According to the article "Hyperfocus: the forgotten frontier of attention" by the National Library of Medicine, Hyperfocus, broadly and anecdotally speaking, is a phenomenon that reflects one’s complete absorption in a task, to a point where a person appears to completely ignore or ‘tune out’ everything else.
Basically - the ability to tune things out because you are focused on something else..
"Many folks with ADHD may not notice when the hyperfocus episode begins but become aware when they return from it. Perhaps this happens to you: you’re not sure where the time went, and you don’t really have a plan for re-entry or catching up."
According to Dr. Sharon Saline, while it leads to great productivity, it also can look like avoidance of other necessary tasks.
I find this plays out in both a positive and negative way as an educator:
Some tools and tricks to maximize Hyperfocus:
Focusmate - web based support
If you struggle with time loss due to hyperfocus, or you just need some accountability...Focusmate could be the tool for you.
Basically it provides focus and accountability
Noise Cancelling Headphones
according to an article posted by The ADHD Lifestyle
Noise Cancelling headphones can give us control over two main aspects of hyperfocus. The first is staying engaged in hyperfocus. This benefit is related to the most obvious attribute of noise-canceling headphones. It’s easier to ignore distractions when we can’t hear those distractions.
The second aspect of hyperfocus that we can control with noise-canceling headphones is auditory cues. These are intentional audio reminders that we can set in the device controlling the headphones. We can set these reminders based on when we need to exit the hyperfocus session.
Automated Auditory and Visual Reminders AND silencing the other stuff
Using our phones, smart watches and other devices can be a life saver because unlike us, they remember.
Try setting reminders on your calendar and allowing pop ups - but turn off pop ups or alerts from everything else. Only have the reminders you need...because otherwise they can be a distraction.
The list below provides a few timer and reminder apps that are especially useful for creating timed reminders.
Use Music to our Advantage
I know I never have silence if I can help it...but not all music helps me be productive.
The goal is to listen to music that stays in the background of your mind, but yet is also upbeat and energizing.
I reccomend the following two research based music streaming services that are particularly good at this.
