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ADHD Productivity Without the Burnout

Burnout happens when you work against your brain instead of with it. Sustainable productivity means honouring your energy, strengths, and natural rhythms not just pushing through. Learn how to access your ADHD productivity without the burnout.

Overcome ADHD Workplace Burnout by Embracing Sustainable Productivity!

There are fundamental challenges related to productivity expectations in our society. Accessing ADHD productivity without the risk of burnout is a big part of this.

There is very little room for different processing speeds, styles, and sensitivities when processing stimuli, which ultimately supports engagement with work.

I believe this is a major factor in what leads to ADHD workplace burnout. There is this narrow field of expected ways to work, so many with ADHD don’t even get the opportunity to explore what works best for their processing style, sensitivities or innate gifts.

To paint a clear picture of what this means, here’s some of my experience: Working and learning environments favour those who easily and quickly process the written word. I process and retain information better by listening and actively doing things to work them out; moving at the same time is even better.

I’m also hypersensitive to noise, so my auditory processing preference is not ideal for working in open-plan offices.

Uncovering your preferred processing style, sensitivities and gifts will lead to more sustainable productivity and decrease the chances of burnout.

Doing a Processing Modalities Profile is key to working with your strengths during ADHD coaching.

What is Sustainable Productivity?

When I started my career as a Professional Organiser 18 years ago, productivity meant getting more done and faster. But sustainable productivity isn’t about squeezing out every last drop of effort. It’s about working in a way that aligns with your energy, strengths, and natural rhythms.

Let’s take a moment to understand what it means to have sustainable productivity.

When people say they want sustainable routines, thoughts go towards consistency and sustaining a constant level. But, when we are going for sustainable productivity, we want to think along the lines of sustainability, as in conversations around the environment:

“How can I take action while conserving energy, keeping balance, and avoiding depleting my resources?”

Taking this view of sustaining productivity, the main challenges to address are the things that deplete your available energy and attention:

Interruptions: competing demands fueled by expectations of being instantly available
Masking: fitting in with the workplace and colleagues
Self-regulation: working with the flow of emotions and attention throughout the day
Task Initiation: being able to start tasks when you want to, not just when they are urgent or in front of you.
Working memory: recalling where you’re up on a project or task you put down to attend to other needs.
Persistence: following through, especially when the activity loses interest or novelty

Sustainable ADHD productivity means:

Playing to your strengths – Leaning into what naturally engages and energises you.
Embracing fluctuation – Motivation, emotions, and interest aren’t constant, and that’s okay.
Working with your brain, not against it – Recognising how your ADHD traits impact focus, energy, and workflow.
Prioritising flexibility and energy conservation – Learning when to push forward and when to rest.

What You Can Do Right Now

Here are some effective strategies for combating workplace burnout and embracing sustainable productivity with ADHD:

Find your flow. Get to know your natural energy and attention modes throughout the day. Work as much as possible with the natural flow of your energy and attention. If you’d like a guide for finding your flow, I go into detail in my ADHD Guide to Productivity and Flow.

It sounds counterintuitive, but do more things you enjoy and fill your cup. It doesn’t have to be big things, just small ways that bring you more positivity. When you can light up your Task Positive Network regions of the brain, you will be better able to problem solve, energise your battery, and be more effective. This is just one of the huge benefits my clients experience from doing the Positive Intelligence Program®.

Build awareness of the tasks that are energy giving and draining. Then, group tasks for when you have the power in your tank or delgate them to someone who finds them chraging not draining. For example, I find cooking draining, but my husband finds it recharging.

Move through your day – take opportunities to move your body and, where possible, get out in nature. Find reasons to take the stairs instead of the lift; when feeling sluggish, take it as a sign to get up and shift your energy.

Recognise become acquainted and visit your Values regularly. Values offer an intrinsic source of motivation when dopamine is low. Values build attachment to your inner compass, making decisions less energy-draining.

If you are the type that desires routine and a sense of rhythm for your day and week, try creating an Ideal Week Template. This guides you to create ease and flow with flexibility and not rigidity.

While you wait for the next blog, take a moment to reflect on your own burnout patterns:

Which ADHD traits contribute most to your burnout?
What warning signs do you notice before burnout hits?
How can you begin to set small boundaries in your work life?

References

Unlock Your Unique Flow and Get Things Done

Embrace all of who you are on your ADHD journey, for it is where you find how to live your potential with ease. I’ll walk you through eight steps to meet your ADHD productivity challenges and uncover your strengths.

Get your guide delivered straight to your inbox, free.

You can find a lot more free resources on the Watch. Read. Listen page to help you with your Organising and AHDHD Journey.

Learn more about the Outside the Box Coaching Philosophy HERE!

With Infinite Peace and Gratitude from,

Back to the Blog

ADHD Productivity Without the Burnout

Overcome ADHD Workplace Burnout by Embracing Sustainable Productivity!

What is Sustainable Productivity?

Taking this view of sustaining productivity, the main challenges to address are the things that deplete your available energy and attention:

Sustainable ADHD productivity means:

What You Can Do Right Now

While you wait for the next blog, take a moment to reflect on your own burnout patterns:

References

Unlock Your Unique Flow and Get Things Done

Carolyn

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