5 Reasons The ADHD Brain Struggles With A Short Attention Span

As someone with ADHD, it often seems like I’m battling my short attention span.

With so many new ideas and areas to explore, there are times when it’s extra challenging to zoom in and focus on just one thing. 

When I pause and think about working with my ADHD, I know one of the most supportive things I can do for my brain is to constrain my focus.

I have plenty of evidence that when I store other new ideas in my brilliant ideas list and give myself the opportunity to make measured progress in just one area, that’s when I feel most grounded and clear.

But how can we do that?

How can we navigate a short attention span with ADHD and learn how to zoom in on one focus?

That’s exactly what we’re exploring in the next two episodes of the I’m Busy Being Awesome podcast. 

You can listen to the episode above or stream it on your favorite podcasting app here.   

Prefer to read? No problem! Keep scrolling for the entire podcast transcript. 

In Episode #184, 5 Reasons The ADHD Brain Struggles With A Short Attention Span, You’ll Discover:

• Understand the power of constraining our focus
• Increase awareness about why constraint is challenging for the ADHD brain
• Learn the five surprising reasons our brain can prevent us from focusing on one thing

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Episode #184: 5 Reasons The ADHD Brain Struggles With A Short Attention Span (Transcript) 

I’ve got to tell you, I am really looking forward to the next TWO episodes because we’re doing a deep dive into a core concept that I think so many of us often want to avoid (myself included at times).

Yet it’s also so effective in helping us increase our attention span and stay focused on one area so we can see tangible progress and growth.

This is the power of constraining our focus. And before you skip ahead to the next episode because you’ve either heard it all before or you’re convinced it doesn’t work for you, hear me out.

I’ve been thinking a lot about constraint and focus recently, and the power of zooming in on one topic or one area to see the most impactful growth.

I started mapping things out and even recorded one version of this podcast, only to realize it was over 45 minutes long…it turns out I have a lot to say on this topic.

So, I decided to tweak things a little bit and actually turn the concepts of that original podcast into two episodes because I want to make the concepts more tangible and bite-sized.

With that in mind, I’m excited to share part one of the two episodes about constraining our focus today, and then next week, we’ll dive into part two.

As I say this, it’s really a beautiful meta example of exactly what we’ll talk about over the next two weeks.

We’re essentially taking what was a big concept with different parts and zooming in – or constraining our focus – on just one area each week. This will give you time to think about and implement the different concepts so you can see the impact of this practice of focusing our attention on just one area to see some big returns on the other side, which is always fun.

So today, we’re going to talk about the concept of constraint when it comes to having a short attention span and really get some understanding around it.

As I say over and over in this podcast, awareness is everything. Once you have awareness, the path to finding solutions or adding in the support you need becomes so much clearer.

We’re talking about why it IS incredibly challenging for the ADHD brain to step into the practice of constraint in certain areas of our life. I want to normalize it to help remove any shoulds or shame you might be carrying around the idea of focusing on one idea or project or goal – or around thinking you should be able to but can’t.

As I’ll talk about below, there are times when I think our ability to jump from one thing to the next can really serve us; I don’t want to take that away.

But there are areas where it might be helpful to strengthen our attention span muscle a bit more and lean into focusing on one task at a time or one piece of a habit at a time or one goal at a time so we can see the results we want more easily.

Then next week, we’ll talk about some tangible approaches that allow us to constrain our focus and increase our attention span. And we’ll do that on three different levels, from our day-to-day to-do list to establishing routines and habits, to sticking with one larger goal.

So again, if your brain is telling you, “I already know this.” or “this approach just doesn’t work for me.” I get it. I still invite you to practice listening through the lens of possibility and curiosity.

Over the next two weeks, you’ll discover not only some compelling evidence to get your brain on board with the practice but also some real step-by-step approaches to implement.

Sound good?

Why Do We Have a Short Attention Span with ADHD?

Let’s start by first normalizing why it’s so hard for our ADHD brains to focus on just one thing.

Why do we navigate a short attention span and feel that urge to jump from one idea to the next? Because, spoiler alert, it’s not because you aren’t trying hard enough.

Let’s look at ADHD, specifically, first.

There are many reasons why ADHD brains navigate a short attention span and struggle to focus at times. As ADHD brains or people who recognize they have ADHD tendencies, we generally have an overstimulated prefrontal cortex and an underactive reward system.

An Overstimulated Prefrontal Cortex?

If you’ve been listening to this podcast for a while, you’ve probably heard me talk about the prefrontal cortex – what I often refer to as the executive part of the brain or the parent brain.

This part of the brain is responsible for complex thinking and attention. It is also underdeveloped in an ADHD brain.

When that prefrontal cortex is overstimulated with visual distractions, noises, bright colors, or simply our own creative thoughts and ideas, it’s super challenging to block out distractions, prioritize tasks, and focus on one specific thing for an extended period of time.

When we’re overstimulated, our brains are firing on all cylinders, and we’re hyper-aware of everything around us.

