You know the usual ADHD focus tips, but at work they often fail. Colleagues, meetings and chat pull you away, and many tasks are not your choice. You were busy all day and still got little done.
This article gives you one block you can start at work and a goal you write on paper. You also get a way back after every interruption, a simple test for any tip and real breaks between meetings.
Which ADHD tip should you try first at work?
Out of all those tips, start with one block, a timed stretch of focused work on one task. Write its goal down before you begin.
You don’t have to do everything at once. Take what works for you and skip the rest.
Then test each tip you try at work on its own. Do one block with it and one block without it, on two different days. Compare what each block produced against its block goal.
How the block felt and how long you sat don’t count. To see every step from setup to break, read one block for focusing with ADHD, step by step. Long, undisturbed stretches of focus are called deep work, and deep work with ADHD is a separate question.
Set a timer you can start, even for a dull task
Your first block starts with three steps: decide on music, set the timer and write down the goal. My advice on music: skip it.
The timer length depends on how you feel right now. Five lengths range from 90 minutes when you’re fully fit down to 15 minutes on days when you’re strongly unmotivated.
Routine tasks are often the dull ones you still have to do. The timer tells your brain that the work has an end and will be over soon. That makes starting easier, especially with unpleasant tasks.
If you’re unsure, pick the shorter length, because you can always keep working after the timer rings. To learn more, read about how long a deep work session should be. If dull tasks keep moving to tomorrow, read how to overcome procrastination.
Write the block goal on paper before you start
The third step is the block goal. Write it on your protocol sheet, a sheet of paper for your goal and work steps.
A goal only in your head stays vague. On paper, it is binding. Writing forces you to think about what you want, and that gets your mind into the task.
- Write the end goal, the result of the whole project, as done: “Article is published,” not “Write article.”
- Add an intermediate goal if it helps: “Article is fully written.”
- Write the block goal, the result of this block: “First draft of the outline is done.”
- Add the next action if the start is unclear: “Open document and jot down three bullet points for the outline.”
- Start the work.
Make the block goal ambitious but doable. A goal that is too big overwhelms you, and you freeze. A goal that is too small gives you no drive.
If you miss the block goal, that’s no failure. It’s information for the next block.
When work pulls you away, write down where you are
Even with a clear goal on paper, something at work will pull you out of a block. Before you turn to it, write down where you are.
Most disruptions are predictable, so you can stop them before the block starts.
To shut out these disruptions before you start, read how to keep focus at work. When something still pulls you away, you have three ways back:
- A thought pulls you away: Write a few keywords on your thought sheet, a page for unrelated thoughts. Then look back at your protocol sheet.
- Someone needs you now: Before you turn around, write your last step and your next step on the protocol sheet.
- You come back and feel lost: Write the next mini step on the protocol sheet and do it.
The note takes about 30 seconds and saves you minutes when you get back. Without it, you spend the first minutes figuring out where you were.
When the timer rings, write the same note: your last step and your next step. Do this whenever work makes you stop. If colleagues keep coming to your desk, read about deep work when everyone is bothering you.
Take a real break between meetings and blocks
Between blocks, and between meetings too, take a real break. Move your body a little and let your head empty. Without a break, the quality of your work drops from block to block.
At work, the break easily fills up with email and messages. They pull your mind into other matters.
In a study from 2021, Microsoft looked at meetings without breaks. Fourteen information workers in the US wore caps that record brain activity. After four half-hour meetings in a row, a brain signal linked to stress rose.
With 10-minute meditation breaks between the meetings, that signal stayed steady. The study was not about ADHD. Still, it is a good reason to leave a short gap between meetings when you can.
| In the break, do | In the break, skip |
|---|---|
| Step outside for fresh air and daylight | Your phone: a quick check turns into 15 minutes of scrolling |
| Sit by a window, look around or close your eyes | Email, messages and calls |
| Do a few stretches or squats | Social media, shows and videos |
How long the break should be depends on the block before it. You’ll find the lengths in how long deep work breaks should be. If meetings fill most of your calendar, read about deep work with too many meetings.
After the break, the next block starts with the timer and the goal on paper. Repeat that rhythm, and your workday ends with results on paper, not just the feeling of being busy. See how it works →
FAQ
Do you have to tell your employer about ADHD to protect your focus time?
You don’t have to name a diagnosis to protect focus time with ADHD. Tell the people who contact you at what times you can’t be reached. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says the Americans with Disabilities Act covers employers with 15 or more employees.
What should be on your desk at work?
With ADHD, keep only what your current task needs on your desk: screen, keyboard, mouse, notepad, pens, light and water. A document from another project makes you think about that project. Anything you can’t sort right now goes into a tray beside the desk.
Is it easier to focus in the office or at home with ADHD?
There’s no single answer for focus with ADHD at work, because every place has its own sources of disruption. Write yours down as a checklist. Each time you find a new one, add it.
