ADHD Solutions

A weekly newsletter where I break down ADHD scenarios and show you practical ways to manage them.

Prefer listening? Here’s a short audio version of this week’s newsletter:

You know exactly what needs to be done.
But you still can’t start.

This is one of the most frustrating parts of ADHD. It is often labelled as procrastination, laziness, or lack of motivation.

In reality, it’s something very different.

In ADHD, this is called executive dysfunction. Difficulty with starting, prioritising, and following through even when something really matters.

Let’s look at what this can actually look like in real life and how to approach it.

Case Study: JD

JD is 34, works full-time, has two children, and was diagnosed with ADHD last year.

She has been meaning to complete an important work presentation for over a week.

Every evening she tells herself she’ll do it after dinner.

But instead, she puts her kids to bed then she scrolls on her phone, tidies the kitchen and replies to messages

The more she delays it, the more guilty and overwhelmed she feels.

It’s now Thursday night.

The presentation is due tomorrow.

She’s in tears, asking herself:

“Why can’t I just do it?”

What’s really happening?

This isn’t laziness.

This is executive dysfunction. The brain is struggling to:

• organise where to start
• prioritise what matters
• initiate action

The 4-Step Approach I Use with Patients

1. Identify the real barrier

Ask:

• Is the task boring?
• Am I afraid of getting it wrong?

Often, the problem isn’t the task, it’s the barrier underneath it.

JD realises:

• the presentation feels too big
• she doesn’t know where to start
• she’s worried it won’t be good enough

So instead of “do the presentation,” she needs to switch to:

• Open laptop
• Open PowerPoint
• Write title slide
• Add three bullet points
• Find one image
• Draft first section

Suddenly, the task feels manageable.

2. Create external structure

ADHD brains don’t always generate structure internally so we have to bring it in from the outside.

This can look like:

• checklists
• timers
• visual task boards
• body doubling

JD writes out each step on paper so she can see what needs to be done.

She also asks a friend to sit on a video call while they both work.

3. Start before motivation arrives

Waiting to feel motivated is where many people get stuck.

In ADHD, motivation often comes after starting not before.

So the goal is simple:

• commit to one small action
• or just 2–5 minutes

JD sets a 20-minute timer and begins.

Once she starts, it becomes easier to keep going.

4. Reward progress, not perfection

ADHD often comes with high levels of self-criticism.

People focus on what they didn’t do.

Instead, we shift the focus:

• recognise what was done
• celebrate starting

JD doesn’t finish the entire presentation.

But she completes:

• the title slide
• key discussion points

Instead of criticising herself, she acknowledges:

Starting was the hardest part and she did it.

If you live with ADHD, the problem is rarely effort.

It’s the way the task is structured.

Make it smaller.
Make it clearer.
Make it easier to start.

Because once you begin, momentum can take over.

If this felt familiar, you’re not alone. Comment ‘START’ and I will send you the 4 step approach.

Got a situation you’re struggling with?
Send it my way. I may break it down in a future edition.