Whether you’ve never seen a superhero movie in your life, or you’re first in line for every premiere, we all know what happens: When a villain threatens a city, an unassuming civilian unleashes their long-concealed superpower to save the day.

While fictional, this scenario isn’t too far from reality—minus the overly-dramatic fight scenes. For adults with ADHD, the things that set them apart, like hyperactivity and impulsivity, can actually be used to their advantage, even in the workplace. Here’s how:

Hyperfocus

Hyperfocus refers to an intense fixation on an interest or activity for an extended period of time. For example, someone with an interest in computer programming may spend hours debugging thousands of lines of code, pushing aside other necessities, like eating, until they become urgent.

Because hyperfocus is great for engaging in longer tasks requiring intense concentration, it can be an asset. This is especially true when people with ADHD are able to channel their focus into something more productive, like a work-related activity.

To go one step further, try using recurring sessions on Opal to dedicate a portion of your day/week to hyperfocus on certain tasks. And, set your protection level to Deep Focus to block out all distractions.

High Energy

Having high energy can also be an asset, especially in the workplace. By finding a line of work that’s the right fit for you (because let’s face it—doing mundane tasks like paperwork can make it hard to find the motivation to even get started, let alone focus), being a high-energy individual can be an advantage.

Not only will having a lot of energy translate into greater productivity and thus, higher work performance, you’ll most likely inspire your coworkers to do the same, ultimately energizing the workplace. All it takes is one person to make everything more fun!

Creativity

Inattention and impulsivity suggest a connection between creativity and ADHD, according to Scientific American. Because people with ADHD tend to have many ideas at once and are more willing to take risks, they approach new situations with out-of-the-box perspectives.

Regardless of your position at work, leveraging your natural way of thinking can keep things moving forward and produce more meaningful results.

To go one step further, whenever an idea comes to mind, write it down on Notion—a tool that we use at Opal to organize everything that our team works on!

With the right tools, common symptoms of ADHD can be rethought of as strengths, like hyperfocus, high energy and creativity.

‍Here at Opal, we believe that every one of us deserves control over our lives. If you need additional support as you navigate life with ADHD, check out Focus Coaching.