ADHD: Strategies for Starting, Switching and Sticking

"Right, ten minutes before we need to leave, are you ready?"

"Yep."

Ten minutes later

"Ok, we’re getting in the car, let’s go.

Pause.

Are you soldering a circuit board?"

No answer. He’s in the zone.

Interests can be intense and all-consuming, which makes sense if you think about how ADHD brains work.

What looks like ignoring everything else is often hyperfocus: the ability to dive so deeply into something that the rest of the world fades away.

Can he tell you about the GCSE English set text his class is studying this term? Probably not. Can he explain how to customise and mod a retro games console? Yes, in precise detail.

It can be frustrating when the clock is ticking or other things need doing, but it’s also a very real example of how executive functioning – the brain’s system for switching between tasks, managing time, and staying organised – works differently for people with ADHD.

What is executive functioning?

Executive functioning is a set of mental skills that keep daily life moving forward. It's what helps you:

• Get started on things (even when you don’t feel like it).

• Switch tasks when it’s time to stop one thing and move on to another.

• Keep track of time so ten minutes doesn’t turn into an hour.

• Work out priorities – what has to be done now, and what can wait.

• Hold things in mind, like remembering you’ve put your coffee on the car roof so you don’t drive off with it later.

Most people use these skills without even realising it. For students with ADHD, they don’t always come automatically, which can make everyday tasks challenging.

Why it’s trickier with ADHD

ADHD brains process attention, motivation, and time differently. That can make executive functioning less reliable.

• Hyperfocus vs. distraction. Students may get completely absorbed in one activity while struggling to switch to another – or they may find themselves bouncing between five tasks without finishing any of them.

• Time blindness. Ten minutes can vanish in a flash, while an hour can feel endless. Estimating how long things take is harder, which makes planning tough.

• Priorities feel fuzzy. Everything can feel urgent at once – or nothing feels urgent until the deadline is tomorrow.

• Starting feels impossible. Even simple tasks can feel overwhelming when the activation energy to begin is too high.

None of this is about laziness or lack of ability. It’s about the way ADHD brains are wired to process information and attention.

Strategies that help

There’s no one-size-fits-all, but a few simple approaches can ease the load and make life less stressful:

• Have a framework, not a rigid timetable. Instead of packing the day with back-to-back study blocks, create a flexible routine that allows time for work, rest, and the fun stuff. Clear anchors make switching tasks less painful.

• Break tasks into smaller steps. “Revise for history exam” is overwhelming. “Read one page of notes” feels manageable. Small, specific steps build momentum.

• Prioritise one thing at a time. Pick one “must-do” task each day. Save the rest for later. Progress feels bigger when you’re not spreading energy too thin.

• Make space for passions. Hyperfocus can be a strength. Planning time for special interests provides balance and prevents hobbies from feeling like guilty distractions.

• Externalise memory. Use checklists, sticky notes, alarms, or shared calendars. Offloading reminders onto paper or tech frees up brain space.

• Switch gently. Try five-minute wind-downs before moving on. Wrap up, jot a quick note, then switch – less jarring than being yanked from one task to another.

Not just what to do, but how to do it

Supporting executive functioning means more than staying on top of to-do lists.

With the right supports, students with ADHD can manage deadlines, explore their interests, and build independence without feeling constantly pulled in different directions.

That’s why we built Booost: to help students figure out not just what to do, but how to do it.

We didn’t know much about making an app when we started, but we did know students, and how challenges with focus, planning, and organisation affected their day-to-day. Thanks to them (and an ace team of developers, designers and more) Booost is now helping neurodivergent students balance the everyday demands of higher education.

How could it support the students you work with? Drop Rory a message for a quick demo and trial licence.