It’s been a long incredible year so far with some big highs and lows, and right now two very familiar brain traits are running the show …. Hyperfocus and executive function. I’ve got a big, intellectually demanding project on the go, so of course my brain has locked itself in the hyperfocus zone. The longer I’m in there, the more my usual executive function strategies just vanish. By the time I realise something is off balance, things have usually tipped into “uh oh” territory, and getting back into balance feels like trying to climb out of quicksand with a teaspoon!!!
What’s new lately is that every so often something actually pulls me out of hyperfocus. It’s strange, a bit unsettling, but also oddly interesting. It’s like suddenly noticing you’ve been underwater for hours and taking a massive breath… only to remember you still have the rest of the swim ahead.
So in this post I’m looking at both, how they work for me, what I love about them, what I hate about them, and then right at the end a little FAQ for the well-meaning neurotypicals in my life who sometimes accidentally make things worse.
Hyperfocus: My Brain’s Favourite Hostage Situation
| What it is | Hyperfocus is a neurodiverse trait where my brain locks on to one thing so completely that the rest of the world disappears. It’s not a choice, and it’s not the same as deciding to concentrate. I can’t just “make” myself hyperfocus on demand. Sometimes it arrives when I least expect it, and other times it’s nowhere to be found when I really wish it would turn up. Over time, I’ve learnt how to spot the signs and set up my work in ways that make it more likely to happen, but it’s still very much my brain’s decision, not mine. |
| What it looks like for me | When it hits, it can be with almost anything I find engaging. It could be a puzzle, a TV series that grabs me, developing teaching material, writing a blog post, or designing something new. It also tends to switch on when deadlines are looming or when something is urgent. That probably explains why I’ve always been drawn to operationally driven work and why I don’t mind fast-paced environments …. they feed the hyperfocus nicely!!! |
| Why it feels so good | Once I’m in it, my brain is razor-sharp and fully engaged. Distractions fade, background noise disappears, and I can work for hours without losing flow. It’s incredibly satisfying, and the end result is often my best work. Give me a complex problem or a time-sensitive challenge and I will unpick it thread by thread until it makes perfect sense, then wrap it up neatly and hand it back to you. |
| The downside | While I’m in hyperfocus, everything else stops existing. I forget to eat or drink, I forget to check in with people, and I forget about other things I promised to do. I can keep myself working for ridiculously long stretches without a break, so by the time I finally stop I’m desperate for quick food and drink because I’ve left it too long. The work will be done and I’ll feel great about it, but I’ll also be exhausted with a pile of other jobs waiting. This can make life with other people tricky. At first they might just be a bit annoyed, but eventually they realise they can’t compete with whatever has my attention. That’s when one or both of us will decide it’s easier to step away. And if someone tries to stop me mid-flow, I get frustrated and can’t get back into it… though, as I’ll explain later, that’s started to change. |
Executive Function: Stuck at the Starting Line
| What it is | Executive function is your brain’s built-in system for starting things, switching between them, and keeping yourself on track. For most people it runs quietly in the background. They get thirsty, stand up, pour a drink, and carry on without even thinking about it. My brain does not always work like that. Even the most basic self-care tasks like eating, drinking, washing, or tidying need conscious thought and a plan. It is not laziness and it is not that I do not care. The “just get up and do it” switch does not flick on automatically for me, so I have to put in deliberate effort every single time to make it happen. |
| What it looks like for me | Sometimes I want to start a project or make food and I simply cannot make myself move. I sit there fully aware of what I need to do, but it feels like I am stuck to the spot. On the outside it can look like I am doing nothing. Inside my head I am tense, frustrated, anxious, and giving myself a hard time for not starting. That loop means I am not resting either. When combined with hyperfocus it means I forget to look after my body and only realise when I’m very hungry / thirsy / something triggers awareness my body needs attention. Either way, by the time I do eat or drink, I usually need something quick because I have left it far too long. |
| Why it feels so frustrating | The gap between knowing and doing is exhausting. My work still happens because I prioritise deadlines, teaching, and casework, but being a “responsible” adult is usually the first thing to go when I am stressed or deep in hyperfocus. Seeing people, hoovering, errands… they all slide. I find shortcuts …. I order new clothes rather than wash the old ones …. I get prepared food rather than cook …. I avoid anything that needs several steps. It is not that I do not care about these things! It is that my brain does not just launch into them without the right conditions. |
| Finding ways around it | I have learned to manage it over time, but it takes conscious effort every single day. I have a morning routine I follow in the same order, which lets me get through self-care without overthinking. If no one interrupts me halfway, I will usually finish. I batch jobs together, I keep what I need nearby, and I plan around my own sticking points. These systems keep me going, but they are fragile. When I am under a lot of stress or caught in prolonged hyperfocus, even the systems start to slip, and getting them back takes more energy than most people ever see. I am so glad people don’t see them, because I feel self conscious enough as it is, but … equally I’m aware of how much help a blog like this would have been to me, to show me I’m not alone or the only one …. so I’m trying to be brave and share to help. |
| The impact | When executive function drops, basic needs are missed. Meals disappear from the day (I hate to count how often I survive on just dinner, if that), rest is put off, and small jobs snowball into much bigger ones. From the outside, it can look careless. In reality, I am often working harder to start those “easy” tasks than I am to do my actual job. The cruel twist is that work is the one thing I tend to keep going, while looking after myself is the thing that drops away first. |
A New Distraction… That Isn’t ….
