Let me start with a distinction.
‘Going down the rabbit hole’ is not hyperfocus. It is getting sucked in by a desire for a solution to something that simply leads to more questions. Before you know it you’ve been bouncing around the internet for hours and aren’t even sure what problem you were trying to solve, like forgetting why you walked into a room. Yes, having ADHD can leave us susceptible to this behavior.
And it is not the hyperfocus people with ADHD are famous for (and I mean literally, like Justin Timberlake famous).
Hyperfocus, in the positive sense, is the ability to lock into a project or quandary with tireless clarity and laser focus until a solution or the completion of a project is attained.
Hyperfocus is a good thing. Strangely, as a kid I used to dread it, which is why I found myself procrastinating, specifically when it came to writing essay assignments and reports. In retrospect, I wonder whether this is an underexplored cause for procrastination itself. Hyperfocus can feel like being possessed. Now I recognize it as a blessing. I understand and protect its power by making the necessary provisions for entering its realm.
The primary requisite is time. Plus, the time allotted to allow for or conjure hyperfocus needs more time around it.
That’s a lot of time.
The ‘buffer’ time required to show up at the page, studio or any medium in preparation for working deeply is usually considered procrastination. But I don’t think that label in this instance is accurately applied. Perhaps it would help to consider it a ‘circling ritual’ instead.
It is my custom when the time comes for me to draft my blogs for the month to circle the desk chair in any number of ways. Many of my clients joke about how clean their kitchens get when it’s time to create. Some recognize cleaning as their ‘pre-focus ritual’. I wish my pre-hyperfocus ritual were that productive! Today my ‘circling ritual’ looked like this: Lie down. Fall asleep. Eat something. Watch some TV. Sit down and write until I’ve drafted three blogs.
I leave myself alone about it. Because for whatever reason, it’s how I build up a head of steam for the work. There are other ways to enter the hyperfocus realm of course. But ADHD abhors a rule book so when you’re not up for body-doubling or using the Pomodoro technique, try clearing your schedule and being nice to yourself.
I think you’ll find that you get more done by ‘being avoidant.’ Do let me know how that goes.
