Writing about productivity seems to be in vouge recently. I don't particularly think about productivity much, but I think that's because I have a relatively useful system. Like lost of people with ADHD I had to figure it out early or fail at school. As early as 6 I remember trying and failing to get work done in the same way that my neurotypical peers did. It took many years before I began to develop my personal system to get things done, motivate myself, and most importantly not burn out.
Getting things done
Tasks for me tend to fall into three categories. First there are the unpleasant tasks (I call them frogs, more on that in a minute.) Enjoyable tasks cover the remaining two: those that I could spend hours on (we'll call this hyperfocuses), and those that I only want to spend minimal time on (I call these bursts). Different tactics are required for each of these to lean into the advantages and counteract the negatives.
I am fortunate that my current career is something that I enjoy doing, but there are many things that are a slog to complete (frogs). For these I try to follow the "eat the frog" rule; getting unpleasant or draining tasks over with first. This is helpful for two reasons: first, the rest of the day feels like a reward, and second, you spend as little time as possible dreading these unpleasant tasks.
When you have seemingly infinite energy for a task, it's best to timebox it. Don't spend more than a few hours on it or else you run the risk of overengineering. Or worse, you'll burn yourself out and loose interest in it prior to completion. When I know a task is going to be a hyperfocus, I set timers and take a break when they are over. If I struggle to switch I remind myself it will still be there in a few hours.
For things that you have only a short burst of energy for, you want to lean into it. Get as much done in the burst as you can, then take a break. Maybe work on a hyper focus task. When you have finished your break or timebox, try switching back. What's important with bursts is don't overextend yourself, if you push yourself too hard the burst is gone and it becomes a frog. Try to keep these tasks in burst by paying close attention to your interest. When it starts to drop, switch to something else.
Motivation
Going to start this out with a confession: motivation is something I still don't have figured out. There are though, a few things that have worked in my case. I hope they prove helpful for others as well. When it comes to frogs, and taking breaks from hyperfocus, motivation is a huge barrier for me staying on task.
For frogs I find one way is the "eat your dessert first" system. For many of us with ADHD our brains don't have enough dopamine to start a task. Sometimes, to get started I need to give myself a little reward before the frog. It could be a sweet treat, a walk, a walk to your favorite trail. A 30min play session in your favorite video game. Conversely, I sometimes find it easier to delay the reward till the end. The trick is figuring out what the hinderance is, if you know you will be able to complete the task if you start it, desert first, frog second. If you can easily start the task but are having trouble staying focused, get right to it and plan a reward once it's done.
What if a task is hard to start and hard to get over the finish line?
Make an icecream sandwich! Give yourself a treat before to get going and plan another reward when you get over the line.
One is to do stuff in a "high energy" time of the day. High energy times for me are either morning or late at night. Generally I try to keep early morning as my dedicated high energy time and get as much done as I can, leaving the rest of the day for meetings.
If there is still a task that requires extra motivation I try to follow the "dopa-menu" tactic described in how to ADHD. It's helpful to have things in place that are healthy for generating motivation. For me taking a walk or watching a quick video that excites me helps get some motivation going.
Burnout (don't do it!)
But also, I've done it...a lot. Burnout is easy for Neuro-divergent people, it's so common that burnout and adhd have overlapping symptoms.
Things that help me are setting mandated breaks. Putting a break on your calendar. I also have made sure I don't spend more than an hour or so on tasks without getting up for a quick breather. Using slackbot to remind myself to take a break is generally helpful.
Long term burnout is a more tricky one. There isn't a logical rule for how long you should go before taking vacation. For me this is partly on vibes and partly on "have you taken a week off in the last 6-months." If you get to the second one you're getting to the bottom of the wick, schedule timeoff Now! Another guideline I us whenever I finish something "big" I like to take time off. If I am not sure if something is big, best to assume it is.