Do you have ADHD? Does your work environment strongly impact your ability to stay focused and productive? Though arranging your workspace in a way that limits distractions and improves your focus isn’t always easy, it’s very much possible!
Simple but effective adjustments, like organizational strategies, can help you create a space that supports you and your needs. Whether you work at home, in an office, or in a coworking space, our tips will help you better manage your ADHD on the job.
Understanding How ADHD Impacts Work
Focus
For people with ADHD, staying focused on on long or repetitive tasks can be extremely difficult. This can lead to frustration—especially in work environments where interruptions happen frequently.
Minimizing distractions and sensory stimulation can help. Try using noise-cancelling headphones, reserving quiet spaces for work that requires a lot of focus, or dedicating time slots to specific tasks.
A workspace adapted to your needs can help transform challenges with concentration into opportunities for productivity.
Organization
Staying organized can be a headache for professionals with ADHD. Between emails, meetings, and deadlines, prioritizing tasks can be complicated. These organizational challenges are often rooted in differences in how the ADHD brain functions.
Additionally, impulsiveness—a common ADHD symptom—can lead you to continually pass from one task to another without finishing the first. These factors make staying organized not merely difficult, but often also frustrating.
Time Management
Time management can be a challenge for people with ADHD, who tend to have an altered perception of time—a symptom referred to as “time blindness.”
If you have ADHD, you may have trouble sticking to deadlines and precisely estimating the amount of time a project will take. Moreover, you may have a tendency to get easily distracted, which can fragment your attention and makes it doubly challenging to advance on a given project.
ADHD-related differences in time perception affect your ability to estimate how long a task will take. Prioritizing tasks is also often complicated, as you may be prone to dedicating too much time to minor tasks to the detriment of working on larger, more important objectives.
Procrastination
Procrastination is rooted in two common ADHD symptoms: the difficulty of beginning tasks perceived as boring or challenging and the need for immediate stimulation. As a result, tasks are approached only once the deadline has become absolutely urgent. Your efforts then become reactive rather than thoughtfully planned and managed—which amplifies stress and the feeling of being overwhelmed.
Creating an ADHD-Friendly Workspace
Use an Active Seat
An active seat like a Bloon can be incredibly beneficial if you have ADHD. The Bloon encourages constant micromovements, channeling part of the excessive energy often associated with ADHD. This physical activity helps make concentration easier.
Moreover, Bloons help engage deep muscles and support better posture, offering the double benefit of light physical activity as you work.
Bloon ball seats help improve well-being, productivity, and focus, making them a key addition to an ADHD-supportive workspace.
Try Standing
Standing desks are great alternatives to traditional desks. Alternating between sitting and standing can help combat boredom and improve concentration.
Standing engages more muscles and leads to better posture. It can thus help you remain active in addition to helping you work more efficiently.
To learn more, check out our article on the benefits of standing while working.
Sit—But Move Your Feet
Using an oscillating footrest or accessories like elastic exercise bands can help you discretely channel your need for movement while you’re at your desk.
These options allow you to move without causing distractions in open-plan offices.
Choose the Right Lighting
Avoid lights that are overly bright, which can cause overstimulation. Opt instead for soft lighting, which reduces visual fatigue and helps maintain focus. A dimmable desk lamp—or even natural light, when possible and practical—can improve concentration for people with ADHD.
Limit Visual and Auditory Distractions
Using desk dividers, removing distracting objects from your desk, and investing in noise-cancelling headphones can work wonders for improving your concentration.
Add Calming Elements to Your Space
Stress-reducing décor, like green plants or a minimalist design, can make your workspace feel more tranquil and less distracting.
Optimize Your Layout
Color-Code
Color can be a useful tool for organizing your workspace. For example, color-coding your folders according to their contents’ level of priority can make your desk more stimulating and your tasks simpler to understand.
Assign a Space to Each Task
One way to organize your desk is to assign each task its own “zone”—for example, one corner for calls, one for documents related to creative tasks, and one for more reflective tasks. This method allows you to easily associate each location with a specific energy, which makes engaging with the task less daunting.
Use Simple, Visible Organizational Tools
Open shelves, boxes with labels, or tables with visual reminders all help make your tools easier to access. Simplifying your organization is key to saving time and staying focused.
Try the Pomodoro Method
Using the Pomodoro Method—a time management technique that involves dividing your work into periods of 25 minutes, with short pauses in between—can make your tasks more “digestible” and less likely to overwhelm you.
Follow the “Two-Minute Rule”
To combat procrastination, try sticking to the “two-minute rule’: immediately tackling any task that will take you less than two minutes to complete. This technique can be incredibly helpful if you have ADHD, helping you keep small tasks from piling up.
FAQ: ADHD and the Workspace
Can I Obtain ADA Accommodations for ADHD?
Yes, it’s absolutely possible to obtain accommodations for ADHD. Talk to your employer or their Human Resources department about your options.
What Kinds of Accommodations for ADHD Are Possible?
ADHD accommodations can include options like time management tools, a workspace tailored to your needs, or permission to take regular breaks—all of which can help improve your focus and productivity.
How Can ADHD Be Managed at Work?
Managing your ADHD at work can take many possible forms. Organizational tools and well-structured routines tend to be highly effective, as are taking regular breaks and creating a calm, organized environment.
