Hyperfocus and ADHD

I am not a doctor of any kind; I am a professional organizer and a mother. What I am sharing is information I learned, read or seen with my own eyes.

Have you seen a kid so focused on a video game that he doesn’t hear his name being called? Later you are told he has ADHD. You may be tempted to think, “That kid; no his focus is great. He must not care about school or is lazy.” Being distracted or having a short attention span is only one side, the other side is hyperfocus.

ADD means having a dysregulated attention system that can go either way. People with ADD have trouble shifting attention, especially from something they are enjoying. They are naturally drawn to whatever gives them instant feedback. Hyperfocus can be a blessing or a curse. People with ADD can hyperfocus on what is interesting to them such as shopping, youtube, video games or tons of other interests and hobbies. For my daughter it is ancestry.com-she can get lost for hours. Sometimes a whole day is gone. Think about what lost. The opportunity to do homework, work on a long term project, hang out with friends and family. Hyperfocus can interrupt meeting your goals, completing important tasks, and building relationships.

To counter act these negative side effects of hyperfocus, have a plan in advance. For a child, parents should discuss an agreement beforehand on time limits and when certain activities can and can’t be done. It may be an hour of video games after homework, or an hour of computer time whatever you decide and agree to. In my house, there are not electronics in the morning before school or an hour before bedtime. The only excepts are in the morning we play the radio sometimes and we use are Kindles to read before bed.

Set timers but be aware that while hyperfocusing the timer will often not be enough. It may not even be heard. Try standing in front or what is being focused on, tapping a shoulder or wave your hand in front of the object of focus. Also realize that just saying something doesn’t mean you’ve been heard, stay calm. I know this is hard; you may have called them 10 times and running late. People with ADD need time to shift gears. You also want to wait for a natural break if possible like to end of a youtube video or the end of a TV show. These suggestions work for adults to, but instead of a parent ask a friend, co-worker or spouse to sap you out of your hyperfocus.

There is a silver lining, you can learn to use your hyperfocus to get loads of work done. Some can concentrate for long periods of time on complex projects. Some people work better with short deadlines, they can use their ability to hyperfocus to crank out the work by that short deadline. Use this ability to your advantage, find careers that are interesting to you with short deadlines and change often, like journalist, emergency room nurses, engineers, teachers, chefs and many others.

The key is learning to use hyperfocus as a tool when you need to get work done and to have a plan in advance of when it is working against you.