How ADHD Affects Productivity

For anyone with ADHD, productivity is an issue. Whether we are performing professional tasks, making social plans, or simply doing chores at home, we might find that our progress is inhibited and our effectiveness impacted. Some with ADHD can use their neurodiverse traits to be effective in their careers and relationships, but many get stuck trying to fight against natural ADHD tendencies.

Struggling to be productive while also coping with ADHD is not easy, but it always helps to begin by learning about why we do the things we do. Others might misunderstand us, but what matters most is that we understand ourselves, practice self-compassion, and learn methods to be successful and fulfilled.

Disorganized, Not Lazy

People train for months to do specialized tasks, such as running a marathon or competing in a professional arena. They might change their diets and begin a strict training regimen to gain the necessary strength or to unlock new abilities. Even when they are naturally gifted to do certain things, they still require extra discipline and effort. No one would call them lazy for taking a day off to rest now and then.

In terms of productivity, people with ADHD start with a disadvantage of sorts. If they want to be as productive or effective in the workplace as a neurotypical person, it requires extra effort and discipline just to produce at the same level as their peers. Imagine running a marathon at work every day just to keep up. That is the ADHD experience. Virtually everyone with ADHD has underpowered executive functions.

Although it sounds like a party you might attend if you were the CEO of a company, executive function is the name given to a collection of skills that are critical to productivity. This mental management system serves many purposes. Executive functions:

• Controls organizational skills
• Regulates emotions
• Helps resist impulses
• Deals with distractions or inappropriate responses
• Helps switch perspectives or adapt to sudden changes.

If these sound hugely important, that’s because they are. Without executive functions, our ability to be productive is severely limited. Unfortunately for most individuals with ADHD, this system is faulty at best.

With glitchy, inefficient executive functioning, we have weak planning skills, trouble focusing and controlling our emotions, inconsistency in completing tasks, and poor time management. These are all requirements for success in the workplace and professional, as well as personal, relationships.

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder, meaning that certain important areas of our brain develop later than in neurotypical people, and may, in fact, remain structurally less developed into adulthood. It’s important to note that these brain differences that affect executive functioning do not affect intelligence. While we might be scatter-brained, emotionally dysregulated, chronically late, and at times forgetful, there is a biological explanation for these challenges.

Blind to Time

People with ADHD are neurologically disconnected from time. Often referred to as “time blindness, this means we do not notice the passing of time as keenly as neurotypical people do. We might get lost doing one simple task and find that something that should have taken a few minutes to complete has taken us hours, and it’s still incomplete.

This is often difficult for coworkers and bosses because ADHD is not a visible disorder, and they cannot see the internal struggles caused by executive dysfunction. From their perspective, we are slacking off and wasting time when we should be knuckling down and completing tasks. Instead, people with ADHD tend to rely on urgency to complete tasks and meet deadlines. Time pressure helps some of us to lock in and focus, or to produce some of our best work.

Most working environments require consistency in meeting deadlines, and it is not sustainable to produce work according to the sporadic, time-crunch bursts that challenge most people with ADHD. This is not a failing of those with ADHD, nor is it strictly a problem of most work environments. But it is a reality to consider. One thing many people overlook, however, is how being able to thrive on chaos and under pressure is as much a gift as it is a problem.

Perfectionism Paralysis

There are many reasons we delay working on a project until the last minute. We might have become distracted by something or someone else, we might be waiting for the rush of dopamine that comes from a pressured situation, or we might have become paralyzed by wanting to do things perfectly. Usually, it is a combination of all the above.

Many with ADHD are perfectionists by nature and want to produce the best work possible. This is often related to years of criticism from others, usually related to their ADHD tendencies. They constantly feel under pressure to prove themselves capable, despite their limitations. Whatever the reason behind it, the pressure to produce perfect work makes many tasks emotionally taxing. Whatever the results, the drive for perfection weighs heavily on one’s sense of self.

Feeling pressured to be perfect is exhausting at every level, and many with ADHD find themselves paralyzed to simply begin a project. When this is combined with emotional dysregulation, a simple task at work becomes more complex and personal. Once again, from the outside, it might appear that the person is unmotivated or disengaged, all the while an emotional tug of war is taking place inside.

Dysregulated and Sensitive

One of the most impactful aspects of having executive dysfunction is that emotions are frequently dysregulated, or “out of whack,” to put it more casually. Responses to certain situations are less predictable and often disproportionate. People with ADHD may be accused of being moody or overly sensitive.

What many people don’t understand is that the big emotions experienced by those with ADHD aren’t pleasant to feel, and if given the choice, most of us would flip a switch to turn off the intensity of our emotions. Neurotypical people, who are usually more emotionally regulated, are often judgmental of neurodiverse individuals who struggle with emotional regulation, perceiving it to be a character flaw or simply a lack of self-discipline.

In addition, many people with ADHD are often sensitive to criticism and perceived rejection. Feelings of rejection or responses to criticism are often amplified because of repeated criticism experienced throughout their childhoods and school years. It’s not difficult to imagine how this would affect focus or impact productivity at work. A cold comment, a harsh bit of feedback, or a blunt reply from a coworker can be deeply hurtful and at times difficult to shake.

Emotional dysregulation is one of the most difficult aspects of ADHD to deal with in the workplace, as well as in personal life. If you are struggling with it, you are not alone, and you are not being “overly sensitive.” Your brain is simply wired differently.

Thankfully, we can learn strategies and practice self-compassion to help regulate our emotions. Although the additional energy expended to calm our hyperactive minds and turbo-charged emotions takes an extraordinary amount of energy that neurotypicals often have difficulty comprehending, we can learn to regulate our emotions and perform at equally high levels.

Overwhelmed by ADHD

If it isn’t clear by now, the struggles of living with ADHD in a neurotypical workplace are deep and often invisible. Even when it seems like we are coping or getting by on the outside, there is an unseen struggle taking place that we either can’t or are hesitant to communicate.

We might take on more than we can bear because we are trying to prove ourselves, or because we once managed the same workload at a time when our emotions were more regulated. The fact that our well-being dips and peaks unpredictably adds to the challenge.

Most professions require us to be able to multitask, whether it’s small or complex tasks. ADHD causes us to either hyperfocus on a single task or struggle with motivation and inattentiveness. Neither aids us in multitasking. What others seemingly find effortless, we may find overwhelming, and that’s nothing to say of workload exhaustion or the fatigue we feel from continually masking our struggles.

Playing to Strengths

Having ADHD does not mean you are a victim, although sometimes it may feel that way. Rather than focusing on traits that impair our productivity, it’s important to remember that we also have unique abilities that bring creativity, energy, and dynamism to any workplace. People with ADHD are often able to hyperfocus and “lock in” for hours at a time on important tasks.

They are creative problem solvers, thinking outside the box and often able to identify patterns and trends that others can’t. People with ADHD are adaptable and resilient, and their brains often produce more theta waves, increasing their effectiveness in crises. Lastly, people with ADHD often have high levels of empathy, compassion, a sense of fairness, and a keen wit.

It might take some time and a few honest conversations about neurodiversity, but when we find the right rhythm, we can be as productive as we need to be and contribute at the same level as our neurotypical colleagues.

If ADHD is affecting your work performance, there’s no reason to struggle alone. If you would like support, we would suggest you meet with a counselor who understands the challenges and strengths of neurodiversity, as well as the tools for increased productivity, better relationships, and improved well-being. Contact us if you’re interested in learning more.