“Oops, Where Did My Mind Go?” Thirteen Hacks to Stay Focused When You Have ADHD
If there’s one sentence I’ve heard most often from my clients with ADHD, it’s this: “I just can’t focus.” If you’re a student, sitting in class or a lecture hall, staring at your instructor who’s been talking for what feels like hours about something you couldn’t care less about, you know exactly what I mean. Your body is there, but your mind? It’s already gone. Somewhere between planning your weekend, worrying about an email you forgot to send, and wondering if your desk neighbor’s pen click is actually a form of psychological warfare.
For students with ADHD, staying focused in class can feel like trying to hold water in your hands. The harder you try, the more it slips away.
What Research Tells Us About Why Focus Is So Hard with ADHD
Over the past years, neuroscientists and psychologists have uncovered several compelling reasons why maintaining attention feels like wrestling with your own brain when you have ADHD. It’s not about laziness or lack of trying. It’s structural, physiological, and very real.
One helpful line of research is about mind wandering (also called internal distractibility). A systematic review in Journal of Attention Disorders (Lanier, Noyes, Biederman et al. 2021) found that people with ADHD often experience spontaneous mind wandering. Their thoughts drift away from the task at hand, even when they want to focus. This drift isn’t just annoying; it’s tied to greater impairment in daily functioning (school, work, relationships), because the brain is pulling away from what needs attention.
Another study looked more into how brain networks behave in people with ADHD. For example, Resting-State Functional Connectivity Predicts Attention Problems in Children: Evidence from the ABCD Study (2023) found that children who struggle more with attention have weaker or altered connections between two key networks: the default mode network (DMN), which is active when the mind is at rest and tends to wander, and the dorsal attention network (which helps sustain focus). When these networks don’t suppress each other well (i.e., when the default mode is too active while you should be focusing), it becomes very hard to stay mentally present in class.
There’s also research showing that increasing perceptual load (making the task environment more engaging or dense in relevant information) reduces distractions. The study Establishing the Attention-Distractibility Trait (2015) showed that people with higher ADHD symptoms were more vulnerable to irrelevant distractions (e.g. cartoon images, background clutter), but when the perceptual load or complexity of the task increased, these distractions had less effect.
Putting this together: What makes focusing difficult is a mix of (a) brain networks that don’t cleanly switch off internal drift, (b) external stimuli easily pulling attention away, and (c) tasks that aren’t immediately engaging or stimulating. ADHD brains often detect many more options for distraction (whether internal thoughts or sensory inputs) and struggle to override those distractions because the mechanisms that support sustained attention are less efficient or slower to engage.
Even though keeping focused is a real challenge, there are ways to make it easier — not perfect, but easier. Apart from taking medication, which could make a huge difference, I’ve collected thirteen strategies that I’ve seen work, both for my clients and for myself. Let’s dive in.
Thirteen hacks to help us focus better
1. Accepting that our attention will wander and plan for it
Let’s be honest: We’re not going to be laser-focused for 90 minutes straight. No one is. But instead of fighting it and feeling guilty every time our mind drifts, we can plan for it. Before class starts, we can tell ourselves, “I’m going to lose focus sometimes and that’s okay. When it happens, I’ll bring my attention back.” This small shift, from frustration to acceptance, makes a huge difference. It turns distraction from a moral failure into what it really is: a normal part of our brain’s rhythm.
2. Sitting strategically
If we can, we should sit where we can see the teacher clearly, which is ideally near the front, but not right in the first row if that stresses us out. Fewer visual distractions, fewer chances to drift off. Some students do best with a wall behind them (so no movement in their peripheral vision), others prefer an aisle seat to get up and stretch discreetly. We need to experiment a bit but we have to keep in mind that our environment matters more than we think.
3. Keeping our hands busy
Fidgeting isn’t bad. In fact, it’s our brain’s way of staying alert. So we should let it fidget in a smart way. We can use a stress ball, a small fidget toy, or doodle while we listen. One of my clients once told me, “My best grades happened the semester I discovered gel pens.” Chewing gum can be helpful as well. It’s not about distraction, it’s about stimulation. The right level of sensory input can actually help us concentrate better.
