Hyperfocus Is Not a Superpower, It's a Trapdoor

By Sara | Burnt Out Perfectionist

I have a confession: I have arrived at work, legit zoned in, and blinked. It was 2 p.m. I'd started at 8 a.m. And then it hits me: omg, lol, I need things.

People love to say hyperfocus is the ADHD superpower. Honestly? It's awesome and it's exhausting, and I can't always just stop.

What It Looks Like

I'll sit down to do one thing, and then:

• I haven't eaten
• I haven't had any water (lol)
• I'm wondering why my brain hurts
• someone has said my name three times
• Yes. My brain hurts because I forgot to feed it. Every time.

What I Get Stuck On

I don't discriminate. Work stuff, fun stuff, all of it.

But my main things are posters and processes. I want it to be perfect and balanced, but also have all the info. That is a lot to ask of a poster. Sometimes I break a task down into so many parts that I make up "rules" I need to follow, and then I follow them, for hours, when I could have done it faster.

It's always "one more thing." If I don't catch myself, I'm out for hours on something I could have finished in a lot less time.

But It Does Help

I'm not going to pretend it's all bad. I can bang out everything I need for a school event. When Eve and I overhaul the podcast stuff, I can do it. When I'm mass creating social media for the folks I do it for on the side, I'm flying.

That's the awesome part. The exhausting part is that it comes with a bill.

How I Try to Land Safely

Here's what helps me. It's not perfect, but it works more often than not:

• Set a million alarms. You may have to set a million alarms to go outside, to eat, to drink water, all of it. And don't be embarrassed by this. It's just what works.
• Use extensions for your computer. Things like the Pomodoro method. Google Chrome has a bunch of extension options, so go poke around.
• Rotate through things. I rotate because, lol, I get bored. Obviously. When something stops working, I switch it up.
• Keep certain things the same. Reminders, lists, calendars. Those stay put while everything else rotates.
• Play music. I can tell how many songs have gone by, so I can recognize how long I've been at it.
• Ditch your phone. Unless it's work related or an alarm, I ditch mine.
• Do everything on your laptop. Messages, WhatsApp, all of it. One screen.

When I Come Back Up

Eat. Drink. Put everything down. Go outside if I can and play with the dog. Or do something like sticker therapy, Lego, even colouring.

The People Who Notice

My husband brings me snacks, checks in, and offers to help. Eve and my kiddo notice too. My friend next door will be like, "okay, come to the store with me," or "come hang out for a bit." Honestly? It helps so much.

The Part I'm Working On

When I've hyper-focused, broken the task into a million parts, and followed all my made-up rules, I finish and I don't celebrate. I don't feel proud of myself. I just move on to the next thing.

Hyper-focus doesn't get the last word on that. Finishing counts. Be proud of yourself, even if it took longer than it needed to.

Your Turn

Two things I'd love to hear from you:

1. What's the strangest thing you've ever hyperfocused on?
2. Which extensions, timers, or alarm tricks actually work for you? Chrome has a bunch of options and I would love for folks to share below or on our social media posts. I'm always looking for the next thing to rotate in.

Listen and follow: 🎧 burntoutperfectionist.com 🔗 linktr.ee/burntoutperfectionist 📸 @burntoutperfectionists

Sara is the co-host and producer of Burnt Out Perfectionist, a podcast about ADHD, burnout, and surviving adulthood with your sense of humour intact. New episodes every Monday at 6 AM PST. Find us at burntoutperfectionist.com or follow along on Instagram and Linktree.

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