We all get distracted, but if you have ADHD, you get distracted a lot. Well, it’s time to harness your tendencies for distraction in positive and healthy ways. Enter the concept of proactive distraction.

Let me explain, proactive distraction is the idea that one can flip the negative use of the word distraction on its head by engaging in proactive use of distraction. You see, there are two prominent types of distractions – environmental and situational/task related. The environmental distractions are typically unintentional and exist within your environment, at work, home, or school. Examples are things like background noises and visual clutter, for instance. Situational/task related distractions are activities or behaviors that we engage in that are helping us feel better in the moment but are in reality, distracting us from important tasks. Examples are things like checking apps, browsing social media, gaming, streaming shows, and surfing the internet. Sometimes these situational and task-related distractions can mask themselves as productive pursuits and trick you into thinking you NEED to do them, when in fact you don’t. Like when you hyperfocus on the details of a particular task, telling yourself that you NEED to clean organize and alphabetize all the folders on and in your desk before writing that critical report. Another everyday activity is doing busy work like organizing or cleaning to avoid the crucial responsibility that may feel overwhelming in the present. Have you ever caught yourself doing something and said, wait, why am I still doing this in preparation to start the thing I’m avoiding and not merely starting? Avoidance ultimately leads to procrastination. Procrastination causes all sorts of adverse outcomes. We feel guilty, blame ourselves for not doing what we intended to do, and disappoint others and ourselves by missing deadlines or doing subpar work.

Instead of blindly following your distractions and letting them lead you astray, try harnessing the unique power of distractions and put them to work for you in helpful ways. Take your distraction by the reins and actively and intentionally distract yourself by bundling tasks that you know you would typically avoid altogether. I had a client recently who listened to a podcast on ADHD and cleaned a house. Another did the dishes while streaming an audiobook; while another client walked on the treadmill and made it a point only to stream his favorite show while actively walking/jogging. This technique of bundling activities is often called temptation bundling, but when you pair temptation bundling with planned and proactive distractions, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish.

Why does this work? One reason this works is that our brains are hardwired to seek out stimulation and are naturally inclined to do enjoyable, pleasant things, over what we perceive as real or imagined threats to our well-being. When we procrastinate on a task and instead do an avoidance activity, we are engaged in the time old fight, flight, freeze behaviors. Reactive behaviors like these are ancient and hardwired; however, we can utilize our adaptive cortical overrides to plan and act with intentionality. Basically, we can set our intentions, pair two non-compeating tasks, and engage our attention on the more enjoyable and entertaining task, while acting upon and doing the less pleasant and necessary task. In your own life, identify the types of tasks that you feel stress you out and overwhelm you, then get creative with your list of bundled activities and start distracting yourself in proactive and productive ways!

Aaron is a Certified ADHD Coach at Potential Within Reach and the co-host of Attention Different, an ADHD podcast. Aaron helps individuals with ADHD and Executive Functioning challenges to bridge the gap between their current performance and their potential. For more information or to enroll in coaching visit potentialwithinreach.com. For our groundbreaking podcasts and other ADHD advocacy news check out attentiondifferent.org.