ADHD in the Workplace: Navigating Productivity & Burnout

On paper, you look fine. You’re hitting deadlines (mostly), keeping up appearances, and working harder than most people realise. But underneath? You’re running on fumes. Your brain’s juggling a thousand tabs, you’re masking mistakes, and burnout is always one step behind you.

This is the hidden story of ADHD in the workplace. Not the stereotypes, messy desks, missed emails, but the constant effort it takes to pass. To look “together” in systems that were never designed with your brain in mind.

The Double Life of ADHD at Work

If you’ve got ADHD, you’re probably living a double life at work.

By day, you’re holding it together, over-preparing for meetings, working twice as long to meet the same deadlines, apologising when you drop a detail. By night, you’re exhausted, replaying every interaction, wondering if anyone noticed how hard you’re working to stay afloat.

The truth? They probably didn’t notice. Because masking is part of the job.

Productivity or Burnout?

ADHD brains can hyperfocus. Which means yes, you might hit periods of insane productivity. But it comes at a cost.

Hyperfocus is a sprint, not a marathon. It feels incredible until the crash comes, and it always comes.

Suddenly, you’re flattened. Emails pile up. Deadlines slip. Cue shame spiral: Why can’t I just be consistent?

The workplace loves output but rarely understands cycles. And for ADHD brains, cycles are part of the landscape.

Inner Wilderness: What’s Really Going On

ADHD in the workplace isn’t about laziness. It’s about regulation. Your brain struggles with transitions, task-switching, and sustaining attention in environments that demand constant multitasking.

Add the pressure of “professionalism” and you end up with nervous systems permanently braced. Burnout isn’t a glitch here — it’s inevitable.

Trail Tool: Micro-Shifts That Help

You can’t rewire the whole system overnight. But you can create small hacks that reduce the toll:

• Body before inbox. Even two minutes of grounding before opening your laptop shifts your nervous system.

• Externalise the tasks. Post-its, timers, reminders — get it out of your head and onto something you can see.

• Batch work. ADHD brains burn less energy when tasks are grouped. Switching constantly is what drains you.

• Build recovery in. If you hyperfocus, plan for the crash. Block recovery time instead of blaming yourself when it happens.

• Ask for what you need. Reasonable adjustments aren’t indulgence, they’re survival. Flex time, noise-cancelling headphones, and written follow-ups after meetings.

Why This Matters

ADHD isn’t a weakness. It’s a different operating system. The problem isn’t your brain — it’s the world expecting one mode of productivity and punishing everything else.

Therapy can help you stop seeing yourself as broken and start recognising the patterns that keep pulling you into burnout. It can give you strategies that work with your brain, not against it.

Because you don’t need fixing. You need support, space, and tools that make sense for how you’re wired.

If work feels like it’s burning you alive, remember: you’re not lazy, you’re not failing, and you’re not alone.

You’re navigating a system that wasn’t built for you. And that in itself is exhausting.

Sarah x