Struggling with productivity at work? These 4 ADHD-friendly work hacks—tested by real women—will help you stay focused, organized, and on top of it.
Women with ADHD face unique challenges at work, from missed deadlines to struggling with focus and overcommitting. If that sounds familiar, you're not alone. We asked real women with ADHD to share their best work productivity hacks—here’s what’s worked for them:
“Slack is really hard for me. I’ve realized that if I don’t respond to something right away, I’ll miss it. The two-minute rule has helped me be much faster and more reliable with responses. Now I don’t dread that pile of unread messages.” - Addison Cummings
How it works: the two-minute rule means completing any task that takes less than two minutes immediately. This is especially helpful when it comes to staying on top of emails, texts, and phone calls both at and outside of work.
Best for: Responding quickly to emails, texts, and Slacks
“Setting timers has been really beneficial. Just giving myself smaller amounts of time to do something that I may not want to do allows me to feel like it's more manageable.” - Briana Ferrante
How it works: Set a timer for 25 minutes to work on a task. When the 25 minutes are up, take a 5-minute break, then reset the timer for another 25 minutes. If you repeat this multiple times, give yourself longer breaks (15–20 minutes) to recharge.
Best for: Avoiding burnout from hyper focus
“Instead of listing tasks randomly, I create lists under specific 'umbrellas' like work, networking, and personal life. It keeps me from bouncing around randomly and helps me not lose track of things.” - Addison Cummings
How it works: You can create multiple umbrellas to hone your focus (i.e. communications, projects, weekly tasks, professional development, etc)
Best for: Organizing and prioritizing your to-do list
“If I need to do anything that may be tedious, I do not have any form of noise or distractions around me. I can't have music. I can't have friends. I can't have anything like that in my space.” - Brianna Ferrante
How it works: Make intentionally clearing your space part of the task. Do this in five steps, accounting for all five senses. Sight: What’s in your line of sight that may distract you? Sound: Turn off music or wear noise-canceling headphones. Continue with touch, smell, and taste. You can also put a sign on your chair that says, “Please don’t interrupt me. I’m focusing!”
Best for: Completing boring tasks that don’t interest you