My Adult ADHD Hacks

My prefrontal cortex called—it wants its energy back. At 42, I was diagnosed with ADHD, and until the day that psychologist told me I was, in fact, neurodivergent, I thought mental fatigue was just normal. I didn’t even know what neurodivergent meant, but in that moment, decades of frustration started to make sense.

Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects how the brain processes the world, and people with it often think differently. While many ADHD brains are highly creative, innovative, and funny (cue the hair flip), certain things can be more challenging and exhausting. Our brains tend to work harder behind the scenes, which means mental energy can run out faster and shutdown can happen more easily.

In the years since my diagnosis, I’ve paid closer attention to how my brain actually works. Instead of forcing myself into behaviors that don’t fit, I’ve focused on finding ways to work with my brain rather than against it. Here are a few natural ways I proactively manage burnout.

Tidy my surroundings

The first thing I have to do is clear the clutter. If the space around me is messy, my brain freezes and I can’t function. I’ve always been this way. I still remember my first day of junior high when I got my very first locker—I was determined to keep it as organized as possible. Every time I put something away, I’d repeat the same little mantra to myself, “a place for everything and everything in its place.” At 12, I didn’t even know what ADHD was—I thought maybe it was OCD. I know now that do not have OCD. What my brain was actually doing was conditioning itself to clear the space so I could get shit done. I guess it worked because I graduated with honors.

I also keep things tidy because neurodivergent people tend to lose things more easily than neurotypicals (guilty). Nothing fuels procrastination more than spending 45 minutes looking for your keys or your phone. Not being distracted by physical chaos helps me get into my flow state—and stay there.

Organize my thoughts

My brain goes in a hundred directions every hour. I’ve always been someone who starts a lot of things but doesn’t always finish them, so about a year ago I started using Monday.com to organize my thoughts. It’s a project management tool I use at work, and it’s the simplest system I’ve found—so I basically adopted it to run my brain. I keep it on both my phone and laptop, and when ideas hit me in the middle of the night you bet I’m logging them in. I’ve forced myself to stop using the Notes app because, for me, that’s where dreams go to die. I still use a paper notebook sometimes, but just one—and every day those notes get transferred into Monday. I’ve learned I need one centralized place for my ideas if I actually want to make progress.

Then I discovered the Kanban view in Monday and holy shit—I nerded out. Kanban is a system used in the tech field to keep engineers focused on the task at hand before starting new ones. It’s like a board game where new ideas go into the “backlog,” then move to “working on it” column and eventually to “done.” It works perfectly for my brain because it helps me break big ideas into smaller, manageable steps. Moving those tasks across the board gives me little hits of dopamine, which fuels motivation to keep going. You don’t even need Monday to do this—you could use Post-its on a wall and move them along the same way. I also use ChatGPT as a thinking assistant to organize scattered notes and turn ideas into action steps so I don’t get stuck in decision fatigue. Since building this thought organization system (and quitting alcohol), I’ve launched three side-hustle businesses, started an early-retirement consulting plan, and begun writing a book.

Master my schedule

I put everything on one calendar—and yes, I use my company work calendar so I have one view. I’ve never understood having multiple calendars when you’re one person with one timeline of availability. If something takes my time, it goes on the same calendar. I also block off deep-focus time because the kind of work I do requires real thinking—connecting dots, solving problems, and moving ideas around in my head like a scene from The Matrix. At work, people are able to just “grab time” on my calendar willy-nilly, like it’s unlimited, but it’s the most precious thing I have. I need routine and flow, and that means protecting solid chunks of time where I talk to no one and can fully focus. Hyperfocus is one of my superpowers, but it only works if I give it the space to happen.

Digital declutter

Ahh, I miss the days before digital files became the death of us. Keeping digital assets organized can feel nearly impossible, but I try to chip away at it little by little. As a designer and creative professional, I made matters worse by choosing a career where I’m expected to save decades of work and maintain a beautiful portfolio website that is up to date at a moment’s notice.

I recently started using a digital asset management system called Air to organize my photography and design work, and I feel like a new human being. I’ve tried everything—Google Drive, hard drives, Dropbox—but Air has the best interface and capabilities I’ve ever come across. Now I’m on a mission to transfer everything over from those failed experiments mentioned above. Future me will have everything in Air. I also set aside about 30 minutes each week to unsubscribe from emails, clean up browser bookmarks, and delete unused apps from my phone. Every little bit helps.

Take off the mask

Pretending to be “normal” is exhausting. Unmasking, for me, means letting go of the constant effort to appear neurotypical and allowing myself to show up as I actually am. I’m fortunate to work in a creative environment where people are wired a little differently—showing up dressed like Mike Wazowski wouldn’t raise many eyebrows, even if you’re a senior executive (I know from experience). Practicing unmasking means intentionally spending time in environments where I don’t have to perform or pretend, and setting boundaries so I’m not constantly editing who I am just to fit in. I’ve realized that many people with ADHD burn out because they try to show up and act like someone without ADHD.

Manage stimulation

My ADHD brain is extremely sensitive to stimulation. I can become overwhelmed easily—either from too much input or too little—and both can be exhausting. Managing my sensory environment is one of the ways I protect my energy. Sometimes that means dimming lights, blocking unnecessary noise, using noise-canceling headphones or earplugs, or reducing the number of devices competing for my attention. Quiet environments, deep breathing, or simply turning off lights can help reset my system. Too much sensory information coming from different directions can quickly become draining. For me, the fan above the stove is enough to push me over the edge some days. And let’s not even talk about “the big lights.”

Budgeting my energy

My ADHD energy doesn’t function like a steady battery—it moves in waves. I’ve learned that I have to manage my daily stamina the way someone manages a financial budget. Just like money, energy isn’t unlimited. Instead of forcing constant productivity, it’s better for me to exert when my energy is high and rest when it’s low. When I try to push through low-energy periods, it usually leads straight to burnout, which is why I try to be intentional about rest instead of only allowing it once I’m already exhausted. Setting boundaries is a big part of protecting my energy bank. I’ve had to learn that “no” is a complete sentence, and that saying no to unnecessary commitments helps me avoid over scheduling and preserve my time and focus for what actually matters. Some days I start out thinking I’m going to get everything done, but halfway through my body just says, “hold up,” and I’ve learned to respect that. Sometimes the healthiest thing I can do is wait until tomorrow. I also have to remind myself not to chase perfection, because that can drain a huge amount of energy. A rule that helps me is simple: decent is better than perfect.