Category: Therapy

Working WITH Your ADHD Brain: 10 Life-Changing Strategies (Plus Real Stories of Success)

By Your ADHD Coach, Executive Function Strategist, and Someone Who’s Been There

Have you ever felt like your brain is constantly running a dozen different programs while you’re desperately trying to focus on just one?

If you’re nodding right now, you’re not alone.

When people find me, they’re often at their breaking point. They’ve downloaded the apps. They’ve read the books. They’ve watched countless TikToks about productivity hacks. And still, they feel like they’re barely hanging on by their fingertips.

Here’s what I always tell them first: You’re not lazy. Your brain is wired differently. And when you learn how to work WITH that wiring instead of fighting against it — everything changes.

After coaching hundreds of people with ADHD — from college students pulling all-nighters to entrepreneurs building businesses, from parents juggling family life to engineers and artists trying to harness their creativity — I’ve seen what actually works in real life, not just in theory.

In this article, I’m sharing the 10 most powerful ADHD coaching strategies I use every day to help people regain their focus, get things done, and finally feel like they’re in control of their lives instead of constantly playing catch-up.

Let’s dive in. And hey, I’ll talk to you like I talk to my clients — no fluff, no judgment, just real strategies that work for real brains like yours.

1. Design Your Space Before You Rely on Willpower

Here’s a truth about ADHD brains: If your phone is sitting face-up on your desk while you’re trying to work… your phone is going to win that battle. Every time.

People often think ADHD management is about “trying harder” or “just pushing through” distractions. But that’s like trying to swim upstream when there’s a perfectly good bridge right next to you.

ADHD brains don’t respond well to willpower alone. They need environments that work FOR them, not against them.

What to try:

• Keep distractions physically out of sight. Put your phone in a drawer or another room. Close unnecessary browser tabs. If you don’t need the internet for your task, turn off the WiFi.
• Use noise-canceling headphones or create a consistent sound environment that helps your brain settle (like instrumental music or coffee shop background noise).
• Lay out your workspace like it’s “go time.” Have only the tools you need for your current task visible. Everything else gets cleared away.
• Make your thinking visible. Visual timers show time passing. Whiteboards make your tasks and ideas visible. Sticky notes make important reminders impossible to ignore.

One of my clients was constantly distracted in her home office. We redesigned her space together, moving her desk away from the window, setting up a dedicated “focus corner” with noise-canceling headphones, and creating a visual dashboard for her projects.

“You helped me clear my space and my head,” she told me later. “Suddenly, I could breathe again.”

2. Turn Tasks Into Tiny Steps (Even Tinier Than That)

The biggest villain for ADHD brains isn’t distraction — it’s overwhelm.

It’s that heavy fog of “I don’t even know where to start” that freezes you in place. The project feels too big, too complicated, with too many moving parts. So your brain, trying to protect you from that discomfort, finds anything else to focus on instead.

This is where breaking things down becomes essential. Not into steps — into micro-steps.

What to try:

A huge research paper becomes:

• Open a document
• Write a title
• Jot down three bullet points of main ideas
• Find one source for the first point
• Write two sentences about that source

Notice how ridiculously small these steps are? That’s the point. Make each step so tiny that your brain doesn’t have time to get overwhelmed before you’ve already started.

A graduate student I worked with was paralyzed by a term paper. We broke it down until the first step was literally “open the file.” They texted me: “Instead of ‘do homework,’ you taught me to just ‘open the file.’ It actually worked. Once I was looking at it, I could write a sentence, then another.”

Three weeks later, his paper was finished — one tiny step at a time.

3. Use Accountability That Feels Human

Here’s something most productivity advice gets wrong: It assumes you’ll follow through simply because you told yourself you would.

But for most ADHD brains, internal accountability is incredibly challenging. You make plans with yourself and then your brain says, “Well, we can always do that tomorrow instead!”

This isn’t a character flaw. It’s just how your brain is wired. The ADHD brain often needs external motivation — the social pressure of knowing someone else is counting on you or will notice if you don’t follow through.

What to try:

• Text a friend what you plan to accomplish in the next hour, then text them when it’s done.
• Use body doubling apps like Focusmate where you work alongside a stranger on video (more on this in strategy #4).
• Schedule regular check-ins with a coach, mentor, or accountability partner.
• Make commitments public by sharing goals with friends or on social media.

An entrepreneur I coached struggled with completing their weekly bookkeeping. We set up a simple system: They would text me when they started and when they finished. Nothing fancy, no lengthy discussions.

