5 Ways to Stay Regulated When Transitioning Between Tasks

Transition time is crucial for the brain to switch gears as we move from one task to another. For people with ADHD, transition time is also a vital strategy for maintaining self-regulation, avoiding burnout, and lowering emotional reactivity.

In the wrong dose, or with the wrong activity, transition time can easily create overload on the system. This is a high risk for people with ADHD, as we can easily lose track of time to the point where we spend all day in transition time.

Preliminary Tip: Set a Timer

The most practical strategy for managing transition time is to set a timer. This applies across the board no matter what you do with your transition time.

How much time you need to transition likely depends on the tasks involved.

That said, studies show that most brains need at least 10–20 minutes to switch tasks. However much time you think you need, add a little more.

Set a timer so you don’t have to watch the clock. If timers make you anxious, try using an alternate form of tracking time, like creating a playlist for a specific duration.

Using a playlist gives you a bonus benefit: music is a natural mood enhancer. You can use a curated playlist to help you get into state for your next task.

5 Ways to Use Transition Time Effectively

Here are 5 ways to use the time you set to clear your mind and recharge before your next task.

(1) Move Your Body

One of the most effective ways to transition after a cognitively demanding activity is to move your body. This doesn’t need to be a full-scale “hard” workout. It can be as simple as a short walk around the block, a dance session, or a short yoga practice.

This will work best if you have a clear intention and defined boundaries around the movement practice. For example, instead of just “going for a walk,” walk to a specific location or a specific number of loops around a track.

Instead of standing up and randomly doing air squats or pushup, pick a few movements and create a sequence with a defined number of repetition for each movement. Repeat the sequence for a pre-determined duration of time.

I have a simplified version of sun salutations that I like to do for a specific duration — usually the length of a long song.

The rep count and sequencing forces you to pay enough attention to what you’re doing, while the repetition helps the movement become second nature. This combination helps facilitate flow and frees up the part of your brain that needs to process and clear out.

(2) Check Off Mindless Routine Tasks

If you work from home, transition time can be a perfect opportunity to tackle mindless rote tasks, such as folding and putting away laundry, unloading the dishwasher, or cutting vegetables for meal prep.

These activities require no brain work or decisions: you already know where the laundry and dishes go.

(In contrast, “organizing your drawers” or “clearing clutter” would not be good transition activities because they entail a heavy cognitive load from hundreds of micro-decisions.)

In addition to being physical activities that don’t require your brain to work, these mindless tasks also allow you to “check a box” on accomplishing something concrete. That sense of completion gives you a hit of dopamine that you can use to fuel motivation for what comes next.

(3) Attend to Your Human Needs

When ADHDers resort to hyperfocus mode to get things done, we often forget about our basic human needs. We may not even realize that we haven’t eaten anything or hydrated ourselves. You might even forget to go to the bathroom.

Use your transition time as an intentional “human needs” break to literally empty, refuel, and recharge.

(4) Change Your Location

Many people with ADHD benefit from “context switching” for different tasks: changing your location for a new task.

Rather than engaging in a “transition task,” use your transition time to travel to your next location and settle in there.

(5) Engage With Your Environment

Sometimes the best thing to do is nothing specific at all. The challenge with this, especially for ADHD brains, is that without something specific to focus on, we can tend to get lost in our thoughts and rumination.

A better approach is to engage with your environment in a tactile, tangible way. This doesn’t mean that you need to speak to people; in fact, sometimes the best way to recharge is to honor a mini “silent retreat.”

Sit on a park bench and people watch. Notice what your senses are taking in from your environment: the sounds, smells, and sights.