How Relocating Helped Me Focus with ADHD (And Why It Might Help You Too)

Relocating Helped Me Do the Thing

Living, working, and “thriving” with ADHD means that getting things done can be challenging. After 50 years of navigating life with ADHD—several of those years as an educator and consultant—I’ve gathered a ton of tools and strategies to manage my focus.

Through all those years, especially from my consulting relationships, I’ve learned that there is no panacea for folks with ADHD. Each person’s experience is unique, and so are the accommodations, strategies, and supports that work best.

I recently did a thing that I don’t often do, and was reminded that this approach works surprisingly well for me. I should probably use it more often. This realization inspired me to share it here.

The strategy? Relocating—physically changing my environment to complete a task.

What I Did Specifically to Improve My Focus

I packed up my laptop, headed out with Morgan the Dog and Rachael the Beloved, and walked them both over to the free-range Dog Park.

This left me alone in my Jeep, which I’d parked in a quiet, empty green area. I set up my work laptop, put in my earbuds, and minimized every possible distraction around me—no changing lights within my visual field, no sounds, no unexpected movements. In that space, as opposed to my regular home office, I found a focus I hadn’t accessed in a long time.

Why Changing Environments Can Work for ADHD Brains

There are two essential components of this strategy that can make it effective: (1) a markedly reduced distraction environment, and (2) a novel environment.

1. Markedly Reduced Distraction Environment

People with ADHD are especially sensitive to environmental stimuli like noise, movement, and visual clutter, which can easily disrupt focus (Barkley, 1997; Castellanos & Tannock, 2002; Kofler et al., 2011). Studies on ADHD have shown that a controlled, distraction-free space significantly improves concentration by reducing the sensory input our brains have to filter (Hallowell & Ratey, 2005; Arnsten, 2009).

In other news, water is wet. If you are reading my site, you probably already have a workspace with noise-canceling headphones and similar technology set up at home. I personally invested in these NC headphones and absolutely love them (affiliate link). But sometimes our carefully crafted environments are not enough.

2. A Novel Environment

It’s a reduced distraction space coupled with the novelty that brings the magic for some of us.

The combination of a distraction-free setting with a novel environment is what makes this approach effective. Novelty has a way of capturing the ADHD brain’s attention, allowing it to “reset” and shift into a focused state. Research suggests that a new environment can trigger what is known as context-dependent memory, where changes in location can prompt fresh behaviors or thought patterns (Smith & Vela, 2001; Tulving & Thompson, 1973; Bjork & Richardson-Klavehn, 1989).

For me, working in the Jeep added just enough novelty to break my typical patterns and refocus my attention.

YMMV

Doing your thing with an ADHD brain requires creativity, flexibility, and a willingness to try new approaches. There is no single, perfect solution—everyone’s brain is unique, and ADHD shows up differently for each person. I may park the Jeep at a quiet park and use my laptop with a Jackery. Your version of this strategy will look different.

And for some, ambient noise is awesome for focus. For others, social accountability or physical activity may be what they need.

I warmly encourage you to experiment with your surroundings. Don’t hesitate to try something unconventional, like working in a parked car, a quiet park, or even just switching rooms at home, or moving furniture around to get a fresh perspective.

Adjust anything you can in order to test out what best fits your needs rather than forcing yourself to conform to a traditional workspace.

Your Personal Toolbox for ADHD Management

Managing ADHD isn’t about fixing yourself; it’s about finding ways to work with your unique brain. Changing environments is just one of many strategies that can support focus and well-being.

Over time, you’ll build a toolbox of techniques that work best for you—whether that includes frequent breaks, background music, accountability partners, or, in my case, an excellent home office and, sometimes, peaceful afternoon away in a parked Jeep or an old Chevy vanlife shuttlebus (if you know you know).

Living with ADHD is about adaptability, not perfection. Each day may call for a different approach, and that’s okay. The next time you find yourself struggling to Do The Thing, consider a change in scenery.

Want to discuss this topic? There is a thread about it on the facebook page.

References

• Arnsten, A. F. T. (2009). Toward a new understanding of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder pathophysiology: An important role for prefrontal cortex dysfunction. CNS Drugs, 23(1), 33–41 https://doi.org/10.2165/00023210-200923000-00005.
• Barkley, R. A. (1997). ADHD and the nature of self-control. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
• Bjork, R. A., & Richardson-Klavehn, A. (1989). On the puzzling relationship between environmental context and human memory. In C. Izawa (Ed.), Current issues in cognitive processes: The Tulane Flowerree Symposium on Cognition (pp. 313–344). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
• Castellanos, F. X., & Tannock, R. (2002). Neuroscience of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: The search for endophenotypes. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 3(8), 617–628 https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn896.
• Hallowell, E. M., & Ratey, J. J. (2005). Delivered from distraction: Getting the most out of life with attention deficit disorder. New York, NY: Ballantine Books.
• Kofler, M. J., Rapport, M. D., Bolden, J., Sarver, D. E., & Raiker, J. S. (2011). ADHD and working memory: The impact of central executive deficits and exceeding storage/rehearsal capacity on observed inattentive behavior. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 38(2), 149–161 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-009-9357-6.
• Smith, S. M., & Vela, E. (2001). Environmental context-dependent memory: A review and meta-analysis. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 8(2), 203–220 https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03196157.
• Tulving, E., & Thompson, D. M. (1973). Encoding specificity and retrieval processes in episodic memory. Psychological Review, 80(5), 352–373. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0020071.