Welcome Strengthening Executive Functioning Skills in Women with ADHD Part 3, last time we looked at Activation and a woman with ADHD the ability to organize and plan are affected by ADHD, and how those impairments can affect our lives. We also looked at ways we can improve our organization, avoid procrastinating, and get started on the things we don’t want to do.
This time we are looking at Focus. Focus includes focusing on one task at a time sustaining our attention on one thing for a period and shifting our attention from one task to the next.
For a woman with ADHD we often have difficulties in these areas. We find it hard to focus on what we want—or need—to. It is a huge challenge for us to sustain our attention for any period without getting distracted, and shifting our attention from one thing to the next can be a source of difficulty and frustration. Difficulty focusing can manifest itself in the following ways:
Bouncing around rapidly between topics of conversation.
Finding it impossible to stay focused on something that does not interest you.
Finding it difficult to stay focused on something that does interest you.
Getting very easily distracted from whatever it is you are doing.
Getting very easily distracted by what most people would be able to ignore.
Being unable to “tune out” anything in your environment, or your mind.
Taking a long time to stop doing one thing and start doing another.
Sometimes focusing so intently on one thing that you exclude everything else.
Why Women with ADHD Has Trouble with Focusing?
Women with ADHD life are affected in several ways by these Focus impairments. It is difficult for us to stay focused on the things we need to get done in our lives, such as paying attention to accomplishing tasks at work, staying focused on our jobs, and getting things done around the house. We often “tune out” in the middle of conversations, miss important bits of information when someone is talking to us, or change the subject out of nowhere. It is vital to be able to get the important things done in our daily lives. Work, home life, and personal development all require our most valuable resource; our time. Distractions suck up this valuable time, preventing us from getting the things done that will allow us to both function in the adult world and, more importantly, feel happy and fulfilled. Distractions can also cause us to make what are often labeled as “careless” mistakes, as we find it hard to pay attention to detail. Additionally, we often find it hard to stay focused on our own personal goals, affecting our own sense of self-worth and self-esteem.
What Can a Woman with ADHD Do About It
There are many areas that are impacted by the impairments in the Focus executive function. Thankfully, there are things you can try to help improve each of them.
Declutter your desk. Remove anything from your desk/workspace that is not related to the task you are working on. Sticky notes, memos, pens and pencils, food, and other tasks—pile it up and put it out of sight. What you are working on now is important, and these things will have to wait until this task is done otherwise, they are bound to distract you.
Keep Your Notifications on Off. Silence your phone (unless you must have it on for work). Turn off pop-up notifications such as those telling you a new email has arrived. Turn off news alerts. Disable automatic software updates. Set your status to “busy” so people are less likely to interrupt you.
Keep A Small Notebook with You. If you remember something you should also do, do not do it immediately — instead, write it down in a list on a notepad and tell yourself you will do it later (and you will not forget, because you have written it down).
Do not Be Hard On Yourself– Remember that the problem is related to your ADHD. You are not crazy or incompetent. There are reasons for your distractibility. Do not berate yourself when it happens.
Use mindfulness Techniques When speaking with other people, try to be mindful and catch yourself before you inadvertently change the subject. It will be exceedingly difficult at first, but little improvements come with practice.
Get Help from Family & Friends Explain the problem to people you know and trust (friend, partner, spouse). Ask them to signal you privately when they notice you “jumping” to help you refocus your attention to the matter at hand.
Limit screen time. There are apps that will help you manage your screen time. Many of them are structured like a game, with rewards for less social media usage. With video streaming sites or computer games where there are no such apps to help you, gamify it yourself! Set time limits with a timer and reward yourself for sticking to them.
Estimate Your time. Divide your time into blocks—25 minutes is usually a good length—and do that ONE task for the first block. Take a 3–5-minute break, then change tasks (set timers to avoid clock-watching). Do three or four 25-minute chunks, then take a 15–30-minute break away from your workstation. Your brain has a chance to rest, and your body a chance to move.
Make boring tasks interesting. A boring task won’t stimulate the ADHD brain enough to act. But there are a few ways you can spice it up! Make it a competition with yourself; how many clothes can you fold in five minutes? Play music while you work; chair-dance as you write that essay! Incentivize the task; have a reward waiting for when you’ve finished.
Get moving. If you’re finding it hard to concentrate when doing a task, try adding movement. Even just a change of scenery can have the same effect—take the work to a different room or throw some cushions on the floor and do it there.
Finally…The harmful results that can often occur because of our impaired Focus executive function can be mitigated or avoided altogether with support. Options include professional therapy, prescription medication, ADHD-focused life coaching, and self-help strategies.
Next Time I will be looking at Memory. Learn why we often have trouble with our working memory, the ways that affect us, and powerful solutions to help. See you there!