How to Get Sh*t Done with ADHD (even without meds)

If you got ADHD, you already know that mainstream advice like "just try harder" is pretty much useless. Honestly, not everyone understands what it's like. Maybe you don't have meds, or your family doesn't even believe in ADHD and just thinks you are lazy. But that doesn't mean you're out of options. So in this video, I'm going to share five practical ADHD hacks to beat procrastination without meds. And if you don't give these tips a try, you might keep blaming yourself, doubting your abilities, and stay stuck in that endless cycle. But if you do, you could gain a little bit more control and feel just a bit more confident in managing your ADHD.

Managing ADHD without meds isn't easy, but over the years I developed a framework to help me stop procrastinating, and I call it the Focus Framework. Each letter stands for a hack, and the first letter, F, is all about finding your priorities. Trust me, this one is huge. I remember when I had so many important things to get done, like tax documents, residency paperwork, and other deadlines that had real consequences. You know, like most people say, that ADHD brains work well under pressure. Deadlines push us to get things done. But for me, it kind of like reached a point where even the deadlines couldn't get me moving. I was literally stuck in that cycle.

I would stare at my to-do list and feel so overwhelmed that I couldn't even lift my finger. I would end up doing random stuff or even take a nap because I thought sleeping is better than facing the reality. Then I would beat myself up over it, like, why couldn't I just do the thing? You know, just get up and do the thing? It got to a point where it was so bad that stress wasn't in just my head anymore; it started affecting my health. Honestly, it just made me hate myself a little more every single day. It's like walking into a restaurant where the menu has 20 pages and is full of options. You start to overthink what you're in the mood for, what you had for dinner last week, or what's the healthiest option, etc. Your mind kinda starts to overthink, and before you know it, the waiters come back three times, and you're still stuck trying to decide between tacos or pasta.

That's called decision paralysis, and it's the same thing that happens with our tasks. Without a clear way to prioritize, you end up feeling stuck and doing literally nothing. It's kind of like our brain freezes because there's too much going on. Neurotypicals can usually look at a task and think, "I'll start with the most important one." But for us, all the tasks scream for our attention like it's a little kid, and it's impossible to decide which one is the most important. Instead, we just avoid the whole mess, and that avoidance hits our self-esteem. It makes us feel like we're not enough and we can never get our act together.

I can't remember the last time I felt truly relaxed. There's always that guilty voice in my head reminding me of something I should be doing but I'm totally avoiding. Now let's get into the science behind why prioritizing is so much harder for us. It's not because we're lazy; it's about how our brains are wired. People with ADHD have a tougher time with executive function, which is the part of the brain that helps us to plan, organize, and prioritize. But it often does its own thing, you know? Let me break it down with an example.

Imagine you're planning a birthday party. Okay? Someone without ADHD might naturally think, "Okay, I'll pick a date, make a guest list, choose a venue, and so on," right? It's pretty easy and straightforward. But for someone with ADHD, it's more like: Should I have a theme? What kind of cake should I get? What if no one shows up? Should there be games? And wait, do I even want this? All these thoughts basically hit at once, and they feel equally urgent. So what do we do? We procrastinate, ignoring it until the last minute and then panicking, stressing out, and eventually burning out.

Another important difference between people with ADHD and neurotypicals is that we have differences in dopamine regulation. Dopamine is basically that reward signal in our brains. It's what makes us feel good when we finish something or when a task is interesting. But with ADHD, our brains don't get that dopamine boost as easily, especially when we're doing something boring or repetitive. That's why motivation can feel almost impossible sometimes, you know? You try everything; you basically give it your all, but it still feels impossible because our dopamine system regulates a little differently than neurotypicals.

You've probably heard people say, "Starting is the hardest part; just start, it will get easier." But honestly, that's not how it works for people with ADHD—that's something that I've realized. If a task doesn't give us that dopamine kick, starting doesn't magically make it more satisfying. You know, I could start the same task 100 times, and if it's boring, I'll quit 100 times too. It's not like if I sit down I'm magically able to do that thing. No, it doesn't work like that. Like back in high school, I would try the whole "just start" thing with studying, but it never worked. I would end up sitting in front of my desk, literally crying over my textbook, and I mean literally crying.

And even when I managed to start, it didn't get easier; my brain wasn't getting any rewards from reading those boring chapters. Every single minute felt like torture, and I was literally crying while studying. So why should you know this? Knowing this difference is actually huge because it means that if you struggled with prioritization or sticking with a task, it's not because you’re lazy or not trying hard enough. It's because your brain needs a different approach. I'm not saying that just because you have ADHD, you're not going to be able to do these things, so don't blame yourself. No, it just means that you're going to have a different approach towards it.

We all need to get things done, so that's why having a solid prioritization system matters because it will give you a roadmap when your brain can't naturally create one. It’s going to make it easier for you to know where to focus your energy. I had enough with this problem of prioritization, so I decided to create my own prioritization guide to stop my life from falling apart just because I couldn't figure out what to do first. What makes this guide unique and different from others is that it actually considers what matters for ADHD brains, like your motivation levels, energy, task duration, deadlines, and even how fun a task is.

Right now, I'm offering it for free to early users. Why? Because I want your feedback to make it better before I launch a paid version later. So if you watch this video and if you're interested in it, there's a link in the description below. Here’s what you will get: A simple template that takes the guesswork out of prioritization and also a system that automatically sorts your tasks based on what really matters. You know, when you have ADHD. Another thing is that your feedback will allow me to change and shape the prioritization guide, so you will be one of those—kind of like an early founder, I would say.

