Finding Focus in Your Life Daily
Life can feel like a constant game of ping-pong when you have ADHD, no matter your age. Staying focused is tough, especially when everything around you demands your attention. Messages, emails, notifications—it’s all enough to make anyone feel scattered.
Always Something Pulling You Away
At work, distractions can pile up quickly. Someone stops by your desk, and you pause what you’re doing to give them your attention. Or worse, people have a full-blown conversation near you. How do you tune it out and refocus?
Distracted driving is another level of this struggle—our inability to fully focus while driving has become a dangerous norm. And it’s not just frustrating; it’s life-threatening.
The ADHD Spiral
For many of us, ADHD adds another layer of complexity. I’m an anxious and highly sensitive person. Combine ADHD with menopause, and sometimes, my emotions and focus feel completely hijacked. Staying calm and not overreacting is my top goal—but it’s easier said than done. If you would like more links for ADHA content, I highly recommend Caren Magill
So How Do You Find Focus?
Start with the basics: focus on one thing at a time. Multitasking? It’s a myth. Trying to juggle too many things at once divides your attention, which means nothing gets 100% of your effort.
Instead, prioritize. Learning how to prioritize your goals, life, and to-do list is essential. Here is a link to a short simple video by Nathaniel Drew
Ask yourself:
• What’s the most urgent thing I can tackle right now?
• Can I break a task into smaller, manageable pieces?
Breaking tasks into bite-sized steps makes them feel less overwhelming. For example, if you’re dealing with a long to-do list, don’t try to tackle it all at once. Choose one item, break it into smaller steps, and start there.
Build Systems That Work for You
One of the best tools for staying focused is a checklist. Yes, they can seem repetitive, but they’re lifesavers when interruptions happen. When you’re pulled away from a task, your checklist tells you exactly where to pick up again.
In my job at an IT help desk, I rely on checklists constantly. Calls come in, pulling me away from whatever I was working on. Thanks to my checklist, I can return to my task later without feeling lost.
Baby Steps Build Confidence
Start with small steps. As you get better at staying focused, those steps will naturally grow. Over time, you’ll gain the confidence to tackle bigger tasks, knowing how to break them into manageable pieces.
Dealing with ADHD Brain at Home
Even at home, focus can feel impossible. I’ll catch myself carrying random objects from room to room, completely forgetting what I set out to do. ADHD can make everyday tasks feel chaotic, but it helps to pause, reset, and refocus on one thing.
Venting and Resetting
If frustration or overwhelm takes over, allow yourself a moment to vent. Stop, take a breath, and try the “5-4-3-2-1” grounding technique Mel Robbins. It’s simple, but it works. It interrupts the thought pattern and grounds you in the present moment. So you can re-focus,
Write It Down, Let It Go – The Brain Dump
When random thoughts or tasks pop into your head, jot them down on scrap paper or sticky notes. Most of them won’t even require action, but getting them out of your head can be a relief. Somedays I have to write it all out on paper so I can SEE it all. Then I start chopping away at that list one by one.
Finding focus is about building habits and systems that support you. Start small, focus on one step at a time, and keep practicing. Whether it’s using checklists, prioritizing tasks, or simply writing things down, the key is consistency.
Good luck and keep me posted on your progress.
My YouTube video on this subject…enjoy…
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