“My kid can’t have ADHD, he can play video games for hours!” For me, who’s been working with ADHD for decades, I had a hard time believing that people still believe a statement like this, but that and other Common Misconceptions of ADHD still exist. A lot of us know a little bit about ADHD, and we know that video games have a way of sucking people in, where they can play for hours and hours. But sometimes hyperfocus can also be in other, seemingly more mundane things like reading. Often times people with ADHD have difficulty reading for longer than 5 minutes, unless it’s something they love. Many a millennial has spent an entire weekend reading Harry Potter, barely putting the book down to sleep.

Hyperfocus is an intense form of mental concentration or attention that's often associated with neurodivergent conditions like ADHD and autism, though anyone can experience it. When someone is in a state of hyperfocus, they become completely absorbed in an activity—so much so that they might lose track of time, ignore their surroundings, or forget basic needs like eating or sleeping.

It’s kind of like being “in the zone,” but to the extreme.

Key Traits of Hyperfocus:

Deep immersion in one specific task or interest
Time distortion (hours feel like minutes)
Difficulty switching attention to something else
Can be productive or counterproductive depending on the activity

For example:
Someone with ADHD might hyperfocus on a video game for 6 hours straight, while struggling to start homework or chores—even if they want to do them.

With hyperfocus and procrastination, Time Management and ADHD become a whole new problem. Trying to get that 2-3 hour project (work or homework) started, but you just spent six hours on the video game. Ouch!

Stay tuned for the next blog for time management!

Common Misperceptions of and Time management for ADHD.

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