Having ADHD is like sailing through a perpetual storm. Every few minutes, the clouds break and you glimpse land—a brilliant idea, a new shore to explore. You immediately set course with complete conviction. This is it. This is the one.
Then lightning strikes. The vision fades. Your memory of that coastline evaporates like it was never there.
But look—another shore appears through a different gap in the clouds. New destination, same certainty. You swing the wheel hard and aim for this one instead. The previous land? What previous land?
AI doesn’t stop the lightning or calm the storm. Instead, it launches homing beacons to every shore you glimpse—small, persistent markers that stay locked on target even when you can’t see them anymore. When the storm clears enough to catch your breath, you can teleport back to any coastline you once spotted and pick up that journey like you never left.
You’re still sailing through chaos. But now the lands don’t disappear—they just wait for you to return.
This isn’t another article about “productivity hacks for ADHD.” This is about how AI acts as external working memory—catching ideas before they disappear, breaking overwhelming projects into manageable chunks, and building momentum through small wins instead of perfect completions.
What you’ll learn:
- How to capture racing thoughts before they evaporate
- The “staged delivery” method that prevents overwhelm
- Micro-techniques that remove friction at every step
- Real example: maintaining a complex monthly article without burning out
- A learning method that turns intimidation into action
No fluff. No “ADHD is your superpower” platitudes. Just techniques that work.
The Executive Function Gap (And Why Traditional Tools Don’t Fix It)
Dr. Russell Barkley’s research shows ADHD is fundamentally a self-regulation disorder rooted in executive function deficits. Three core areas get hit hardest:
Working memory – Holding information while you use it. You read a recipe ingredient, walk to the pantry, and forget what you’re looking for by the time you arrive.
Cognitive flexibility – Adapting when things don’t go as planned. You’re great at creative thinking but terrible when unexpected changes hit.
Inhibitory control – Resisting distractions. The ticking clock is louder than your actual task.
Why Planners and To-Do Lists Fail
They require the exact skills ADHD brains lack:
- Remembering to use them
- Maintaining them consistently
- Following through without external pressure
You need executive functions to use executive function tools. It’s circular.
Why AI Is Different
AI doesn’t demand you have your shit together first. It meets you where you are:
- Messy voice memos at 2 AM? It transcribes and organizes.
- Scattered browser tabs? It synthesizes main points.
- Half-formed thoughts? It asks clarifying questions.
The core principle: You’re not trying to “fix” your ADHD brain. You’re giving it the external working memory it never had—something that holds the pieces while you build.
Traditional approach: “Remember to write down your ideas, then organize them, then schedule time to work on them, then follow through.”
AI approach: Dump everything in voice memos. Next morning, ask AI: “Summarize these in my voice, give 3 possible directions, and write the first paragraph of the easiest one.”
One removes friction. The other adds it.
Capturing Ideas Before They Evaporate
Late at night, your mind races. Ideas flood in. Everything feels clear. You think, “I’ll remember this tomorrow—it’s too good to forget.”
Morning comes: blank. Maybe fragments, but the clarity is gone.
Why this happens: ADHD working memory + fatigue + sleep = ideas don’t transfer to long-term storage. Your brain generated them, but there’s no biological record by morning.
The solution: Capture everything, sort later.
Technique 1: Voice Memo → AI Processing
When ideas hit and you’re too tired to write:
- Open voice memo app (phone/watch/whatever’s closest)
- Word-vomit everything—don’t filter, don’t organize
- Stop recording when you’re empty
Next morning, feed the audio file (or transcription) to AI with this prompt:
Summarize last night's memo in my voice. Give 3 possible H2s,
a 6-bullet micro-outline for each, and write only the first
paragraph of the most actionable idea.For some more ideas on utilizing voice memos check on my other article about using voice memos
Why this works:
- In your voice (not generic AI prose)
- 3 options (choice without paralysis)
- Micro-outlines (structure without commitment)
- First paragraph only (momentum starter, not full draft pressure)
You wake up with a starting point, not a blank page.
Real example: Someone recently captured a voice memo about how “AI tools are actually terrible for ADHD people because they all assume you remember to use them, and that’s the problem… the tool requires executive function to use the executive function tool, it’s circular.”
Next morning, AI turned that rambling into three article concepts with outlines. One became a publishable draft within hours.
