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You scan your e-mail while you're on the phone in search of a file buried in your in-box, just as a co-worker hands you a report to read before a meeting that's already started.

Get the feeling too many days like this could make you crazy?

You're not alone. For many people, that's a description of many moments in a typical workday. Having to deal with the ever-increasing amount of information and tasks competing for attention is literally driving us to distraction, experts warn.

Call it ADD in the workplace. Dr. Edward Hallowell has.

"Today, the symptoms of attention deficit disorder seem to describe just about everybody in a career," says Dr. Hallowell, the author of CrazyBusy: Overstretched, Overbooked and About to Snap!

For two decades, he specialized in treating children with ADD. In the past three years, he's seen an increasing number of adult executives with the same symptoms: chronic inattention, disorganization and inability to focus long enough on tasks to complete them.

What's happening?

"With the proliferation of wireless devices, e-mail and websites, we've been caught up in a dust storm of information competing for our attention," says Dr. Hallowell, a former professor at Harvard Medical School and now director of the Center for Cognitive and Emotional Health in Sudbury, Mass. "Meanwhile, we're being told that multitasking is a valuable skill, so we try to keep two or three balls in the air simultaneously."

But the brain isn't wired to handle this rush of competing chores. "As you try to do more tasks, you're not likely to do them as well because you can't think in-depth on any of them," he said in an interview.

The effort of shifting from task to task takes a physical toll as well. "In handling so much, you are likely to find yourself continually weary and achy, and you become rude and pre-emptory with others," he says.

Unfortunately, we can't turn back the clock to a simpler time. "But you can step back and realize that you have given away a lot of control that you can take back."

How do you do that?

It's a matter of finding a personal comfort level amid all the chaos "and make sure that all the mayhem is working for you, rather than against you," says Carolyn Harvey, co-author with Beth Herrild of the new book Comfortable Chaos.

Once you determine how much chaos you can comfortably allow into your day, you then make choices to stay within those limits, says Ms. Harvey, who runs Seattle-based career consultancy Quest for Balance Inc. with Ms. Herrild.

Everyone's "coefficient for chaos" is different, the authors say:

People highly tolerant of chaos are energized by activity and afraid of missing out on something. These people will schedule back-to-back meetings and try to keep multiple projects going all the time. But they need to assess whether they are giving their fullest attention to the most important tasks or just rushing superficially from one task to the next, Ms. Harvey says.

Someone in the mid-range of chaos tolerance likes the rush of a good challenge but also needs time to take breathers and regroup between battles. "This type of person could be more comfortable scheduling meetings that last only 50 minutes, rather than an hour, so they have time to relax for a few minutes and think about what they've just done before gearing up again," Ms. Herrild says.

People with low tolerance for chaos are most comfortable interspersing intense work with an equivalent time to recoup. They may want just two or three things to handle in a day, but they complete each one before going on to the next. This type may actually get much more accomplished than a high-chaos person because they are less likely to have to try to remember where they left off on a task, Ms. Herrild says.

So how do you take control to stay within your comfort level?

The biggest changes come from setting limits on the barrage of information, Dr. Hallowell says.

He says he personally freed up a couple of hours each day by shutting off his personal digital assistant and cellphone during work hours, and setting fixed times in the morning and evening to check e-mail.

"I don't blame technology. I blame the way we use it. You need a system to confront what I call screen-sucking -- literally being constantly drawn to a new hit of information.

"You don't have to have the cellphone on while you're having dinner; you don't have to answer every e-mail the minute you get it. And there is no reason that you have to deal immediately with every interruption that comes up."

He advises carving out blocks of undisturbed time. "People don't realize how much they've given up control and allowed their boundaries to be much too permeable."

People assume they leave their office door open to be available to their supervisor and their team and answer client requests immediately, but that invites distraction.

So you should let people know you're not available -- and that it is for their own good, Dr. Hallowell suggests. "Talk to your supervisor and explain you will do better work if you get an hour of interrupted time rather than being constantly on call."

The same goes for clients and co-workers. "Tell them you've got to concentrate, but you will get back to them as soon as you can. People will respect that if you defend yourself."

Once you get the time, use it wisely. Dr. Hallowell suggests writing a list of regular activities and rating them according to whether they are highly creative or marginal uses of time. Also consider whether a task is actually required or something you assume someone expects. "You'll find there are many things you do because they seem to be the right thing to do, but are unnecessary and actually have poor returns."

There will always be things beyond your ability to control, Ms. Herrild of the Seattle consultancy says. "It helps to keep this in mind because you don't end up beating your head against a brick wall."

Even when things seem totally chaotic, there are factors you can influence, she says. For instance, you may have no control over having to meet a deadline to complete a report. But you can make it less of a crunch by setting limits on the amount of research time you put in, how much advice you solicit from other people and reschedule client meetings to give full attention to the task, she explains.

Chaotic times are actually often predictable; recognizing this will make you feel more in control, Ms. Herrild adds. For instance, if you know the last week of the month has many deadlines, resist requests to take on any new assignments during that time.

It's also important that each time you complete a task, you take a moment to appreciate yourself, she advises. "Nowadays, people don't often slow down long enough to get that feeling that they have done a good job."

Slowing down as much as you can is the key to achieving the most in this electronically supercharged world, Dr. Hallowell concludes.

"If you're crazy-busy, you can be the smartest person in the world but you will be so distracted, you can end up underperforming and never achieving your goals. By doing less, and doing it more effectively, you'll most likely do better work, you'll be a happier person and chances are you'll be a nicer person," he says.

"While you'll still be busy, it won't drive you crazy."

Making order out of chaos

You can't slow down the pace of work, but you can control the multitude of time-wasting distractions competing for your attention, says Dr. Edward Hallowell, author of CrazyBusy: Overstretched, Overbooked and About to Snap. Here's his tips:

Review how you work. Invest your time in activities that give the most return and cut back on things that are peripheral.

Do what you love. Focus on what you like and do best at work, and protect them against distractions.

Set goals and keep them. Write an agenda of things you want to accomplish each day and stick with it.

Find your rhythm. Perform routine activities at the time when you are most able to focus on them. For instance, read all your e-mail in the morning before you get caught up in other tasks. Try different schedules to see what works best.

Quit screen-sucking. Trolling the Web or continually checking e-mails can be addictive. Try moving the computer screen to a less convenient location or put a clock near it to show how much time you're taking.

Create the right attitude. Dwell on the positive, stay welcoming and upbeat with co-workers. That will make them more co-operative and willing to help with functions that drag on your time.

Delegate. Things you aren't good at or don't interest you may be right down someone else's alley.

Get over guilt. Remind yourself regularly that you are doing what you can to the best of your ability, and can't do it all.

Slow down. When the computer takes too long to boot up, take a deep breath and relax rather than clenching your teeth. Ask yourself, "what's my hurry?" and you'll feel in better control.

Play. Time off spent engaging in what you enjoy is not time wasted.

Wallace Immen