How to Harness Your Hyperfocus
Mar. 3rd, 2015 08:36 pmSo, I thought it might be useful to submit this here, as well as my own blog;
We all know, from painful and frustrating experience, how difficult it is for ADHD’rs to focus on routine task, homework, work, and so on.
Well, the nice thing is that there is a flipside to this disability - it’s called Hyperfocos; The ability to concentrate for hours at a time on things that do interest us.
Unrestrained focus can be a liability. Left unchecked, it can lead to lost hours online, failure in school, low productivity on the job, and strained relationships with friends and at home.
So, the trick here is to learn how to channel this focuse prodictivly, and turn this into an asset.
I tried for a long while to fight it, you know? But it’s frustrating as hell, and not really helpful, and feels like pushing against a wall and just waisting energy which I really don’t have enough.
So, I think that the best way to deal with hyperfocus is not to fight it but to harness it.
One way to make hyperfocus work to your advantage is by organizing your
to-do list
strategically. Take care of any time-sensitive tasks before tackling a project that you know will command all of your attention.
Also, a “wake up call” might be helpfull: decide ahead of time how long you have to immerse yourself in a project. Then, set an alarm or kitchen timer to go off when you need to wrap it up. It will help you to snap out of hyperfocus.
Hyperfocus is more likely to occur when you are engaged in a task that is challenging, that matters to you, and in which you can make progress. Take advantage of this! If you have a goal that’s aligned with something you’re excited about, you are more likely to stay on task and get the job done.
And if we can’t maintain an interest in the task, it might be useful to “wrap” in up in things that will ease the bordem, but will not prevent you from working. I use earphones and music for that, quite a lot. It’s very helpful with monotonic task.
And, rewards - self - rewarding. We are like children in that, we react to rewards. I often bribe myself with a nice, 15 minutes long break at the end of my task. With a book and chocolate.
Good like, all!
We all know, from painful and frustrating experience, how difficult it is for ADHD’rs to focus on routine task, homework, work, and so on.
Well, the nice thing is that there is a flipside to this disability - it’s called Hyperfocos; The ability to concentrate for hours at a time on things that do interest us.
Unrestrained focus can be a liability. Left unchecked, it can lead to lost hours online, failure in school, low productivity on the job, and strained relationships with friends and at home.
So, the trick here is to learn how to channel this focuse prodictivly, and turn this into an asset.
I tried for a long while to fight it, you know? But it’s frustrating as hell, and not really helpful, and feels like pushing against a wall and just waisting energy which I really don’t have enough.
So, I think that the best way to deal with hyperfocus is not to fight it but to harness it.
One way to make hyperfocus work to your advantage is by organizing your
to-do list
strategically. Take care of any time-sensitive tasks before tackling a project that you know will command all of your attention.
Also, a “wake up call” might be helpfull: decide ahead of time how long you have to immerse yourself in a project. Then, set an alarm or kitchen timer to go off when you need to wrap it up. It will help you to snap out of hyperfocus.
Hyperfocus is more likely to occur when you are engaged in a task that is challenging, that matters to you, and in which you can make progress. Take advantage of this! If you have a goal that’s aligned with something you’re excited about, you are more likely to stay on task and get the job done.
And if we can’t maintain an interest in the task, it might be useful to “wrap” in up in things that will ease the bordem, but will not prevent you from working. I use earphones and music for that, quite a lot. It’s very helpful with monotonic task.
And, rewards - self - rewarding. We are like children in that, we react to rewards. I often bribe myself with a nice, 15 minutes long break at the end of my task. With a book and chocolate.
Good like, all!