In fact, it’s not a lack of attention that’s the problem. It’s excessive attention to everything. And when we’re in that overstimulated state, our motivation levels are high, and we’re driven to jump from one thing to the next constantly.

we have an underactive reward system

This means that it’s harder to get a sense of reward from ordinary activities.

Why? Because we have these deficits in dopamine receptors, it often results in a decrease in motivation. So as ADHD brains, we can struggle to sustain our motivation if there are mild rewards or only have long-term gratification, and instead, we look for quick wins or new projects to help feel the increase of dopamine again.

It makes sense why it’s hard to focus, and it’s certainly not from a lack of trying.

The Human brain generally struggles to focus on one thing

We’ve evolved to react to different stimuli; in order to survive for thousands of years, we needed to be alert for possible sounds and changes in the environment to signal danger.

This need to be alert and aware has shifted in more recent years to being open to new ideas and new information to help us grow and advance as a species.

When this is hard-wired into our brains, it’s natural that we find ourselves drifting from one thought, idea, or activity to the next.

Then add in the fact that most of us are bombarded with digital and social media distractions throughout the day, and it’s no wonder we’re having more difficulty focusing, which results in a relatively short attention span.

Recognizing Our Focus & Attention Span Through Different Lenses

Short-Term Daily Tasks

We can think about it through the relatively short term of daily tasks and our ability to stay focused on a demanding project or highly detailed process without jumping to a different tab or grabbing our phone.

One Habit or Routine

We can also think about it through the lens of focusing only on one habit or one routine or rhythm that we want to establish over a set period of time.

Longer Term Goal

In addition, we can think about it through the lens of focusing on one goal or one key objective that we want to complete over a month or quarter, or even a year.

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What I want to propose today is that constraining our focus in just one of these areas can really help us make significant moves forward toward our larger objectives.

Now here’s the deal. I can already hear the resistance from some of your brains. I understand the discomfort that comes up when we think about zooming our focus in on just one task or one practice, or one goal for a period of time.

Much of our reasoning is often valid and I’m not here to take it away from you.

In fact, I think there are times when it serves us to have different options available to us, but there are also some sneaky ways that our brain can prevent us from choosing one area for focus that I don’t think necessarily supports our long-term goals.

And because they’re sneaky, I want to address some of them so you can make note this week of whether your brain ever offers similar thoughts, and, if so, when. Because once you develop this awareness, that’s when you can begin questioning the stories and making some shifts.

As always, nothing’s gone wrong if you find your brain using these reasons.

I’ve absolutely used every single one many, many times; that’s why I can identify them so easily.

However, when we can start noticing these thoughts for what they are – simply automatic thoughts your brain is offering you – and be curious about whether they’re moving you in the direction of your long-game goals, it can be very revealing.

5 Reasons The ADHD Brain Struggles With A Short Attention Span

Let’s talk about the five key ways our ADHD brain and short attention span can prevent us from leaning into one focused area.

These are those sneaky thought errors, and as we go through them, I invite you to notice which ones are more prominent for you. And in fact, throughout this week, that’s what I invite you to focus on.

Where is your brain offering these stories that we’ll talk about today, and where might they be keeping you from zooming in on one area and seeing the bigger shifts or advances you want to create for yourself?

We resist focusing our attention on one area for many reasons. And the most common ones I hear include:

#1: I have way too many ideas and can’t possibly choose just one.

This is often the idea of FOMO, right? We don’t want to miss out. We want to do everything at once. We’re so excited about all our ideas, and we try to convince ourselves that we do have time to commit to all of them. And we have time to do so all at once.

It probably comes as no surprise that this is one I absolutely fall for time and time again. I’m getting much better at catching it earlier, but my brain will still convince me that I can squeeze one more thing in quite frequently.

#2 Prioritization is Overwhelming

The second reason people often offer me about why they resist focusing on just one thing is that they feel really overwhelmed trying to prioritize what’s most important.

Several months ago now, I did a podcast episode on the 10 prioritization traps, which explores all the sneaky thoughts our brain loves to offer when it comes to prioritization.

This is absolutely an obstacle for the ADHD brain; it falls under that category of sequencing and knowing what thing needs to get done first, second, third, etcetera.

And it feels extra challenging for our brain to sort through all of the details and break down the steps and understand which one project or task is going to move us toward our long-game goals the most. It feels hard to know which habits or routines would be most effective, so we think we must do everything at once instead.

Or we have so many different goals – one for relationships, one for health, one for finances, one for work, and three personal goals to learn how to speak Norwegian, rock climb, and quilt. And having to choose just one or potentially two to focus on seems outrageous. The brain thinks, “How could I possibly choose?! They’re all important. They will all make the biggest difference.”

#3 We Worry We May Choose The Wrong Thing To Focus On

Our brain manages to convince us that there’s a “right” or “wrong” option to choose, and it spins in indecision, worried it will choose the “wrong” one. It struggles to realize that there is simply AN option, and we’re the ones who get to decide whether it’s right for us.

We forget that as long as we dig in and make sure that we love our reasons for making the decision, then we can confidently know we made the right decision because we can have our own back on it.

#4 We Worry We May Get Bored

Another reason why I think many of us resist constraining our focus is that we’re worried that we might get bored with whatever we choose.

