Distractibility is not laziness or lack of interest. It’s the brain’s tendency to shift toward new or competing inputs, like notifications, noises, or sudden thoughts, before you finish the thing in front of you. In ADHD, this reflects differences in how attention is regulated and how the brain prioritizes novelty and reward, not a deficit of willpower.

How it can show up

• Jumping to whatever pings, pops up, or walks by and then losing the thread

• Checking a message “for a second,” falling into a rabbit hole, and derailing the task

• Background conversations or noises pulling your attention away

• Too many open tabs or notifications making it hard to focus on one thing

• Intrusive thoughts or creative ideas pulling you off-task mid-stream

• Small interruptions stacking up into big time loss