Introduction
"How to be productive with ADHD" is an age-old question, right? How to get more done and all that. If you were to do everything you've wanted to do despite having ADHD, you'd be able to conquer everything right? Well, that's what the hustle culture sells you anyway. But let's be real, hustle culture is toxic, and unproductive and will lead to burnout.
Many who seek to be productive eventually are crushed by the weight of the question itself.
There's also a fallacy in that question because we're looking at ourselves as machines who are able to perform at peak efficiency every day without burning out. It's not impossible per se but over the long term, it's inefficient.
Let's be honest, you can't be productive for 8 hours a day, at-most it'll be 2-3 hours of good deep work. So how do you get the most out of it?
The answer lies in mindfulness and intentional action but mostly in mindfulness. And the better question to ask is "How to be mindful of ADHD while working".
The Art of Mindfulness
So what the hell is mindfulness?
You've probably seen the word "mindfulness" being used a lot, probably in Headspace's marketing or other mental health and meditation brands. And they're right to use it.
Over the last 15 years, most of us started to work on the Web, the inevitability of hustle culture has crept in and consumed many people leading to burnout among many things. Making them feel like they aren't doing enough.
So some people who got tired with the hustle culture, started embracing the zen philosophy of mindfulness to work.
Mindfulness is about being fully present, aware, and intentional. Most days we do things without giving it much thought because well we're used to the routine. But think about it, what if you were fully present and mindful when you want to do something?
You'd see the problem through, figure out the solution, and do things as efficiently as possible. You'll only spend less time doing it. More hours don't always mean better results.
But here's the thing, progress, productivity, and life aren't always linear. It's full of cliffs and trenches, some days full of progress and other days not much.
Mindfulness is about accepting that everything you do isn't linear and perfect while still being present to do it.
Some strategies which help
Over the last few years I've been using these strategies to help me get things done. I'm the kind of person who feels shit when I feel like I don't do enough. That's not a bad thing but over time if you constantly feel bad, you have to accept that there's something wrong with what you're doing. Ever since I embraced mindfulness, I have tried to accept life as it is - the uncertainty. But to give that uncertainty some structure I use these strategies.
1. Make a list before starting your day
Diving directly into a project is great, I like doing it. It's impulsive and feels great when you know exactly what you are doing. But the problem is, it doesn't happen every day when I wake up all excited ready to take on what's been on my mind.
Most days are slow, boring, and unexciting. So what then? One thing I force myself to do these days is make a list. Making a list itself is a huge task in itself but you have to admit that they do add some structure.
Without lists, I'd be jumping from one to another without a concrete goal or a plan. Eventually, I ended without much progress. But with lists, I exactly know what to do. I try to add 1 big task and 3 medium-sized tasks. This also helps me keep track of what I worked on because I can look back at my progress or else I might forget what I did and feel like I haven't made any progress.
Lists also force you to stick to the bounds of your daily tasks and not do something random.
2. Manage your own expectations. Lower them
Let's be honest, we all have high expectations of what we can accomplish. Sometimes more than we can do. Expectations are not bad per se but having high expectations can be a hindrance.
Someone once told me to "manage my expectations with myself and others", it's good advice because I always tend to overextend myself. It's also hard not to do so don't beat yourself up for it. Just be mindful about what you can do for a project or your daily tasks and set manageable expectations.
You can't control everything, except only your actions.
3. Stick to a routine but also switch it up.
Life is mundane, but without routines, it's also hard to stick to things. So create a routine for your work and stick to it for a while. Don't get me wrong, routines are great but if you have ADHD and do the same thing for a long time you will eventually get bored and get used to the familiarity.
I got used to working from home so much that I couldn't get much work done for a while. I tried many things but I just didn't make enough progress. Then I decided to work from a coffee shop, a change of scenery while working is always good. I realized I need to at least change my scenery twice a week to get things done and it's been working well so far.
- Rigidity and too much structure can kill your progress
- Reduce online distractions
- Set aside daily time boundaries
- Exercise and stay active
- Take a break from work
4. Building momentum
When you do something often and do it well, there's this innate desire to not stop it. To keep working on it because you see so much progress. Well, there's a name for that - "Don't break the chain". There are a few things I've been doing for many months now and since I keep track of them, I want to maintain a streak and keep going. Because I see the progress, it's a kind of innate motivation and desire to see where it can lead you.
Now, if you have ADHD, you can sometimes get hyper obssed with these things and when you do it for 3 days, you want to do it for 6, then 10, then 20 and you never want to stop.
This is what I like to do
Track Progress with a ‘Done’ List I keep a list of tasks and mark them as checked. I keep the tasks in my list for a week. And at the start of the new week I delete them all. It's so satisfying to see the progress. I particularly like it when I have more than 10 tasks that I can delete.
Use Accountability & Rewards Apps like dualingo use rewards and a streak count to help people stick to the habit of learning a language. So have a calendar or track your progress manually and give yourself rewards for reaching your goals.
If you're looking for a tool like that but for tracking your progress, try Otto, it has streaks.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, being productive with ADHD isn’t about squeezing out every last drop of efficiency. It’s about working with your brain, not against it. Some days will feel effortless, and others will feel like you’re wading through mud—that’s just how it is.
Mindfulness isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being aware. Aware of your energy, your focus, and when to push or pull back. The real goal isn’t to check off every task—it’s to build a way of working that doesn’t burn you out.
So start small. Make a list. Track your wins. Switch things up when you need to. And most importantly, keep showing up. That’s where the real momentum comes from.
