If you have ADHD, you know this pattern all too well: you discover a brilliant productivity system, implement it religiously for a week, then completely forget it exists. Your phone has seventeen different task apps, your desk is covered in half-used planners, and you still miss important deadlines.
The problem isn't you. It's that most productivity systems are designed for neurotypical brains.
The ADHD Productivity Paradox
Here's what nobody tells you about ADHD and productivity: we're actually excellent at building systems. We read every productivity book, watch every YouTube tutorial, and create elaborate organisational frameworks. The issue comes with maintenance.
Traditional productivity advice assumes you have consistent executive function - the mental capacity to plan, prioritise, and follow through. But ADHD brains don't work that way. Our executive function fluctuates wildly based on interest, energy, stress, and a dozen other factors.
So we end up in this cycle:
- Build the perfect system during a hyperfocus session
- Use it consistently for a few days while motivation is high
- Hit a rough day and skip the system "just once"
- Forget to check it for weeks
- Rediscover it months later, feel guilty, and start over
Sound familiar?
The Four Core Problems
Problem 1: The "Write It Down But Forget to Check" Trap
Most productivity systems rely on you remembering to check them. They're passive repositories waiting for you to engage. But ADHD working memory is notoriously unreliable. We can capture information beautifully - detailed notes, comprehensive lists, elaborate plans - then completely forget they exist.
The neurotypical assumption: "If it's important, you'll remember to check your system." The ADHD reality: "If I don't see it, it doesn't exist."
Problem 2: Context Switching Chaos
ADHD brains struggle with transitions between different life domains. Your work tasks live in one system, personal projects in another, health goals somewhere else entirely. Each context switch requires mental energy we don't always have.
Traditional advice treats this as an organisation problem - "just keep everything in one place." But that creates its own issues when your boss's urgent project sits next to "buy milk" and "call mum for her birthday."
Problem 3: Energy Mismatched to Expectations
Most productivity systems assume consistent daily energy. They expect you to tackle your most important work during arbitrary "productive hours" regardless of how your brain actually feels.
But ADHD brains have dramatic energy fluctuations:
- Some days you're locked in hyperfocus for eight hours straight
- Others, you can't concentrate for eight minutes
- Morning clarity can shift to afternoon brain fog without warning
Traditional time-blocking fails because it doesn't account for these natural rhythms.
Problem 4: Maintenance Overhead
The more complex your system, the more mental energy required to maintain it. Categories need updating. Tags need consistency. Projects need regular reviews.
For neurotypical brains, this maintenance becomes routine. For ADHD brains, it becomes overwhelming. We spend more time perfecting the system than actually using it.
Why Popular Systems Break Down
Getting Things Done (GTD) David Allen's methodology is brilliant in theory but requires extensive daily maintenance. Multiple context lists, regular reviews, and consistent categorisation - all executive function tasks that ADHD brains struggle with.
Notion and Complex Databases Notion looks incredible in productivity videos. It's infinitely customisable, which is exactly the problem. Too many options create analysis paralysis. Every time you open it, you could reorganise everything instead of actually getting work done.
Rigid Time-Blocking Scheduling every minute of your day assumes predictable energy and focus. When you inevitably can't stick to the blocks, the whole system feels like failure rather than a helpful guide.
Multiple Specialised Apps Using different tools for different life areas creates context-switching overhead. Task app for work, different app for fitness, another for finances - each switch requires mental energy and things inevitably fall through the cracks.
The Breakthrough Insight
After years of trying and abandoning systems, I discovered the key insight: ADHD brains need external structure to create internal consistency.
We don't need more complex systems. We need systems that pull us back in automatically, that work even when we're having off days, and that match our natural energy patterns instead of fighting them.
The solution isn't to fix our ADHD brains - it's to build systems that work with them.
In Part 2, I'll share the exact framework I use to manage multiple businesses, creative projects, and personal goals whilst actually enjoying the process. It's not about perfect execution - it's about consistent progress, even on chaotic days.
The best part? It starts simple and grows with you, rather than overwhelming you from day one.
Next up: "My ADHD-Optimised System: From Capture to Creation"