Hyperfocus: ADHD Superpower or Curse?
- Jackie Waldman
- Jun 30
- 3 min read
Spoiler: It's both.
A dad lives with his wife and their 16-year-old son. Both his wife and son have ADHD, and he knows all about hyperfocus.
"Ugh… look at these two. It's a superpower and a curse," he says.
He walks into the home office to find his wife so engrossed in planning her mother's big birthday party that she doesn't hear him say it's time for lunch. She has been sitting in the same position for hours, getting up only to use the bathroom at the very last minute.
"Lunch time!"
"OK…" is the response, but nothing changes.
"This is going to be an amazing party. You should think about event planning as a career."
Then he heads down to the basement to find his teenage son playing guitar while jotting down notes for a song he is writing. He has been at it for hours as well.
"Lunch time!"
"Be there in a minute, Dad." Still no change.
"I can't wait to hear that song. It's going to be amazing. But don't you think you need lunch?"
"Yeah… in a minute."
After three more reminders, Dad eats alone again. He knows this routine well. This is what happens when his wife and son go into hyperfocus.
Why does this happen?
"Attention deficit disorder is all about distraction… until it's not. One of the most surprising aspects of ADHD is hyperfocus: a person's ability to hone in on a specific task, sometimes to the exclusion of everything else." — Edward "Ned" Hallowell, MD, author of more than a dozen books on ADHD.
Hyperfocus in someone with ADHD is similar to being "in the zone" for a neurotypical person, but with one key difference: the ability to regulate attention. Sometimes it is hard to get focused at all. Other times, a person can become so locked in that they completely lose track of time and the world around them. They won't eat, won't sleep, and are running to the bathroom at the last minute.
For this wife and son, hyperfocus is helping them accomplish something meaningful. But it can just as easily become a time waster. Video games, online shopping, and streaming binges can send anyone with ADHD down a rabbit hole, leaving them wondering where the day went.
How to work with your brain
There are many ways to enjoy the benefits of hyperfocus without neglecting self-care and other important parts of life. Here are a few to start with.
1. Plan your sessions.
Break work into smaller chunks with built-in breaks rather than tackling one large task all at once.
2. Use loud alarms.
Rotate through different songs to keep the element of surprise. Put the alarm across the room so you have to get up to turn it off.
3. Take short, screen-free breaks.
Keep a menu of options that support your well-being: going outside, stretching, hydrating, grabbing a healthy snack. Pay full attention to what you are doing and how you are feeling.
If you have ever lost hours to something you love, forgotten to eat, or needed five reminders to come to lunch, you are not broken. You are just wired differently. Hyperfocus is not a flaw to fix. It is a feature of the ADHD brain that, with the right awareness and tools, can become one of your greatest strengths. The goal is not to shut it down but to learn to work with it.
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