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12 Unhinged ADHD Hacks That ACTUALLY Work (don't judge til you try)

Does your brain feel like 7 highly caffeinated squirrels are barrelling around up there? Does this cause overwhelm, anxiety and procrastination? Do you feel like you can't start basic chores? Here are 12 unhinged ADHD hacks that ACTUALLY work! Chapters: 02:10 Pinch your thoughts 04:17 Start with ‘No’ 07:26 The dopamine menu 10:34 Leave laptop charger at home 13:06 The task finisher hack 14:23 ‘To do list’ VS backlog 16:40 Slower mornings, not earlier mornings 20:07 Tiimo advert 21:24 Just one dish 23:54 Scary hour 25:32 RSD bracelet 30:43 Blink for one minute 31:39 Check your tribe Get 30% off an annual Tiimo subscription 👉 https://www.tiimoapp.com/offers/adhdchatter Pre-order Alex’s latest book about Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria 👉 https://linktr.ee/adhdchatter?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=9ffd8709-06df-444c-9936-c136fbd14d6e Buy Alex's book entitled 'Now It All Makes Sense' 👉 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Now-All-Makes-Sense-Diagnosis/dp/1399817817 Producer: Timon Woodward Recorded by: Hamlin Studios Trailer Editor: Ryan Faber DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Alex Partridgehost
Jan 26, 202639mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Twelve unconventional ADHD hacks to boost focus, motivation, and confidence

  1. The hosts present 12 low-cost ADHD “hacks” aimed at reducing procrastination, overwhelm, and time-blindness through simple constraints and micro-starts.
  2. Several tools focus on dopamine management—building healthy stimulation intentionally (dopamine menu, slower mornings) instead of defaulting to doomscrolling and avoidance.
  3. Boundary-setting is framed as a core productivity skill, with “start with no” positioned as the most impactful habit for preventing overcommitment and burnout.
  4. The episode emphasizes breaking tasks down (one dish, three-item to-do list) and using short deadlines (song timer, laptop battery) to trigger action and focus.
  5. Emotional regulation and environment are addressed through RSD coping cues (bracelet/positives list) and auditing your social circle to protect self-belief.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Train attention like a muscle with “pinch your thoughts.”

Choose a nearby object and deliberately notice its details to crowd out distractions; repeated practice builds the skill of directing focus on demand.

Prevent overcommitment by making “no” your default response.

Saying yes creates downstream stress (double-booking, shame, ghosting); starting from no preserves energy and you can always convert to yes later if it truly fits.

Use a dopamine menu to replace reflexive doomscrolling with intentional joy.

List quick “starters,” longer “mains,” background “sides” for boring tasks, and limited “desserts” to guide healthier stimulation when you feel stuck or under-stimulated.

Create real urgency with constraints like leaving your laptop charger at home.

A shrinking battery becomes a concrete deadline that boosts adrenaline and hyperfocus—especially useful when working outside the house with minimal accountability.

Turn small chores into a sprint by timing them to one favorite song.

A 3–4 minute “race” reduces the initiation barrier, adds fun, and often carries you past the procrastination hump into finishing the task.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

You should only ever have three things on your to-do list, no more than three.

— Alex Partridge

People with ADHD don’t need to get up earlier… You need to wake up slower.

— Alex Partridge

Today’s favor is tomorrow’s job.

— Alex Partridge

People sniff out a people pleaser… in the same way [as] manure.

— Alex Partridge

We become a product of the people and the environment that we put ourselves in.

— Alex Partridge

Attention training via object focus (“pinch your thoughts”)Defaulting to “no” and boundary practiceDopamine menu (starters/mains/sides/desserts)Artificial deadlines (no charger, one-song sprint)To-do list vs backlog (max three items)Slower dopamine-stacking morningsScary hour for avoidance tasksRSD self-soothing cues (bracelet/positives list)Sleep hack: blinking fast for one minuteAuditing relationships (“check your tribe”)

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