Technique 2: The Rolling Creative Log
Create a single document: creative-log-YYYY-MM-DD.md (or whatever naming works for you)
When ideas hit, dump:
- Date/time
- Raw idea (no editing)
- Context (what triggered it—video, conversation, shower thought)
- Energy level (1-10, so you know what excites you)
Prompt to use weekly:
Scan my creative log from the past 7 days. Surface the 3 ideas
with highest energy ratings that I haven't acted on yet. For each,
give a 5-step action path to publish something in under 2 hours.This prevents good ideas from drowning in the backlog.
Technique 3: The “Morning Fog” Recovery Prompt
Even if you didn’t capture well the night before, you can often recover fragments:
I had clear thoughts last night about [vague topic]. All I remember
this morning is [fragments]. Ask me 5 questions that will help me
reconstruct what I was thinking. Ask one question at a time.AI becomes the therapist who helps you remember through prompting, not pressure.
Bonus: Sensory anchors
Some people find brown noise or specific soundscapes help calm the mind enough to capture ideas without racing thoughts interfering. Experiment with:
- Brown noise (some describe it as “falling asleep in a moving truck”)
- Focus@Will or Brain.fm
- Consistent environment (same chair, same lighting)
The goal: calm the pattern-seeking overactivity enough to capture clearly.
Key principle: Perfect capture doesn’t exist. AI’s job is to turn messy 40% capture into usable 80% starting points.
The Staged Delivery Method (Prevent Overwhelm Before It Starts)
The ADHD Project Death Spiral:
- Excited about project
- See the full scope (it’s huge)
- Try to do everything at once
- Get overwhelmed
- Abandon it
- Feel shame
- Next project is harder to start
The solution: Break projects into phases with decision gates between them. Never write until you’ve researched. Never publish until you’ve reviewed. Each phase has a STOP point.
Real Example: Monthly Article Maintenance
Let’s say you need to maintain an article that requires constant updating—like comparing AI tool pricing across 5 platforms (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Perplexity). This updates monthly. It’s 6,000-8,000 words. It requires research, verification, comparison, and rewriting.
For an ADHD brain, this should be impossible. Too many moving parts.
Here’s how staged delivery makes it doable:
Phase 1: Research Only (No Writing Yet)
On the 1st of each month, trigger your AI assistant:
Search official sources for changes in [platforms]. Flag:
- New model releases
- Pricing changes
- Usage limit modifications
- New features (production-ready only)
Output: Research summary with verified changes (✅) and
unverified reports (⚠️). Organize by platform.STOP. Review the research. Approve or adjust. Don’t move forward until this is solid.
Phase 2: Comparison (Still No Writing)
Fetch my current article from [URL]. Compare to research findings.
Show side-by-side:
- Current text
- Proposed updates
- Reason for change
- Source URL
Format as table for easy scanning.STOP. Review comparisons. Approve changes. Adjust where needed.
Phase 3: Draft Sections
Only after Phase 2 approval:
Provide ready-to-paste sections:
- Updated markdown for changed sections
- Updated HTML table (use my brand colors: teal #33D6DA, navy #403F63)
- "What's Changed This Month" summary
- Change documentation with sourcesSTOP. Review drafts. Approve or request revisions.
Phase 4: Complete Rewrite
Only after Phase 3 approval:
Generate full updated article (6,000-8,000 words) maintaining
my voice and structure. Include all approved changes from Phase 3.
Quality checklist before delivery:
- All prices verified
- No internal contradictions
- "Last Updated" shows current month
- No AI-tell phrasesWhy This Works for ADHD:
- No wasted effort – You don’t write until research is verified
- Decision gates – Each STOP prevents overwhelm and allows course correction
- Bite-sized chunks – Research ≠ writing ≠ formatting (one cognitive load at a time)
- External working memory – AI holds all details across phases
- Repeatable ritual – Same process each time (reduces decision fatigue)
Without staged delivery:
- Research all platforms at once
- Get overwhelmed by conflicting info
- Try to write while still researching
- Abandon halfway
- Miss the deadline
- Eventually stop maintaining it
With staged delivery:
- Complete in 2-3 focused sessions
- Never feel overwhelmed
- Article stays current
- Repeatable monthly
Apply to Any Complex Project:
Blog post:
- Phase 1: Research topic
- Phase 2: Outline with sources
- Phase 3: Draft sections
- Phase 4: Polish
Video script:
- Phase 1: Brainstorm angles
- Phase 2: Pick one + shot list
- Phase 3: Script key moments
- Phase 4: Full script
Side project (like building a disc golf app):
- Phase 1: Define scope
- Phase 2: Break into milestones
- Phase 3: First milestone only
- Phase 4: Evaluate before continuing
Gates between each phase = overwhelm prevention.
