This is doubly/triply/quadrupley difficult for those of us with ADHD; I've spent years working on meditation, and I only get glimpses of silence; and that's only on the best of days. To take a medical condition such as ADHD and say, "hooboy, everyone gets distracted" is to entirely dismiss what those of us with it are dealing with. It's not just sometimes I get distracted; it's nearly all the time I get distracted if I am not bringing my 'A' game to even the simplest of tasks - without exacting intentionality there's no chance I'll have the left-over neurons to even think about being in the present.
So, it doesn't just take intentionality, as most people can clip off daydreaming or rabbithole trains of thought with minimal friction, but for many of us with ADHD the act of attempting to break the "distraction cycle" can essentially have the opposite effect, or just left turn us into another avenue of distraction. I know for myself, there's an anxiety that builds when actively (we can't passively quiet our brains) attempting to quiet my brain; as the doubt builds as you find it more and more difficult to step away from your racing brain and into the now. This becomes a self defeating cycle which is difficult to steer out of when attempting something like meditation.
"I've spent years working on meditation, and I only get glimpses of silence; and that's only on the best of days."
Just out of curiosity, what meditation technique do you use, and what's been the longest meditation session that you've had without quieting your mind?
For me, who doesn't suffer from ADHD, and whose technique of meditation consists of simply focusing on the sensation of air flowing past my nostrils as I breathe, I'll always eventually quiet my mind if I meditate long enough. The primary challenge is just giving it enough of a chance instead of getting up and doing something else.
Of course, even when mind quieting is achieved, the moments of quietness are of finite duration, and some thought or other will eventually (usually sooner rather than later) pop in.
I suppose I should clarify some as well; 'traditional' mainstream meditation doesn't work well for me; I've spent up to an hour doing either box breathing or air flow focus breathing as attempts to clear my focus and quiet my brain, and in general it just doesn't reach a desired effect. On the regular though, I would say I average about 15 to 30 minutes a day attempting this meditation form. This may at best allow for 3-5 second times of 'blank' space but never longer.
That being said, I do martial arts, and I would compare intense focus on performing an intermediate to long kata to the generally expressed trance or meditative states; and in those times I would consider it similar to either art or programming flow.
And I think that's where the distinction is, as 'traditional' meditation tends to be a more passive meditation style that doesn't work well with the active needs to essentially distract my brain into a present tense form.
See if you can double your meditation time to a full hour, then re-evaluate the effects. I have a feeling you're just not meditating long enough. The longer the meditation session, the deeper the effects.
I've gone for 3 to 4 hours stretches myself, with valuable results, and I know some people meditate all day, for days, weeks, or months at a time. Most people don't have the luxury to do such extended meditation sessions except maybe on vacation, but several hours a day on weekends should be doable. Try to stretch your limits.
So, it doesn't just take intentionality, as most people can clip off daydreaming or rabbithole trains of thought with minimal friction, but for many of us with ADHD the act of attempting to break the "distraction cycle" can essentially have the opposite effect, or just left turn us into another avenue of distraction. I know for myself, there's an anxiety that builds when actively (we can't passively quiet our brains) attempting to quiet my brain; as the doubt builds as you find it more and more difficult to step away from your racing brain and into the now. This becomes a self defeating cycle which is difficult to steer out of when attempting something like meditation.