4. Taking micro-notes
If we’re easily distracted, writing every single word from a lecture will make things worse. Instead, we can jot down key words or quick phrases that catch our attention. We can think of it like breadcrumbing our brain: We’re leaving a trail to follow later. And it keeps our hands moving, which, again, helps our focus.
5. “Mind-mapping” on the fly
Another strategy when it comes to note-taking is trying out mind-mapping instead. We write the main topic in the middle and let ideas radiate outward with arrows, sketches, and color. This mirrors how ADHD brains naturally connect ideas which is visually, non-linearly, associatively. That way, we’re aligning our note-taking style with our brain’s architecture rather than forcing ourselves into a linear format.
6. “Anchoring” our attention with touch or scent
Keeping a small, discreet sensory cue like a textured bracelet, smooth stone, or lightly scented essential oil on our wrist can be extremely helpful. When we feel our mind drift, we can touch or smell it briefly as a mental reset. It’s a simple mindfulness trigger that pulls us back into the moment without needing to “force” concentration. Sensory anchors activate the prefrontal cortex and limbic system and thus literally ground our awareness.
7. Using “mental bookmarks” instead of forcing attention
When we realize we’ve zoned out, we can jot a quick mark like a small dot or asterisk in our notes at the point we lost focus. We don’t need to panic or try to rewind mentally. We just mark it, re-engage, and move on. Later, we can review those spots specifically. This keeps us from spiraling into self-criticism (“Ugh, I missed that part again!”) and makes note review more targeted.
8. Moving when we can
We might not be able to do jumping jacks in the middle of a lecture, but small movements help. We can stretch our legs, roll our shoulders or take a deep breath when the instructor changes slides or writes something on the board. Tiny resets keep our nervous system calm and our attention sharper. If it gets really bad, going to the bathroom is always a good option, as well. When we have breaks between classes, we can do some slight stretches or go for a short walk. Movement helps regulate dopamine, which is exactly what our ADHD brain craves.
9. Talking back to the boredom
Let’s face it: A lot of classes are boring. But boredom isn’t the enemy. It’s a signal that our brain needs a spark. We can try to turn it into curiosity: “Okay, if I had to teach this topic, how would I make it interesting?” Or “How does this connect to something I actually care about?” Once we start playing mental games with the material, we’re re-engaging our brain. And that’s what focus is really about.
10. Using “body doubling” — even in class
What is body doubling? Body doubling means working alongside someone else to stay on track. In class, this could mean agreeing with a friend to keep each other focused, e.g., a quick nudge when one of you zones out. Or, for studying, we can find someone who’s working quietly beside us. The shared accountability keeps our brain anchored.
And if there’s no-one around to work with, we can try find virtual body doubles. We can join silent coworking Zooms, Discord focus rooms, or platforms like Focusmate. The presence of another person doing their own work creates gentle social accountability that keeps our attention anchored.
11. Giving our brain something to look forward to
ADHD brains tend to run on rewards. It makes thus sense to plan small, immediate incentives for after class, such as a snack, a walk, our favorite playlist. When we know a reward is waiting, our brain is more likely to cooperate.
One of my clients said, “I can’t make myself study for three hours straight, but I can do 20 minutes if I know I’ll get a piece of my favorite chocolate after.” That’s how ADHD motivation works: not through guilt, but through kindness.
12. Managing internal distractions
Sometimes, it’s not the noise around us but the noise inside our head. If we find ourselves spiraling into daydreams, worries, or random thoughts, we can jot them down quickly in a “brain dump” notebook. That way, we tell our brain, “Okay, I won’t forget this but now we’ll get back to class.” This trick gives our mind permission to pause those thoughts instead of fighting them.
13. Ask for what you need
If we have ADHD, we’re allowed to ask for accommodations. Maybe we need to sit near the door, record lectures, or take short breaks. Professors and teachers often appreciate honesty, and it can be surprising for us to find out how many are willing to help once they understand why. Advocating for ourselves isn’t about getting special treatment. It’s about setting ourselves up for success.
A final thought
If you take nothing else away from this post, remember this: Focus isn’t about forcing your brain to behave. It’s about learning how it actually works and then building strategies that support it.
Your ADHD brain might not love long lectures or endless readings. But it’s creative, curious, and wired for connection. The goal isn’t to make it like everyone else’s. It’s to make it work for you.
And that’s something you absolutely can do. If you need more help with staying focused reach out and book a free discovery call with me.
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