Learning New Technical Skills Without Getting Stuck
Here’s where AI truly shines for ADHD brains: lowering the barrier to intimidating skills.
Maybe you want to learn app development, but you’re not “technically proficient.” The traditional path—courses, documentation, tutorials—requires sustained attention and sequential learning. ADHD brains struggle with both.
A better approach: Use AI to create a personalized learning system that matches how you actually absorb information.
The Perplexity → NotebookLM Learning Method
This workflow, demonstrated by productivity experts, transforms scattered online resources into structured learning materials:
Step 1: Gather Resources (Perplexity)
Ask Perplexity to find learning resources on your topic:
Find 20-30 high-quality resources for learning [skill]. Include:
- Beginner tutorials
- Documentation
- Video courses
- Real-world examples
Provide just the URLs in a list.Perplexity’s real-time search pulls current, relevant sources. You get a curated list in seconds, not hours of manual searching.
Step 2: Create Learning Materials (NotebookLM)
Feed those URLs into NotebookLM. It will:
- Generate a podcast-style audio overview (two AI hosts discussing key concepts)
- Create mind maps showing how concepts connect
- Build study guides with key points
- Enable Q&A so you can ask specific questions
Why this works for ADHD:
Novelty without new projects – Same topic, different formats (audio, visual, text). Your brain stays engaged.
Passive + active learning – Listen to the podcast while exercising, then actively engage with Q&A when focused.
No sequential requirement – Jump between concepts via mind map. ADHD brains love non-linear exploration.
External structure – NotebookLM organizes everything. You don’t have to.
Real Application
Someone is currently learning app development to build a disc golf statistics tracker—despite having no coding background and being intimidated by the technical barrier.
The approach: “Even if I make a shitty disc golf app, I’ll learn Claude Code, documentation writing, GitHub repositories. That knowledge applies everywhere.”
This is the “lapping everyone on the couch” philosophy: messy learning beats no learning. Adjacent skills compound over time.
The prompt that makes this work:
I want to learn [skill] but I'm intimidated by [specific barrier].
I learn best through [your style: video, hands-on, reading].
Give me a 5-day learning plan where each day is max 1 hour and
builds one tiny skill I can see work immediately.AI creates a low-friction path designed for your actual learning style, not an idealized student who doesn’t exist.
The Athlete’s Short Memory (Prevent Abandonment Spirals)
You abandon a project. Feel shame. That shame makes starting the next project harder. Soon you’re paralyzed by the pile of unfinished work.
The athlete solution: Elite athletes—Jordan, Brady, anyone at the top—have short memories for mistakes. Miss a shot at 7:32 in the third quarter? Forget it by 7:28. New possession.
ADHD brains need this same skill for abandoned projects.
The “New Possession” Reset
When you catch yourself doom-scrolling, tab-spiraling, or avoiding work, type this to your AI:
New possession. What's the next pass?AI replies with a single action, timestamped:
3:14 PM possession: Open your draft doc and write one sentence
about the problem you're solving. Just one sentence.You complete the possession. That’s a win. Brag to yourself later.
Why this works:
- No shame spirals – Every task is a new possession (the last one doesn’t matter)
- No perfectionism – You’re not trying to “finish”—just complete one more possession than yesterday
- Short feedback loops – Small wins build momentum faster than big goals
The Anti-Shame Mantra
Create a reset sentence. Here’s an example:
“I am someone who pauses, recalibrates, and moves forward, even if it’s not perfect.”
Put it where you’ll see it when you’re stuck. Above your prompt box. On a sticky note. In your phone’s lock screen.
When the spiral starts:
Remind me of my reset sentence, then give the tiniest next action.
No pep talk, just the action.Apply to anything:
- Abandoned article? New possession: write one H2.
- Stopped exercising? New possession: 5 pushups right now.