“Just knowing you would ask how it went kept me on track,” they said. “Missing a week feels like letting down a friend, not just falling behind on a task.”

4. Try Body Doubling — It’s Magic

Have you ever noticed that you can focus better in a coffee shop surrounded by strangers than alone in your quiet home office? Or that you clean your entire house when a friend is coming over, but can’t seem to pick up a single sock when it’s just you?

This isn’t random — it’s called body doubling, and it’s one of the most powerful tools for ADHD brains.

Body doubling simply means having another person present (either physically or virtually) while you work on a task. Their presence creates a gentle social pressure that helps keep your brain engaged.

What to try:

• Set up virtual co-working sessions with friends or colleagues where you both work silently on your own tasks.
• Work in the same room as a family member or roommate.
• Join online ADHD communities that offer virtual body doubling sessions.
• Even a pet can be your accountability buddy! Tell your dog, “I’m going to work for 30 minutes while you nap right there.”

A writer I coached was skeptical at first. “I didn’t know ‘co-working’ with my sister would help,” they admitted. “You showed me it’s a legit strategy, not just me being weirdly dependent on others.”

Now she writes three times a week while on a video call with her sister who lives across the country. They barely speak — they just work in each other’s virtual presence.

5. Make Room for Emotional Safety First

Most productivity advice jumps straight into techniques and tools. But for ADHD brains, there’s often an invisible barrier standing in the way: emotional baggage.

Years of being called lazy, disorganized, or unmotivated leave scars. Constant self-criticism becomes an automatic response. The shame of missed deadlines and disappointed people builds up.

Before we can make lasting progress on productivity, we need to address these emotional barriers. No real progress happens without emotional safety.

What to try:

• Name what you’re feeling before starting a task. “I’m avoiding this because I’m afraid I’ll mess it up again.” Just acknowledging the emotion often reduces its power.
• Practice self-compassion, not self-criticism. Replace “What’s wrong with me?” with “This is hard for my brain, and that’s okay.”
• Work with someone who gets it — whether that’s a therapist, coach, or friend who understands ADHD.
• Separate your worth from your productivity. You are valuable even on days when you get nothing done.

A client who came to me after years of struggling with work deadlines burst into tears during our third session. “Before working with you, I felt judged all the time. During our sessions, I felt understood for the first time.”

That emotional safety became the foundation for all our other work together. Once she wasn’t fighting herself anymore, she had much more energy to focus on solutions.

6. Gamify the Boring Stuff

ADHD brains crave interest, novelty, and stimulation. Laundry, email, and tax forms don’t naturally provide any of that. So we need to hack the system.

By adding elements of play, challenge, reward, or even just silliness to boring tasks, we can make them engaging enough for our dopamine-seeking brains.

What to try:

• Set timers and race the clock. “Can I fold all these clothes before this 3-minute song ends?”
• Create reward systems. “After I respond to five emails, I get to spend 10 minutes on my hobby.”
• Add sound effects to your accomplishments. One client literally makes a “ding!” sound whenever she completes a task.
• Turn chores into physical challenges. “How many dishes can I put away while standing on one foot?”

A software developer who struggled with mundane administrative tasks was shocked at how well this worked. “You helped me make chores feel like a video game. It was weirdly fun to try to ‘beat my high score’ for how quickly I could process my inbox.”

7. Use the 5-Minute Rule to Destroy Procrastination

“Just do it for 5 minutes.”

This simple phrase has probably unlocked more productivity for my ADHD clients than any other technique I teach.

Here’s why it works: ADHD brains often get stuck in the starting phase. The thought of working on something for hours feels impossible. But anyone can do something for just 5 minutes.

Once we begin, momentum often takes over. Our brains get interested and engaged, and we frequently continue well beyond those initial 5 minutes.

What to try:

• Set a 5-minute timer for any task you’re avoiding.
• Give yourself full permission to stop after 5 minutes. This is crucial — it’s not a trick. If you want to stop after 5 minutes, that’s completely fine.
• Celebrate those 5 minutes as a win, regardless of whether you continue.
• Over time, starting gets easier because your brain learns that starting doesn’t always mean hours of grueling work.

A college student struggling with term papers texted me after trying this technique: “I started telling myself, ‘Just five minutes.’ I ended up finishing things I had avoided for weeks. It’s like my brain just needed to get over that first hump.”

8. Turn Failure Into Data

This strategy is transformative for ADHD folks who have developed perfectionist tendencies as a coping mechanism.

