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Have you ever pulled off a late night at work before?

I have, a few times, and I don’t like it, despite the fact that I get my best results there.

What causes the late nighters?

Sometimes the nature of work just gets busy and forces us to stay behind. You roll with the punches, as they say.

But more often than not, for a lot of us neurodivergents, especially ADHDers, it’s because we’ve procrastinated, been distracted, or gotten overstimulated by our sensory environment. Which we’ll get into today.

My Story

Early in my career (undiagnosed neurodivergent), we did five days in the office. There was constant background noise, and I felt overstimulated and overwhelmed; focus was a real challenge some days.

Deadlines were looming, and I didn’t want to miss them, so that meant staying behind while everyone else headed home. I envied them!

But I was amazed at how well I could lock in (hyperfocus) once the office emptied out. No distractions, no noise, just a quiet, blissful flow state.

I remember thinking: if only I could tap into this mode during work hours, I could get so much done without it eating into my after-work time. If only it were that simple, right?

Fast forward to having a family, staying late isn’t sustainable, not if I want to be present.

Practical Suggestions: Prep for Peak Performance

I’ve learned I perform best in off-peak (quieter) hours. Here’s what helps:

1) Front-load meaningful work

Prep key tasks the evening before or early same day. Build momentum so you can “plough through” even when the day gets chaotic. “Lay your bed” the night before!

2) Create flow during work hours

Mimic evening conditions. Use noise-cancelling headphones, block time for deep work, or find quiet spots. Short movement breaks, Pomodoro-style timers, and minimizing open tabs can help trigger focus.

A few things that help me “lay my bed”:

1) Pick the one task that actually matters and prep it the night before: file open, notes ready, first step written down so there’s zero friction in the morning.

2) Protect one quiet block during the day, even 30 minutes, and treat it like a meeting you can’t skip.

3) Set a hard stop. Decide when you’re leaving before the day starts. It’s easier to protect a boundary you set in advance than one you’re negotiating in the moment.

None of this stops the busy days from happening. But it means fewer of them turn into late nights.

If you enjoyed this post, or know people who can benefit from it. Please spread the word. They can subscribe at neurodiversediary.io/subscribe

In other neuro-related news I found this week…

• A viral quote from Michael Olise’s former headteacher described the shy young footballer who treated football as his entire world and avoided drawing attention to himself — traits that closely match autistic patterns of monotropic focus and social styles often misread as aloof or arrogant.

Lastly,

Stay Different,

The AuDHD Exec

Disclaimer: I am not your psychiatrist, coach, doctor. Neurodiverse Diary does not provide medical services or professional counselling and is not a substitute for professional medical care. Everything I publish represents my opinions, experience, not advice.