One of the most interesting aspects of ADD/ADHD for me has been the state of hyper-focus.  I amaze myself at the stamina, the motivation, and the concentration I can apply to a task when in this state.  Granted, everything else in life is forgotten for that time period...including, eating, sleeping, and bathroom breaks. lol

I once spent 19 hours straight writing an Excel program for work.  While this was great for my employer, I didn't eat the entire time, and I took bathroom breaks, only when the need became too great to avoid any longer.  This is an extreme case, but it is not atypical of a hyper-focus moment.  I feel ALIVE during these times.  I feel that I am ACCOMPLISHING something.  I feel PROUD of myself that I am getting something done.

HOWEVER, the down side is that everything else is ignored.  I have found that timers do not work for me.  I've tried kitchen timers, alarm clocks, computer pop up reminders, etc.  I just ignore those too.  So, what I have done recently, and have found to work pretty well is that I have asked for help from people I trust.  If one of these people recognizes a state of hyper focus occurring they will physically get in my face and force my focus away from what I'm doing.  Together, we will assess whether I should be allowed to continue for a little while longer, or if it is time to stop now.  Having this physical interaction with another person helps break the cycle and I'm able to move on to another task. 

I've trained my "trustees" to recognize when I'm in hyper focus mode.  My trustees are my sister, my kids, and a couple of friends at work.  I even have online trustees...friends online who when they see me on here for too long, get on my case.  They look for the signs...(i.e. not eating and not taking breaks, failure to answer the phone or a question, etc.)

It's been working out great for me.  I like when I get into this mode, but I know that I can't pull myself out of it, so my dear friends and family lend me that pull I need.