ADHD

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