Hyperfocus
“a phenomenon that reflects one’s complete absorption in a task, to a point where a person appears to completely ignore or ‘tune out’ everything else. It is generally reported to occur when a person is engaged in an activity that is particularly fun or interesting.”
— Brandon K. Ashinoff and Ahmad Abu-Akel
ADHD isn’t so much a lack of attention, but it’s more of an inability to regulate attention. If doing something sparks my interest and causes enjoyment for me (or if it’s due very, very soon), I can hyperfocus on it for hours at a time without noticing time passing or other things going on around me. I can be incredibly productive doing whatever I’m hyperfocusing on. On the other hand, if I’m not interested in something, or it’s something very mundane, or it’s something that doesn’t have a sense of urgency, I can spend hours staring at a screen, getting absolutely nothing done. It’s why I asked when this project was due, as knowing that allows a sense of urgency to be created, which allows me to hyperfocus on it for the few days before the due date.