ADHD and Constantly Distracted? A Therapist Answers

Too Many Tabs Open? Our ADHD Awareness Month Q&A Wraps Up

You picked up your phone to check the weather. Twenty minutes later you're deep in a stranger's kitchen renovation, you still don't know if it's going to rain, and the email you meant to send is sitting in drafts. Meanwhile there's a pile of laundry on the chair, a podcast in one ear, and a thought about the dentist appointment you keep forgetting to book.

To close out ADHD Awareness Month, we asked Kaela McCarney, MSW RSW, a therapist in Shift Collab's ADHD Clinic, the questions we hear most from ADHDers who feel pulled in every direction. If getting started is the hardest part for you, Valerie's post on what to do when you can't start, can't focus, and can't prioritize is a great next read.

What Does Kaela Recommend for ADHD Distraction and Focus?

Here's the quick version:

Phone stealing your focus? Use your phone's own settings to cut the noise, and get curious about when you reach for it.
Boring tasks feel impossible? Add stimulation, turn it into a game, or commit to 5 minutes.
Everything pulling your attention? Go one screen, one task, and park stray thoughts on paper.
Tried every hack and still scattered? Focus on the next thing, and get curious about what's underneath.

"My phone is my biggest distraction, but I need it for everything. How do I set limits without going cold turkey?"

Kaela: I always like to start with self-compassion. It can be helpful to remember that phones are designed to capture attention, and ADHD can make attention regulation and impulse control more challenging. With this in mind, it makes perfect sense that it can feel like our biggest distraction.

Anytime we're looking to make a change, it's so important to reflect on how we can make it in a way that sets us up for success. Rather than setting a goal of not using your phone, you might want to start by exploring how phone use is interfering with what matters to you.

One way is to use some of your phone's settings to your advantage. For example:

Turn off non-essential notifications.
Move high-distraction apps off your home screen.
Set up "Focus" or "Do Not Disturb" to automatically limit notifications at certain times of the day.
Keep your phone physically out of reach when you're trying to focus on something important.

You can also try to be more mindful about using your phone intentionally rather than automatically. Ask yourself, "What am I picking up my phone to do?" or set a timer for a specific window of time if you're planning to scroll on social media.

Consider getting curious about how, when, and why you're using your phone, and gather information about yourself rather than sitting with self-judgment. The more you understand your unique relationship with your phone use patterns, the more opportunities you have to try something different and positively disrupt them.

"I can focus for hours on things I love, but boring tasks feel impossible. How can I make them feel more rewarding?"

Kaela: This is a common ADHD experience and something I talk about with individuals in therapy on a regular basis. Attention isn't simply an on/off switch. When we have ADHD, it can involve difficulty regulating attention based on interest, novelty, urgency, and reward. It's not only about knowing that something is important or needs to get done.

Rather than asking, "How do I force myself to do this?" try asking one of these instead:

"How can I make this more interesting?"
"How can I make the reward happen sooner?"
"How can I make this easier to start?"

You can also try adding stimulation:

Play music or a familiar podcast for repetitive tasks.
Body double, which means working on a task near someone else who's also working on a task.
Stand or walk while completing a task, if possible.

Another approach I often explore with individuals is gamifying the task that needs to get done. You can:

Set a timer and try to finish the task within the allotted time.
Create a points system for yourself.
Break a task into smaller "levels."
Track completed tasks visually.

You can also try the "just 5 minutes" approach, where you commit to starting, not finishing. Once you start, you can decide whether to keep going or stop at the 5-minute mark, and recognize the accomplishment.

It can be really helpful to remember that motivation often follows action, not the other way around. The more small wins you give yourself and the more creatively you approach tasks, the more momentum you'll build to move on to the next one, whether you love it or find it boring!

"Background noise, clutter, my own thoughts... everything pulls my attention. What's a free or low-cost trick that helps me focus?"

Kaela: I often encourage individuals to start by reducing the number of things competing for their attention at any given moment. It makes sense that it can feel especially hard to focus on the task in front of you if your mind is busy or your environment is cluttered.

Try a simple "one screen, one task" approach:

Close any tabs you don't need.
Put your phone away.
Keep only the items you need for the task in front of you.

Before sitting down to focus, you can also take a few moments to tidy the space you're working in. This doesn't have to mean spending hours cleaning your entire home. It might look like tidying your desk or kitchen table.

It can also help to try a "thought parking lot." Keep a piece of paper beside you, and when a thought pops up, write down one or two words that capture it, then return to your task. The intention isn't to stop the thought but to give your brain somewhere to put it.

Short focus periods can help too, such as 15 to 25 minutes of focus time followed by a brief reset break before returning to your task. This can be especially effective when you add a bit of movement to your break:

Go for a short walk.
Walk downstairs to refill your water or coffee.
Have a little dance party to your favourite song.

"When I've tried every app and hack and still feel scattered, what's one small thing I can try today, and what would we work on together in therapy?"

Kaela: As I mentioned earlier, we're most likely to feel like we're making progress when we set ourselves up for success. One way I encourage this in my work is focusing on the "next thing" rather than trying to accomplish everything at once. Start by identifying one simple task you can realistically complete. Each step you take is a small win that activates the reward system in your brain and releases dopamine. These little hits of dopamine can go a long way in supporting motivation and momentum in our daily lives.

You can use Shift Collab's Task Simplifier to break larger, overwhelming tasks down into smaller steps, and celebrate each time you check another item off the list.

When you start to notice a new pattern of getting things done, instead of the old pattern of feeling like you can never get anything done, you're very likely to notice more motivation to keep working towards your goals, one step at a time!

In therapy, we wouldn't necessarily look for another productivity hack. We'd start by getting curious about what's underneath the scattered feeling. We'd work together to understand your unique experience and recognize what's feeling most impactful. We'd also explore times when you felt less scattered, or strategies and tools that helped in the past, to see how we can build on the skills and toolbox you already have.

We'd explore questions like:

Are anxiety, depression, burnout, sleep difficulties, or stress making ADHD symptoms harder to manage?
Are perfectionism or fear of failure contributing to procrastination?
Have years of struggling led to shame or negative beliefs about yourself?
What environments and routines actually support your particular brain?
What strategies have worked, even briefly, and why?
How can we build systems that work with your unique experience of ADHD, rather than expecting you to constantly compensate for it?

Therapy isn't about teaching you to become a perfectly organized person. It's about understanding how your brain works, reducing the shame around your struggles, and developing practical strategies that make everyday life more manageable.

Looking for More Support That Gets Your ADHD Brain?

Shift Collab's ADHD Clinic matches you with a therapist who understands how ADHD shows up in real life, from work and school to relationships and everything in between. Every session is virtual, so you can get support from anywhere in Canada, and it all starts with a free 15 minute Meet & Greet.

Want to work with Kaela? Book a free Meet & Greet with Kaela.
Want us to find your match? Take our ADHD Clinic matching questionnaire.

Disclaimer: This blog is for general information only and isn't a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Reading it does not establish a therapist-client relationship with Shift Collab or any affiliated therapist. That relationship begins only after intake, consent, and a paid Initial Session. If you're in crisis, call or text 9-8-8 or call 911. See our Privacy Policy for how we handle your information.