When you’ve been called careless or told you’re not trying hard enough, you might overcompensate by holding yourself to impossible standards. The fear of failing again can be paralyzing.

In coaching, we reframe completely: “If it didn’t work, that’s not failure — it’s feedback.”

What to try:

• After a rough day, ask yourself: “What did I learn? What can I try differently tomorrow?”
• Keep a simple log of what works and what doesn’t. Notice patterns without judgment.
• Remind yourself that everyone’s path includes detours. People without ADHD also have unproductive days and failed attempts.
• Adjust your approach based on data, not shame. “This method didn’t work for me” is different from “I failed again.”

A graphic designer who was terrified of making mistakes in front of clients gradually adopted this mindset. “You taught me to treat mistakes like experiments. It changed everything about how I approach my work. I’m actually more creative now because I’m not afraid to try things.”

9. Tailor Systems to Your Brain, Not Instagram

In the age of aesthetic productivity videos and beautifully organized planners on social media, it’s easy to feel like you need to use certain tools or systems to be “properly” organized.

Everyone’s screaming “use Notion!” or “bullet journaling will change your life!” But what if your brain likes sticky notes and voice memos instead?

The best system for you is the one that feels natural for YOUR brain — not forced, not complicated, and definitely not chosen because it looks pretty on Instagram.

What to try:

• Notice how you already organize naturally. Do you take pictures of things to remember them? Do you remember things better if you say them out loud? Follow those instincts.
• Build from your natural tendencies rather than fighting against them.
• Don’t be afraid to make your system weird. Sticky notes covering an entire wall? Voice memos instead of written to-do lists? Alarms with strange custom messages? If it works for your brain, it works.

A teacher who had tried and abandoned countless planning systems finally found relief when we built a custom approach. “You helped me embrace how my brain likes to work — not how it ‘should.’ My system looks chaotic to others, but it makes perfect sense to me.”

10. Celebrate Every Win (Yes, Even That One)

ADHD brains are extraordinarily good at noticing what went wrong, what’s still undone, and where we fell short. Our critical vision is often crystal clear.

What we’re not naturally good at? Seeing our successes, appreciating our progress, and acknowledging how far we’ve come.

We need to intentionally build this habit to create balanced feedback for our dopamine-driven brains.

What to try:

• End each day by writing down three wins, no matter how small. “I showered. I texted back my friend. I ate a vegetable.”
• Share these wins with someone who will genuinely celebrate with you.
• Make celebration physical. High-five yourself, do a little dance, or say “yes!” out loud. It might feel silly, but it helps your brain register the success.
• Look for progress, not perfection. Did you do better than yesterday? That’s a win.

An accountant who constantly felt behind despite working incredibly hard started a daily wins practice. “You clapped for my tiny wins until I started clapping for myself. Now I have a ridiculous happy dance I do whenever I complete something on my list. My kids think I’m hilarious, but it works!”

Bonus: The 3-Minute Reset™ — Your Daily 3-Minute Check-In

Want a quick daily ritual that brings all these strategies together? Try this:

The Rooz Reset™

1. What’s one thing I’m proud of today? (Celebrates wins)
2. What’s one small thing I can do next? (Creates tiny steps)
3. Who can I share this with or check in with? (Builds accountability)

It takes just three minutes. It works for any area of life. And it creates momentum that sticks.

A marketing professional who felt constantly scattered incorporated this simple practice into their morning routine. “Doing the 3-Minute Reset every morning changed how I see myself — and my day. It’s like a mini coaching session I give myself.”

Final Thoughts — From Surviving to Thriving

These aren’t just productivity hacks or quick fixes. They’re lifelines.

Real tools for real people who want to stop merely surviving and start actually thriving with ADHD.

I know ADHD can feel like chaos sometimes. The constant overwhelm, the forgotten tasks, the difficulty starting important work, the emotional roller coaster — it’s exhausting.

But you don’t have to fight your brain anymore. You can learn how to work with it instead of against it. And when you do — when you finally feel seen and supported — life opens up in ways you might not even imagine right now.

You don’t have to do this alone. And you certainly don’t have to be perfect to start.

Just take one small step. Try one strategy. See what happens. Your brain is unique and powerful, and it deserves tools that honor its differences rather than trying to force it into someone else’s definition of “normal.”

Ready to Explore What ADHD Coaching Could Look Like for You?

At our coaching practice, we specialize in working with people just like you — brilliant, creative, overwhelmed, and ready for change.

We’re not just about productivity. We’re about building a life that fits your brain and honors your story.