How to Use ADHD Brain Hacks to Improve Focus and Productivity

Is your child or a student you know diagnosed with ADHD? Does this condition run in your family? My child, my partner, and I all have ADHD, and I have also taught and currently teach numerous students with this condition.

These five powerful strategies can assist you or your student in collaborating with the brain to boost concentration and efficiency.

1. Take it easy. Although it may seem contrary to being productive, those with ADHD often face challenges with impulsiveness. Before responding to someone's feedback, tone, or attitude, or before pursuing your own creative thoughts, pause for a moment. Breathe deeply, observe three things directly in front of you, step away from screens, gaze out the window, take a shower, or pay attention to the pace of your body.

2. Use music to set the atmosphere. If you or your student is trying to concentrate on finishing a task by a deadline or having trouble finding motivation, try using apps like Spotify or YouTube Music to play a playlist that matches the activity. Personally, I rely on my custom running playlist for chores I don't feel motivated to do and a general ADHD flow playlist for tasks that need focus and sitting still. Soothing music is also beneficial for calming tense nerves when feeling overstimulated, which is often experienced by those with ADHD.

   

   Spotify PlayList

3. Keep essential items in the same location every day. Students with ADHD often struggle with losing crucial items like coats, shoes, backpacks, assignment books, or keys. Having a dedicated and consistent spot for these important items will alleviate stress for everyone. When I get home, I usually want to proceed to the next activity without pausing to hang up my coat. Whether I rush in or do it later, I always place my keys in the same bowl, put my shoes in a shoe bin, hang my coat in the closet, and set my purse on a shelf in the closet.

   
   

   

   STALL Shoe Bin Ikea

4. Limit options. Decision fatigue is a genuine issue for those with ADHD. Offering open-ended choices can increase frustration. Instead, ask your student whether they prefer waffles or cereal for breakfast, if they need five or seven more minutes to complete their morning routine, or if they want to begin with homework or have a snack first. Restricting these decisions provides the balance of structure and flexibility that an ADHD brain requires.

5. Leverage technology. Individuals with ADHD may find short-term memory difficult. In our household, we rely on Alexa or Echo Dot to create reminders for tasks like feeding the fish, taking the school lunch from the fridge, remembering gym shoes, and other items frequently overlooked during hectic school mornings. Just say, "Alexa, set a reminder for 8am tomorrow morning to have the assignment book signed," ensure the volume is loud enough to hear the reminder, and you're good to go!

Echo Dot