Ride the ADHD Wave

Every day we have periods of higher energy and focus. Sometimes we try to top that focus up with food or caffeine, with varying success. People with ADHD have to be particularly attentive to these times of day. A common mistake I see is mismanaging them. Picture your energy as the wave below.

The peaks are when your focus is strongest. You can hyper-focus on the task in front of you and plough straight through it. Watch out, world, that to-do list is about to disappear. The trouble is that it disappears for the wrong reason. The moment passes and distraction takes over, and now it feels like you will never pull out of jumping from one thing to the next without finishing anything.

Attention does go up and down, though. It does not flatline. What I have found matters is to use the peaks for the executive-functioning work that is hardest: make the to-do list, decide what comes first, estimate how long each task will take, and start the first one. When attention wavers, drop down to a lower-energy task. That might mean returning phone calls while you are sharp and sending the routine email as you come down. At home you might alternate between paying bills and folding laundry in front of the TV. Riding the wave does not mean doing less work. It means working with the tide instead of against it.