Something unexpected has happened with this project. For the first time in my life, there’s a “thing” that distracts me from hyperfocus without actually stopping it. Instead of pulling me out, it somehow makes the hyperfocus better. I laugh more, I relax more, and I even remember to eat and drink.
It turns out I might have accidentally pulled off getting a life and a balance, and I found it while not even looking. I’m not sure what it means yet, or if it’s something I’ll still have when this project ends, but the concept feels just as important as the thing itself. For now, it’s made me less anxious, more confident, and somehow sharper in my work. Of course, when the “thing” isn’t around, hyperfocus goes straight back to being hyperfocus, so my next job is to figure out what exactly it is and whether I can keep it. The point here is new hope that I may not be done on the journey of how to manage my neurodiversity and actually that balance I dream of is actually achievable! I share this, not for the what, but for sharing the knowledge
Neurotypical FAQ Hall of Fame
| 5 | Why don’t you just set a timer? | I can set one, yes. But in hyperfocus I will ignore it, snooze it, or tell myself “just five more minutes” until two hours have passed. When executive function is low, I might not even start the thing the timer was meant for. My brain can outwit a timer without even trying. |
| 4 | Can’t you just build a habit? | Habit-building works very differently for many neurodiverse people. Neurotypicals can often make something automatic with enough repetition. For me, even habits I’ve kept for months can vanish overnight if my environment changes, I’m stressed, or hyperfocus takes over. It’s not about motivation, it’s about my brain deciding what’s “front of house” each day, and I don’t get full control over that. |
| 3 | Do you want me to remind you? | Sometimes yes, sometimes absolutely not. A well-timed reminder can help. But if it lands when I’m deep in hyperfocus, it can feel like demand avoidance kicks in — suddenly I don’t want to do the thing, even if I meant to. Reminders can raise anxiety, pull me out of my flow, or make the task harder to start because now it’s tied to pressure. |
| 2 | Have you tried making a list? | Lists become snapshots of everything I’m not doing right now. They cause anxiety, they don’t help my brain organise itself, and for many neurodiverse people I know, lists simply aren’t a natural tool. Some of us are amazing at making lists and working through them in perfect order every time, but I’m not one of them. For me, lists are more likely to become a hyperfocus project of their own — colour-coded, rearranged, improved — while the actual tasks sit untouched. |
| 1 | Why don’t you just try harder? | If sheer effort worked, I’d have cracked this years ago. The gap between “I know I should” and “I’ve started doing it” isn’t bridged by willpower alone. In fact, the more I push against it, the more anxious and stuck I can become. It’s not a case of not trying — it’s that my brain doesn’t always give me the right launch sequence. |
Final Words from Planet Neurospicy
If there’s one thing I hope you take from this, it’s that not everyone’s brain runs the same operating system. Hyperfocus and executive function issues aren’t quirks I can switch off, they’re built-in features, and managing them well takes conscious effort every single day. Some of the things you think will help might work brilliantly for you, but for me they might cause anxiety, shut me down, or make it harder to start at all.
So be kind …. Assume the person in front of you is already trying. Accept that their way of getting things done might look nothing like yours …. and that’s okay. The goal isn’t to force everyone into the same mould, it’s to make sure people have the space and understanding to work in the way that lets them thrive.