Productivity, But Make It Human: Why ADHD Isn’t a Discipline Issue
If you’ve ever lived inside an ADHD brain (hi, welcome, the snacks are in the chaos drawer), you already know this: productivity isn’t as straightforward as people think it is. To the outside world, ADHD often gets flattened into a specific narrative: “You struggle with discipline. You can’t stick to routines. You need more effort. You need to check the boxes better.” (Although, to give credit where due, I DO think we’re making a lot more progress on widening the narrative on ADHD…yet, there’s a lot more work to be done).
And sure, sometimes the boxes matter. Deadlines matter. Sometimes we genuinely do need systems, planning tools, timers, and the whole organizational starter pack. The one people miss when they’ve never had to fight with their own executive function — is that productivity isn’t just a mechanical problem. It’s a human one.
ADHD productivity lives at the intersection of:
your energy (which is not constant)
your time awareness (which is… interpretive at best)
your emotional bandwidth (majorly underrated and critical to the equation)
your context (environment, demands, pressure, supports)
When those pieces don’t line up neatly, which they often don’t, we jump to judging our productivity on the number of boxes checked versus progress made. When we allow ourselves to view productivity through a deeper and broader lens, the conversation shifts from “What did I get done?” to “What do I feel capable of doing right now?”
That’s not you being lazy or undisciplined. That’s you being a person with a nervous system, a brain that doesn’t operate in straight lines, and internal signals that matter more than a checklist ever could. This is why I always come back to the same grounding question:
What’s one thing you could do today that would make you feel productive?
Not “What should I do?”
Not “What would other people expect me to do?”
Not “What task is the most impressive on paper?”
Try: What would help you feel aligned, supported, or slightly more in motion?
Because here’s the secret sauce: When you strengthen your sense of productivity, the practical side often follows. Momentum grows from feeling capable — not from white-knuckling through a list you resent.
And you get to define what being productive looks like. No one else gets to do that for you.
If your “productive thing” today is clearing your inbox, great.
If it’s drinking water and answering one email, also great.
If it’s finally switching your laundry… boom.
Your productivity is not a performance or your worth. It’s a relationship with your brain, your body, and your capacity.
So let me ask you the same thing I ask my clients:
What’s one thing you can do today to feel productive — in a way that works for your brain?
You get to write your own definition. Everyone else can stay in their lane.
