I would agree with those two statements. They are even mentioned by Kent Beck, who created the technique in the first place, in his book Test Driven Development: By Example.
He spends a whole bunch of time hammering home the point that TDD is to help you manage complex problems and focus. He even mentions that if you think you can just power through the code and write it correctly in one swoop, then just do it. Skip TDD - it's not helping you then.
There are also other techniques he talks about regarding focus. For example, leaving a failing test as your last "bookmark" to where you left off for when you come back the next day. That allows you to jump right into where you left off, no ramp-up time at all.
He spends a whole bunch of time hammering home the point that TDD is to help you manage complex problems and focus. He even mentions that if you think you can just power through the code and write it correctly in one swoop, then just do it. Skip TDD - it's not helping you then.
There are also other techniques he talks about regarding focus. For example, leaving a failing test as your last "bookmark" to where you left off for when you come back the next day. That allows you to jump right into where you left off, no ramp-up time at all.