the beginning of Shankman’s story, and then look at ADHD in a new light.

A blessing, not a curse

Growing up in New York City in the 1980s, Peter Shankman knew he was different. He was always blurting things out without thinking, which got him beaten up or sent to the principal’s office on countless occasions. He couldn’t remember to tidy his room, but every once in a while he would clean the entire home to perfection and do all of the family’s laundry on top of that. He could focus for hours on a complex project, but in the middle of a basic task, he’d get distracted.

The issues followed Shankman to adulthood, especially in his personal life, where he had a string of failed relationships. He was bemoaning yet another breakup during a therapy session when his therapist threw a book at him. Literally. Hit him right in the gut with a copy of Delivered from Distraction by Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey.

Figuratively, it hit him in the heart.

Shankman cried as he read their description of ADHD – attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. He finally felt seen as the book explained how the condition makes life a paradox; makes you feel laser-focused one minute but spacey the next; makes you ultra-confident one day but insecure another. Most importantly, the book helped Shankman understand his ADHD was a blessing, not a curse.

For now, remember the book, Delivered from Distraction as we’ll come back to it at the end of this Blink. And remember the key lesson it taught Shankman, which is the foundational premise for his book and this Blink – ADHD is not a disease, it’s a power, and if harnessed correctly, it can be a superpower that leads to an amazing life.

In general, people with ADHD are creative, eager, spontaneous, daring, inventive, and compassionate. Their brains work faster than normal – sound familiar? Some of history’s most famous thinkers exhibited traits that could have easily led to an ADHD diagnosis if such a thing had existed in their day. You may know some of the names, like Galileo, Leonardo da Vinci, Ben Franklin, Louis Pasteur, Henry Ford, and Albert Einstein. Many of them struggled with everyday tasks and in school. They were all considered different, they all had failures, and yet they all changed the world.

Without getting too scientific, people with ADHD don’t produce enough of the chemicals that help us focus and feel happy – dopamine, serotonin, and adrenaline. Our modern understanding of ADHD has only started to gain traction in the last 25 years or so, but doctors have been observing and noting ADHD behaviors – such as wild swings in attention span and lack of a verbal filter – since the mid-1800s.

If left unchecked, ADHD can be disastrous for people who have it. They can be forgetful, distracted, and unreliable. Their overactive brains make it hard for them to relax or sleep. They’re prone to addiction, anxiety, and depression. That’s why ADHD must be monitored and rules must be put in place to harness its power. And that’s exactly what we’ll cover in the next section.

Rituals

Shankman speaks at events all over the world. For most of these engagements, his contract is basic – he speaks and you pay for him and his travel. But there’s one important exception: Las Vegas. For Sin City events, Shankman’s contract stipulates that he only speaks at lunch and he’ll only be in Las Vegas for eight hours maximum – from wheels down on arrival to wheels up on takeoff.

Why? Because Shankman is eliminating his choice about what to do in Las Vegas with a free night, or even a free hour. He knows himself well enough to know nothing good will come of that freedom, so he doesn’t give himself the choice to even have it.

Avoiding triggers

We just learned that rituals can help you harness the power of your ADHD, as long as those rituals are personalized. The same goes for avoiding ADHD triggers. The hot buttons that affect Shankman might not be the same ones that affect you, but you need to understand your personal hot buttons and how to avoid them. And yes, everyone has triggers that cause them to act in self-destructive ways, whether they’re fueled by ADHD or not.

We’ve already heard about one of Shankman’s triggers – Las Vegas. He knows he can’t be there because he has an addictive personality. He learned that the hard way when, after a nerdy and alcohol-free childhood and adolescence, he discovered drinking as an adult. In typical ADHD fashion, Shankman went too far with alcohol, so now he avoids it like he’d avoid any other trigger. Has he ever gambled away his life savings at a poker table? No, but he knows even a little gambling could trigger a spree for someone like him, so he simply avoids it.

Toolboxes and inboxes

Before we get to the digital apps that can increase productivity and minimize diversions, know this – you should put them all on one screen! Scrolling through screens is a minefield of distractions for anyone, but in particular for someone with ADHD. So, files and groups are your friends as you move everything to your home screen.

As we mentioned earlier, Shankman is committed to tracking his data when it comes to eating, sleeping, and exercising. He does this using Withings – which tracks weight, sleep, blood pressure, and air quality; Runkeeper – to track steps and exercise; and MyFitnessPal – which tracks caloric intake and nutritional numbers. Tracking is critical because it can help you reach goals and move forward. It gives you a sense of “crossing things off the list,” which is bliss for anyone with ADHD.

What is Faster Than Normal about?

Faster Than Normal (2017) explains that ADHD isn’t a disease to be diagnosed but a power to be nurtured and harnessed. If you follow certain rituals and avoid the triggers that lead to self-destructive behavior, you can utilize the full power of your brain to create an extremely productive and deeply fulfilling life.