Why Can’t I Just Start?  - You probably have found yourself thinking this a lot. 

ADHD creates a gap between intention and action due to executive function struggles. It's not laziness—your brain just needs different tools to cross that “bridge” to doing


Why Can’t I Just Start?: Turning Planning into Action

AFEEMA

Bridging the Gap: Turning Planning into Action

ADHD brains are wired for interest, not importance, meaning traditional motivation methods often fall short. 

To unlock focus, it's essential to understand what truly drives you. In this chapter, you'll discover the five Cs—key motivators that can harness the power of your interest-based brain, helping you fill in the missing planks to build a solid bridge and overcome procrastination.

What Drives ADHD Brains? Understanding Motivation

The 5Cs 

Long to-do lists can overwhelm ADHD brains. This chapter teaches you to break tasks into smaller, actionable steps to reduce anxiety and increase momentum.


Breaking Down Your workload To-Do List: Turning Tasks into Actionable Steps

Ladder to completing your to-dos

ADHD brains often struggle with time blindness and planning. This chapter introduces practical ADHD-friendly planning tools that can help manage time more realistically - like visual planners, timers, and task apps—to help structure your day, reduce overwhelm, anxiety and support executive function & to increase motivation to complete your task.






ADHD-Friendly Scheduling & Task Management Apps OR Tools 

ADHD-Friendly Scheduling & Task Management Apps or Tools 

ADHD-Friendly Scheduling & Task Management Apps & Tools

Instead of overloading your day, learn to plan around your natural focus rhythms. Time-based goals (not outcome-based) improve productivity and reduce burnout. This chapter also explores various timer methods, so that you can decide which would work best for you. 

How to schedule your day?

Timer Apps / Tools with Links & Examples

Mastering time management: How to schedule your day

ADHD perfectionism can stop you from starting (front-end) or finishing (back-end) tasks. You’ve probably found yourself thinking “Why can’t I just start?” a lot. In this chapter, you’ll learn how perfectionism shows up in your tasks and the different types of perfectionism. Understanding these patterns helps you break free from procrastination and self-doubt.

Is trying to be ‘perfect’ affecting your focus & preventing you from starting and finishing tasks?

Short Videos - linked to Perfectionism and how it may manifest in your daily life

Perfectionism vs. Focus: How Striving for Perfection Sabotages Your Productivity

Switching tasks is hard with ADHD. After a break, it can feel almost impossible to get back into work, and lunch can sometimes signal the end of the day. Creating intentional transitions—like mini breaks or movement—can help reset your focus and reduce emotional buildup.

The Power of Transitions

Short Video to watch 

The Power of Transitions: Why They Matter for ADHD Focus

Your environment, mood, and task type all impact focus. Changing your setting, personalising your workspace, and tweaking tasks can boost activation, motivation and momentum.

Situational Variability

Maximising Focus with the Situational Variability Model

Immediate rewards boost motivation for ADHD brains, but often, ADHD'ers just move on without acknowledging our progress. Celebrating small wins is crucial as it reinforces what’s been accomplished and keeps you engaged, helping maintain momentum.

Why Rewards Are Crucial for ADHD Productivity?

Why Rewards Are Crucial for ADHD Productivity

Distractions derail ADHD focus. You can get trapped in the scrolling spiral for hours!
Using apps and tools to block interruptions and support structure can help you stay on track with your goals, increasing focus and work productivity.

