Set Yourself Up to Win the Day
Whether you’re neurodivergent or just easily distracted, your morning can either be a launchpad—or quicksand.
Here’s a collection of tools, routines, and mindset shifts that I (someone with ADHD) use to take control of the day before it takes control of me.
☀️ 1. State Before Strategy: Move First, Think Second
- Movement is medicine: A short run, walk, or dance—anything to change your state before trying to sit still.
- Cold shower or breath work: Shock the system into alertness. Don’t think. Just move.
- Breathe: I use the Whim Hoff App
- Reset whenever lost: When distracted go back to the body. Shake it out. Get outside. Breathe.
🧠 2. Time Management
- Time blocking: One task per block. Break everything into the tiniest next step. No multitasking.
- The 20-minute sprint: Use a visual timer (like a sand timer or big clock) to make time real. Sprint, break, repeat.
- Make it visible: Whether it’s an analog clock, Pomodoro app, or a whiteboard countdown—externalize time.
🏠 3. Environment Is Everything
- Clear space = clear mind: Tidy the space before your brain gets cluttered. Reset your desk every evening.
- Limit chair use: Balancing ball, wobble board, walking desk, keep it around balance not fixed position.
- Designated zones: A chair for meditating. A corner for reading. A class you love going to. ADHD craves consistency.
- Whiteboards & sticky notes: If it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind. Make your thoughts visible—walls, mirrors, calendars, journals.
📵 4. Protect Your Attention Like It’s Gold
- Tech boundaries: Block apps. Use grayscale. Keep your phone in another room if possible.
- No social in the morning: Your brain is most vulnerable then. Don’t rent it to the algorithm.
- Sounds that support focus: Loop a single song or use silence strategically. Experiment with pink/brown noise.
☕️ 5. Rituals That Anchor You
- Caffeine with intention: Use it on purpose—e.g., right before a run or a deep-focus session.
- Morning playlist: Music = cue. A certain track tells your brain, “We’re starting now.”
- Prep the night before: Lay out clothes, write your morning priorities, fill your water bottle. Future-you will thank past-you.
🛠 Bonus Tools You Can Try
- Morning journaling: Dump the noise. Set an intention. Brain ≠ storage unit.
🍎Nutrition
- I wrote a dedicated post on this: Read here: Nutrition Performance
