ADHD and Distractions | How to Deal with ADHD Distractions | ADHD and Productivity
Have you ever found yourself stuck in a scroll hole on social media and wonder where the past hour went?
Maybe you suddenly realize you’ve been hyperfocusing on cleaning the kitchen to avoid the email response you need to write.
Or perhaps you pick up an item to put it away…only to start reorganizing your closet because you think “this will only take a minute.
Distractions come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and varieties.
They can easily become black holes for our attention…especially for those of us with ADHD.
And summer is chock full of FOMO and distractions for us ADHD mom business owners.
It’s like all that structure and routine that has helped us feel like we’re productive and making progress during the school year and gets swapped out with sunshine, and pool parties, and vacations, and all the fun things.
And look, I like fun. In fact, I love fun. Probably a bit too much.
But I also realized fairly early on in my journey as a mom entrepreneur that my business growth will stop, or at the very least start to backslide a bit, if I focus too much on fun during the summer.
So many of us ADHD mom business owners struggle to protect our attention and create boundaries around all the little distractions that love to hijack our time, energy, and focus.
That’s why I want to share some strategies about creating boundaries and protecting your focus and effort —not to restrict you, but to effectively use your time, your energy, your brain, so you can progress on the goals you have for your business and family.
You see, we are easily distracted because ADHD brains love novelty and stimulation.
We often jump from task to task not because we’re lazy, but because our brains need stimulation.
They are trying to feel better or get motivated—and sometimes checking your email, doing the dishes, or watching a YouTube video feels more rewarding than tackling QuickBooks.
Why Boundaries Matter for ADHD Mompreneurs
The fact that us ADHD mom entrepreneurs are constantly managing a lot probably doesn’t help the situation much. There’s just so much noise in our heads, our homes, and on our screens.
Which is why discussing boundaries is so important when we talk about managing distractions.
Without boundaries, it’s easy to feel distracted by the feeling you need to be everywhere doing everything for everyone rather than focusing on priorities that will help you do what you want.
You may feel like you can’t turn notifications off on your phone because you may miss an important call at 9pm that will make or break your business.
Or maybe you feel like you can’t shut the door to the room where you’re working because your kids need to have access to you at all times.
But…what if we reframed that thinking?
Instead of “I have to be available to all the things all the time,” we try shifting to:
“I’m going to let people know my availability and response window so I can start use my time and attention more intentionally.”
Because when your energy is fragmented, your results are too.
But when you create clear but flexible boundaries that work with your ADHD brain (not against it), you can start to build strategies to minimize distractions and things start to feel more manageable.
How to Deal with ADHD Distractions
Let’s dig into four ADHD-friendly strategies to help you build boundaries and limit distractions that may be robbing you of the time, effort, and energy you’re putting into building your business or raising your family.
1. How to Deal with ADHD Distractions: Stop Them Before they Start
Do you have a Pavlovian response to pick up your phone whenever it makes a noise?
Maybe you’ve noticed it’s much easier to invoice your clients or update your inventory when you’re kids aren’t arguing in the kitchen over who gets the last bowl of Cocoa Puffs.
And while you may not be able to control all possible distractions at all times, there are quite a few steps you can take to limit many distractions on a regular basis. Especially when you focusing on doing work or staying present with your family.
Shut off notifications for phone or computer.
Use an app blocker or focus apps that prevents notifications and blocks you from accessing apps that may rob your focus (Digital detox for Android and Freedom for iPhone).
Wear noise cancelling headphones and listen to white noise or gamma binaural beats.
Close the door to the room where you’re working.
Move to a less distracting workspace.
Clear the clutter from your workspace.
2. How to Deal with ADHD Distractions: Take a Break (Yes, Really)
I know this may seem counterintuitive since we are talking about how distractions can impact productivity, but sometimes the best way to reconnect with your priorities is to disconnect for a while.
I’m not saying you need to deactivate all your accounts or go full digital detox. But I am saying it’s okay—and even healthy—to step back.
Set up an autoresponder for your email so you don’t feel compelled to reply to every message when it comes it, especially outside of work hours.
Set a limit for your daily scrolling and start to replace your usual “scroll time” with something to nurture your ADHD brain like listening to music, taking a walk, or reading a book.
And something I used to do to both limit distractions AND squash the mom guilt I would feel while working from home when my kids were younger…play with your kids or read a book BEFORE you start your work session.
And if you’re worried that taking a break from your distractions or social media means you’ll fall behind, remember: You’re not a machine. And your audience isn’t expecting perfection—they’re craving authenticity.
A boundary break can help you come back recharged with renewed energy and feeling more aligned.
3. How to Deal with ADHD Distractions: Create Time Blocks or Limits
While hyperfocusing on redesigning the home page of your website for 3 straight days may not seem like it would qualify as a “distraction”, it does fit the bill if it means that your hyperfocus is distracting you from tackling other important tasks for your business or family.
And to be clear, hyperfocus isn’t laziness or lack of discipline—it often means you’re seeking dopamine and that you’re trying to avoid executive function overload.
In other words, your ADHD has finally found it’s groove and it is determined to ride that train all the way into the station…whether that is 5 minutes, 5 hours, or 5 days from now.
So how can we keep hyperfocus from taking over and distracting up from other tasks and activities?
Create time blocks or limits for the activities that may trigger your hyperfocus.
For example, instead of a vague goal like “I need to do social media today,” say:
“I will spend 30 minutes working on this week’s social media posts today.”
Instead of “I need to follow up on emails today”, say:
“I will check and reply to emails for 10 minutes after lunch.”
And it’s important to remember if you’re new to the idea of time blocking that it may take some time for you to undo the habit of hyperfocus.
You may need to incorporate alarms to interrupt your thoughts and help start the transition to another project.
You may even want an accountability buddy or coach to follow up with you and say “hey, you wanted to work on cleaning out your closet for 2 hours today. How is it going? Can you find a good stopping point to move on to another task?”
Remember: The goal isn’t time blocking perfection out of the gate—it’s about creating awareness around what tasks or projects suck you into hyperfocus and distract you from the other tasks or projects you need to work on.
4. How to Deal with ADHD Distractions: Find Some ADHD-Friendly Help
Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.
Or that you personally have to be the one to do it.
But somehow, many of us ADHD mom business owners get stuck in a loop where we’re doing all the business things, all the parenting things, and all the house things.
It’s no wonder we’re tired, our dopamine is shot, and our executive function is hanging by a thread.
That’s a lot to juggle!
So if you find yourself in this boat, consider the places your can ask for or hire help to take some of burden of the tasks taking up your time so you can focus on the tasks an projects that actually need your zone of genius.
Consider help like…
Asking your family to help with age-appropriate chores
Working with a content strategist to help you batch create content
Use grocery delivery or click n pick up for grocery shopping
Hire a babysitter or ask an older child to watch their siblings so you can have some focused time
Join a co-working or body doubling group so they can help you make progress on tasks you’re struggling to start
Hire a professional organizer so you can find things easily and limit distractions while you’re looking
As we wind down, I want to remind you that your brain isn’t broken—it’s just busy.
Help it by creating some boundaries that help clear space so you can focus.
Silence those notifications.
Take a break from apps that may be stealing your time and energy.
Use an alarm to help you stop your hyperfocus.
Ask for help so you can save your energy for the tasks and projects that need your expertise.
And if you’re still feeling overwhelmed or distracted, I would love to help! Part my work with the ADHD mom entrepreneurs includes setting priorities each week AND me following up to make sure you’re staying on track (and avoiding distractions).
To learn more about my programs and see if we would be a good fit to work together, click the button below to schedule your free, no-obligation clarity call with me.
