Hyperfocus Like A Boss
Executive dysfunction done right
Being neurodivergent comes with quite a few challenges, and I’ve written extensively about many of them. However, a few of my stories have touched on some of the aspects of being neurodivergent I find to be positive, one of which is hyperfocus.
“That is the way to learn the most, that when you are doing something with such enjoyment that you don’t notice that the time passes.”
— Albert Einstein
I have compiled a series of three of my stories related to the neurodivergent ability to hyperfocus.
Hyperfocus
The stereotype of someone with ADHD is that they can’t focus or pay attention for a long time.
Nope.
People with ADHD have difficulty regulating their attention, which creates difficulties in telling your brain which thing to attend to, but is not an inability to focus.
Hyperfocus and executive functions
Hyperfocusing is defined as a clinical phenomenon of “locking on” to a task in patients with ADHD who have difficulty shifting their attention from one subject to another, especially if the subject is about their interests.
Hyperfocus and entrepreneurship
If we have chosen an endeavour about which we are passionate, we can hyperfocus on related tasks because we’re very interested in them, and as a result we can be incredibly hard-working and productive.
© Jillian Enright, Neurodiversity MB
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References
Hatak, I., Chang, M., Harms, R. et al. (2020). ADHD symptoms, entrepreneurial passion, and entrepreneurial performance. Small Business Economics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-020-00397-x
Ozel-Kizil, E. T., Kokurcan, A., Aksoy, U. M., Kanat, B., Sakarya, D., Bastug, G., Colak, B., Altunoz, U., Kirici, S., Demirbas, H., & Oncu, B. (2016). Hyperfocusing as a dimension of adult ADHD. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 24(1), S707-S708. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2016.09.016