- Haven’t coded in weeks? New possession: open the file.
The previous possession doesn’t exist. Only this one matters.
Micro-Techniques That Remove Friction
These aren’t “systems.” They’re tools you grab when you need them—like a hunter’s kit.
The Digital Body Double
Some people work better with someone nearby—not helping, just present. The accountability of “someone will see me not working” provides motivation.
AI version:
Be my quiet body-double. Ask: "What's the very first 90-second
move?" Then wait.The AI doesn’t nag. It just nudges the first step, then shuts up.
The One-Draft Rule
Perfectionism kills sessions. If you polish the intro for 45 minutes, you never get to the body.
Your rule: One draft pass per section, max 12 minutes. If you exceed: force publish to private draft and move on.
AI enforcement:
Set timer: 12 minutes. When time's up, show me a blockquote
with the next section heading and nothing else.This forces forward momentum.
The De-Jargon Pass
ADHD brains write how they think—fast, scattered, sometimes overly complex. Readers need clarity.
After drafting, run:
Strip these phrases: "Moreover," "Indeed," "Needless to say,"
"In today's world." Shorter sentences. Keep the blunt, direct tone.This tightens without losing your voice.
The Explode → Triage → Park Method
When ideas flood faster than you can execute:
Step 1: Explode – Dump everything (voice memo, doc, wherever)
Step 2: Triage with AI:
Rank these ideas by: (1) energy level, (2) potential revenue,
(3) can I publish something in under 1 hour. Give top 3.Step 3: Park the rest:
Create 3 "parking lot" titles with slugs for the remaining ideas.
I'll revisit these later.No idea gets lost. No decision paralysis.
The Publishing Checklist
Dumb friction kills momentum. Cropping images to 16:9, writing alt text, choosing slugs—individually small, but they stack.
Create a reusable prompt:
Give me an 8-step publishing checklist for [your CMS], including:
- 16:9 image crop
- Alt text (under 125 chars)
- URL slug
- Internal links (3-5)
- Meta description
- Featured image filename
Use action verbs only. Keep it under 10 lines.Save this. Reuse it every time you publish.
The RPE-for-Writing Technique
Borrowed from fitness: Rate of Perceived Exertion.
Track your sessions:
- Target RPE: 7 (light draft)
- Observed RPE: 9 (it felt heavy)
- Miss Pattern: “tab-switching at intro”
Ask AI:
Diagnose this miss pattern and prescribe one constraint for
the next session that will reduce friction.You get actionable adjustments, not vague advice.
What to Actually Use
Primary LLMs:
- Claude – Best for Projects feature (persistent context), custom skills for recurring tasks
- ChatGPT – Voice input on mobile (great for 2 AM captures), quick brainstorming
- Perplexity – Research verification, gathering learning resources
Supporting Tools:
- NotebookLM – Turn research into podcasts/study materials, scratch novelty itch without new projects
- Otter.ai or MacWhisper – Voice memo transcription
- Grammarly – Clarity and tightening (but don’t let it kill your voice)
Tool Selection Principle
The “best” tool is the one you’ll actually use when your brain is racing at 2 AM.
Don’t overthink it. Pick one LLM. Learn its voice input feature. Save 3-5 reusable prompts. That’s your kit.
When Tools Clash
If a tool fights your workflow, drop it. ADHD-friendly stack = opinionated defaults that match your instincts.
Example: Someone tried Claude Code for article generation, but it ignored their carefully built skills. Solution: Use Claude Code for app ideas, Claude Web for writing. Match tool to task.
You Don’t Need a Better System—You Need to Catch Your Brilliance
ADHD brains generate ideas constantly. The problem isn’t creativity—it’s that working memory is a leaky bucket.
AI doesn’t make you more creative. It doesn’t “cure” ADHD. It catches your ideas before they evaporate, holds the details while you build, and removes friction at every step.
The real shift: Stop trying to be someone who “follows through naturally.” Start being someone who captures chaos and ships anyway.
Next step: Pick ONE technique from this article:
- Voice memo → AI summary prompt
- Staged delivery for your current stuck project
- “New possession” reset when you’re spiraling
- Perplexity → NotebookLM learning method
Try it once. See what happens.
You don’t need to implement everything. You’re a hunter, not a farmer.
New possession starts now.