Our brain wants to have the variety to jump from one thing to the next whenever boredom strikes. And believe me, I get the appeal of this. It’s like an escape hatch. But the reality is that in many situations, we use that escape hatch when it’s not actually an emergency.

Instead, we use it whenever things get hard, and rather than digging in and finding solutions to the obstacles, we instead jump to the next new idea because that’s the fun part.

Now again, if you’re doing this with different activities that are purely for fun and do not impact your long-term goals, I’m all in. If you are looking for new hobbies and trying out different things that let you up, that’s awesome.

This is a great place to allow yourself to jump from one area to the next. In fact, I think that’s a really great approach. But when it comes to important projects for your business or long-term habits or goals that support your long game, this is where we want to begin expanding our capacity to be with the hard parts and figure them out rather than using the escape hatch when we hit a detour.

Here’s a great example:

Let’s say you wanted to go to the grocery store, so you get in the car and begin driving. But every time you hit a red light, you get frustrated and make a turn to find a different grocery store. If you take this approach, the chances of you getting to any grocery store at all – your long-game goal – are probably pretty slim.

However, when we remember that red lights are part of the commute, that nothing’s gone wrong when they happen, and we stay on the original path, we end up getting to our destination much quicker.

#5 We Have a Hard Time Believing We Can Be Successful

Many of us resist focusing on one task or one routine or one goal is that we have a hard time believing we can do it.

We may do the following:

• Look to the past for evidence that we’ve never been able to stick with that meditation routine in the past.
• Gather data so that we can’t stay focused on one project for longer than 5 minutes, and every time we get distracted, we add more data to the story.
• Think back on the times that we set a goal and stopped pursuing it rather than recognizing and celebrating all of the achievements, both big and small, that we’ve created for ourselves throughout our lives.

Final Thoughts

Chances are you might recognize yourself in at least one of these areas.

As I mentioned, I am very familiar with each of them, so I absolutely understand the resistance that comes up when thinking about doing just one thing without bouncing to IG or my inbox or flipping the laundry, when it comes to focusing on just one habit rather than trying to make a hugely complex and elaborate daily routine, or sticking to just one goal at a time rather than trying to overhaul my entire life in 30 days.

It can also be more challenging to achieve this kind of focus with an ADHD brain.

We’re working in a way that doesn’t always feel natural to us unless we’re in hyperfocus. And I want to reinforce that I’m not saying we must force ourselves into a single focus all the time; that’s not necessarily working WITH our brains either.

What I am suggesting is that for the things you genuinely want to do and have the capacity for, let’s find ways to be as effective with your attention and focus as possible so you can see the returns you want rather than using so much energy and draining your executive functions bouncing from one thing to the next without getting to where you want to go.

If we stick with that grocery store example, it’s like we take a turn at every red light and run out of gas before we ever get to the destination.

Next Steps

This week, I invite you to get curious. Stay open. Leave the judgment at home.

Check in with yourself when it comes to sitting down to work on your big projects for the day, or when you think about that routine you wanted to establish at the new year, or consider the goals you want to focus on this quarter.

When you think about these areas, and Becoming laser-focused on one area, ask yourself…

• What is the resistance that comes up?
• What is your brain telling you?
• Is it one of the key reasons we talked about today? Is it a combination of a few of them? Is it something entirely different?

Get curious here. Make note. Then question those stories.

You can ask yourself, is it true…

• that I really can’t do it?
• I’ve NEVER been able to focus on one thing before, so I shouldn’t try now?
• that I might choose the wrong thing? How do I know what’s wrong?  Is that even possible? What if I get to decide whether it’s right or wrong? Etc.

Start wiggling those thoughts loose.

Next week, we’ll:

Take a deep dive into strategies for these different areas of our lives, and because you’ve created the awareness and space ahead of time from this episode, you’ll be ready to dive in and give those tools a try.

We’ll do this on three different levels, from our day-to-day to-do list to establishing routines and habits, to sticking with one larger goal.

If you want to take these concepts even deeper, and if you want support to create awareness of where you’re currently at and actionable tools to get you where you want to go in many different areas of your life, not just focusing your attention, then I’d love to have you join us in We’re Busy Being Awesome.

>> The February cohort is enrolling now, and we begin on the 3rd. When this episode comes out, the bonuses are still available for anyone who signs up before the 27^th. So if you know you’re in and you’ve been “meaning to get around to signing up.” Now is the time so you can get those fun bonuses, too.

You can see everything over on the website at imbusybeingawesome.com/group.  And – as always – if you are listening to this after February 3rd, don’t worry. You can add your name to the wait list for the next cohort, and you’ll be the first to know when it’s time to sign up. Then you can add your name at imbusybeingawesome.com/group as well. I can’t wait to see you there.

Links From The Podcast

• Learn more about We’re Busy Being Awesome here
• Get the top 10 tips to work with your ADHD brain (free ebook!)
• Discover my favorite ADHD resources here
• Get the I’m Busy Being Awesome Planning System here
• Get the Podcast Roadmap here