Living with ADHD can be a challenge. Restlessness, lack of focus, and concentration difficulties often make daily tasks a struggle. While a trusted psychiatrist in Mandeville, LA, can help you improve your mental health, there are techniques you can use at home to boost concentration and manage ADHD.
Learn how to focus better with ADHD using five simple tips.
How To Maintain Focus With ADHD
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) spans a range of behaviors like hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity. Children and adolescents with ADHD often show restlessness, fail to wait for their turn during games, find it hard to concentrate on schoolwork, and have difficulties understanding and following instructions.
Maybe you received an ADHD diagnosis as a child and continue to grapple with this condition as an adult. Or maybe you discovered you have ADHD after years of struggling with disorganization, poor time management, impulsiveness, and a low frustration threshold.
Fortunately, you can use various tips to boost concentration and productivity. The question of how to focus better with ADHD often boils down to adopting a few practical strategies like the ones below.
1. Break Down Difficult Tasks
People with ADHD often struggle with large or boring tasks. Typically, you’ll avoid the task, procrastinate, and waste a lot of time.
You can overcome this by breaking a difficult task into small increments. For example, if you need to compile a 50-page annual report, you might separate it into mini-tasks like “write the introduction” and “organize the charts for Q1.” Similarly, decluttering a whole house may seem overwhelming, so you may start with easy steps like cleaning out one closet or sorting a few boxes.
Once you get into the groove, moving on to the next steps will be easier until you’ve completed the task.
2. Limit Distractions
Distractions are often a death sentence to productivity when you live with ADHD, especially if you work from home. Ideally, you should pick a low-traffic, work-only zone and minimize interruptions. Close the door and put your phone away or set it on airplane mode.
If you must share a workspace with others, look into noise-canceling headphones or noise-reduction earmuffs. Ensure you have everything you need, like a water bottle, snacks, and tissues, within easy reach so you don’t need to leave your workstation as often.
3. Set a Timer
Concentrating for two hours may seem daunting, but staying focused for 25 minutes is much more manageable. If you have ADHD, you can try what’s known as the Pomodoro method.
Using the Pomodoro technique, you’ll set a timer for 25 minutes, during which you’ll focus on whatever task you need to accomplish. Then, you’ll take a five-minute break. After four such work cycles, you can take a longer break of 15-30 minutes. Installing a Pomodoro app can help you use this focus-boosting strategy.
4. Include Exercise Breaks
Brief five-to-ten-minute exercise breaks of running, dancing, stretching, or yoga can boost your energy and improve your focus. Physical activity increases the flow of oxygen to your brain, stimulating the growth of new brain cells in areas responsible for learning and memory.
5. Switch Between Tasks
Sometimes, switching between two tasks can be more productive than pushing yourself to complete one boring project in a single stretch. When one task becomes too tedious, you can switch to another for a while. For example, you can set aside 15 minutes for revising a document and the next 15 minutes for answering emails.
Struggling With ADHD? Contact Us at Crescent City Psychiatric
Do you live with ADHD and struggle with focus, attention, and impulsive behaviors? Or do you wonder what ADHD looks like in adults and whether you might have undiagnosed ADHD? Contact us at Crescent City Psychiatric.Our experienced mental health professionals can provide a correct diagnosis, devise a personalized care plan, and educate you on how to focus better with ADHD. Schedule your appointment today.