ADHD Focus Apps That Really Work

Focus Apps or Tools for better Focus & Writing

Essential free tools or apps for better focus & productivity

ADHD isn’t about being “lazy” or “careless.” It’s about living with a brain that works differently—and learning how to work with it instead of against it.This guide is your first step to doing exactly that.&nbsp;Most productivity advice is written for neurotypical brains. That’s why the usual “just use a tracker” or “try harder” tips don’t work for us. ADHD brains aren’t motivated by importance—they’re driven by interest, urgency, novelty, and accountability.When you try to follow one-size-fits-all advice, you end up stuck in a cycle: drowning in your to-do list, paralysed by what to do first, and furious with yourself for “not just getting it together.” You’re not lazy—you’ve just been using the wrong strategies.This workbook isn’t about giving you another system that sets you up to fail. It’s about showing you how to leverage your ADHD brain so you can finally follow through, feel in control, and even thrive.&nbsp;<h5 id="97e9663f-3788-4f9e-a416-d8f2b1ef668e" data-toc-id="97e9663f-3788-4f9e-a416-d8f2b1ef668e" style="text-align: center;">Why This Guide is Different…</h5>This isn’t just written by an ADHD’er sharing what worked for them. It’s built from years of coaching ADHD’ers with all kinds of brains—hyperactive, inattentive, or AuDHD—so the strategies are adaptable, not cookie-cutter.Because here’s the truth: Even though we share a diagnosis, no two ADHD brains are the same. What works for me may not work for you—and that’s okay. This guide gives you a toolbox of options, so you can pick what actually fits your brain.This is the guide I wish I’d had 10 years ago. It would have changed my experience at school, university, and work—and it has already changed the lives of my clients, who now finally feel like they’re making progress that lasts.💬 “It gives me real strategies I can use, written in short, easy-to-understand ways so I can implement straight away—I don’t just read it and think ‘I’ll do that one day.’” (Hannah Jacobs)💬 “It’s given me free soft-wares and apps I can use, which has made my job so much easier. I’m more productive at work, my manager has noticed, and I’ve even been asked to run a talk to help other neurodivergent colleagues—because the change has been that impactful.” (Anna Cox)&nbsp;What This Guide Doesn’t Include:❌ Habit trackers that overwhelm you ❌ Productivity tools that don’t actually help ADHD brains ❌ Paid apps or subscriptions ❌ Supplement sponsorships ❌ “Reset guides” that just recycle the same tired adviceWhy? Because none of those things solve the root problem. In fact, they keep you stuck—feeling like you’re failing instead of learning how to work with your brain.This guide cuts through the noise and gives you strategies that actually stick.<hr><h5 id="7943e721-da8d-4335-a9cd-3163261a3d8f" data-toc-id="7943e721-da8d-4335-a9cd-3163261a3d8f" style="text-align: center;">This is for you if…</h5>✨ You want ADHD-friendly tools that actually work in real life—not just another list of hacks. ✨ You’re tired of the mental noise and constant overwhelm and want calm, focused energy instead. ✨ You’re ready to celebrate small wins that add up to big change. ✨ You want steps that feel doable, not another system that makes you feel like you’re failing. ✨ You’re done with guilt, shame, and self-sabotage—you’re ready for strategies that finally stick.<h5 id="4dd95b8f-e271-4c2c-91c0-86f264b6ee64" data-toc-id="4dd95b8f-e271-4c2c-91c0-86f264b6ee64">Imagine being able to:</h5>✅ Start tasks without spiraling into procrastination.✅ Why ADHD brains struggle to “just start” (and how to bridge that gap) ✅ Unlock your unique motivation style—so you stop waiting to “feel ready.” ✅ Break down overwhelming lists into small, doable steps. ✅ Manage time blindness so hours stop slipping away. ✅ Work with your natural energy rhythms instead of burning out. ✅ Tools that actually help ADHD focus (without endless trackers or paid apps)This isn’t about forcing yourself into “productivity hacks” that never worked for you.👉 It’s about finally learning how to work with your ADHD brain—so focus feels possible, progress feels sustainable, and productivity feels like something you can actually enjoy&nbsp;&nbsp;

This workbook helps you bridge the gap between intention and action using practical tools that actually work! It reframes focus struggles as brain-based, offering strategies to boost motivation and productivity.

Mastering Focus: A productivity guide for ADHD minds.

Ellie Bullock

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