Why We All Feel Like We Have ADHD (And It’s Not Just Because of Scrolling)

Posted by Erica Warren on Jul 27, 2025

Have you ever felt like your attention span is shrinking, or that you’re constantly distracted and off-task? Many people joke that they “feel like they have ADHD” these days—and while scrolling on TikTok or Instagram certainly contributes to this sense of mental chaos, it’s not the only reason. The real issue runs deeper, and it’s tied to the way modern life constantly invites us to act on our every fleeting thought.

The World of Instant Gratification

In the past, when you realized you needed apple cider vinegar, you’d jot it down on a shopping list for later. Today, that thought often turns into an instant Amazon order within seconds. Our access to quick solutions is unprecedented. Want to talk to someone? In the past, you had to make an appointment or pick up the phone. Now, you can shoot off a quick text, hop on a WhatsApp call, or open Zoom within moments.

The problem? Acting on every thought the moment it appears can completely derail our day. Instead of batching tasks or organizing our thoughts into lists, we’re constantly shifting focus from one micro-task to another. Even small interruptions—like sending a quick message or placing an online order—pull us out of our routines, making it harder to complete the bigger, more important tasks on our to-do lists.

Being a “First-Minute” Person

Some people, like me, are “first-minute” people. If a task or idea pops into my head, I feel compelled to handle it immediately. While this can feel productive in the moment, it often disrupts the flow of my day. Just this morning, I was in the middle of my morning routine when I had the idea for this blog post. Rather than jotting it down and returning to it later, I stopped everything to write. While I love capturing inspiration in real time, it means my routine—and my other priorities—get thrown off balance.

The Scrolling Problem

Of course, scrolling plays its own role in this attention crisis. Apps like TikTok and Instagram train our brains to consume information in tiny bursts. Each video or post is only a few seconds long, and before we’ve even processed what we’ve seen, the next piece of content is already on the screen. This habit doesn’t give our brains enough time to hold information in working memory, process it, and transfer it into long-term memory.

Over time, this constant cycle of consuming and forgetting trains our brains to stay on the surface of things. We become observers rather than learners. That’s why so many people can spend 30 minutes scrolling and walk away barely remembering anything they watched—even though, in the moment, certain posts might have felt meaningful or worth sav

The Cost of Constant Context-Switching

Our modern, hyper-connected world encourages constant context-switching. Instead of completing a morning routine, a report for work, or even a relaxing cup of coffee, we allow a stray thought—“I need to order that thing” or “I should text them back”—to hijack our attention. And because so many of these micro-tasks can now be completed instantly, we don’t stop to ask, “Is this the right time?” We just do it.

This might feel efficient, but in reality, it fragments our focus and leaves us feeling mentally exhausted. We’re no longer practicing the skill of compartmentalizing tasks or holding onto ideas long enough to revisit them intentionally.

What We Can Do About It

So how do we fight this modern attention drain? A few simple strategies can help:

Use a "Catch-All" List – When a thought pops into your head (buy vinegar, text a friend, schedule a call), jot it down on a single list instead of acting on it immediately. Then, review that list at a set time each day.
Batch Your Tasks – Dedicate blocks of time for ordering items, responding to texts, or checking email instead of doing them as they come up.
Set Boundaries for Scrolling – Use social media with intention. Give yourself a time limit and ask yourself what you want to get out of the session before you start scrolling.
Practice “Finishing Energy” – Train yourself to finish what you’re doing—whether it’s your morning routine or a work project—before letting another task take over.
Slow Down to Process – After watching or reading something, take a moment to reflect or jot down a note. This small pause helps encode information into memory.

Are There Resources that Can Help?

Work one-on-one with an executive functioning coach, or explore my curated ADHD and Executive Functioning Collection, featuring E-Fun workbooks, games, mindfulness tools, and professional training courses. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or practitioner, you’ll find actionable resources to help learners build attention, organization, and self-regulation skills.

Final Thoughts

We live in a world designed to hijack our attention, making us feel scattered and unfocused. But this doesn’t mean we all have ADHD—it means we’re adapting to a culture of instant gratification, endless notifications, and information overload. By slowing down, batching tasks, and reclaiming control of our thoughts, we can build back the focus and clarity that modern life so easily erodes.

Cheers, Erica

Dr. Erica Warren is the author, illustrator, and publisher of multisensory educational materials at Good Sensory Learning. She is also the director of Learning to Learn and Learning Specialist Courses.