I made this for myself first, but I know how much it sucks to feel stuck. So if you're tired of that struggle and if you're interested, there's a free version now that's in the description below. I would appreciate it if you could give me feedback because we can improve it together and update it whenever I'm going to launch the paid version.

Now you've got your priorities sorted, but let's be honest: knowing what to focus on is just half of the battle. Actually, the real challenge is staying focused long enough to actually get things done, especially when distractions are literally everywhere. So let's move on to the next letter in the Focus Framework. The letter O, which is all about optimizing your environment. No matter how clear your priorities are, if your environment is full of distractions, you're still going to find yourself chasing the dopamine rabbit down Instagram's endless scroll hole.

And this is where I also struggled—especially with taking breaks because I love the idea of the Pomodoro method, like taking breaks before you're exhausted so you can keep your energy up. But you know, let’s be real: how many times have you told yourself you’re just going to take a 5-minute break, and then you take like an hour and a half break while finding yourself scrolling on Instagram? For me, those quick breaks were kind of like a myth because I would just lay down, close my eyes for a second, and suddenly find myself watching cat videos on Instagram.

It's not that I don't want to get back to work; it's that Instagram is like a little dopamine slot machine. The more you scroll, the more dopamine you get, and I get addicted to it. I spend hours and hours on it. The problem with those apps is that they're designed to be stimulating, you know? Instagram is all about short-form, high-reward content that’s easy to consume but doesn't leave you fulfilled. My fingers would just scroll those reels without me even realizing it, almost like an autopilot.

So I basically had enough with this mindless scrolling and decided to delete all the apps from my phone. But since I'm a content creator, quitting Instagram completely wasn't really an option. I need to stay connected, reply to my DMs, post stuff, and keep up with what other creators are doing. Because believe it or not, I think there are some benefits to scrolling through other people's progress. For example, when I see gym girls killing it on Instagram, I think maybe I should hit the gym too. It’s like a little reminder for myself.

But we all know that willpower is in a fair fight against billion-dollar tech companies. They have teams of psychologists trying to figure out how to keep us hooked. So, I tried using Instagram only through a web browser. If you've ever tried that, you know it’s so glitchy, so slow, and so annoying. It makes it so hard to reply to DMs, and it was so bad that it kind of took away the benefits too.

I tried to find a middle ground. In my opinion, that's downloading Instagram only when I need it, and then deleting it again when I'm done. It might sound like a hassle, but that’s exactly the point. Because these extra steps are just annoying enough to make me rethink before redownloading it every single day. I only let myself redownload it when I’m at the gym, in the bathroom, or waiting for the bus, which keeps me from mindlessly opening it during work time and getting sucked in.

I also try not to scroll on Instagram when I'm laying in bed. I do the same thing with YouTube. If I watch it on my phone, I just end up getting lost in the shorts feed, and I don't like that. So I try to watch my YouTube only on my iPad or on my computer. If I'm watching it on my phone, I try to do it at the gym because bigger screens somehow make me more intentional about what I watch. I don’t watch YouTube shorts on bigger screens.

The point is, it's not about forcing yourself to have more self-control; it's about making it harder for your brain to find those quick dopamine hits in the first place. When you don't have those apps right away at your fingertips, you don't have to fight that urge as much. It's just annoying enough to redownload and delete it again. Honestly, once I kind of remove those distractions, I had less to do on my phone, and getting things done became way easier.

I also noticed I wasn't feeling as mentally fried all the time. For people with ADHD, limiting information overload is quite important because our brains are wired to chase stimulation. We love dopamine, so we need to be more strategic about what we let in. Now that you've cut out those distractions, you might think focus is guaranteed, right? Well, not really.

Because even with a distraction-free environment, if your mind is racing, it's still tough to concentrate. I will share how you can calm your mind and find that focus without relying on ADHD medication. It all starts with a simple but powerful combination that made a huge difference for me. Let's dive in. The third letter in our Focus Framework, C, is all about calming your mind.

When we think about focus, especially with ADHD, it's easy to picture those intense bursts of productivity where you suddenly clean your entire house at 2 a.m. or write 3,000 words of that project you've been putting off for weeks. I mean, at least that's something that I do. But in reality, real focus is more like a calm, steady burn—a kind of mindset of shodō, which is a form of calligraphy in Japan.

In Japan, like shodō, the calligraphy style is more than just writing beautifully. It's a sort of form of meditation. Calligraphers, or shokas—you know those people interested in it—are completely absorbed in each brushstroke, and they maintain a quiet, deep concentration. They work with a sense of calm intensity, and their minds are still but fully focused. It's not about forcing or rushing the process; it's about being present in that moment and letting each stroke flow naturally.

I bring this up because when we ADHD folks focus, we don’t just focus; we hyperfocus. It's kind of like focus, but we’re on steroids. And when it happens, we go all in. We forget to eat, sleep, and even blink. But the downside is that the harder we go, the harder we crash. It's kind of like watching an entire season of your favorite show only to realize it's 5 a.m. and now you have to work in 3 hours. It's not fun, right?

It's kind of like the homeostasis that happens in our bodies. It's like, "You’ve gone too far; time to shut down a little bit." It's our way to balance everything in our bodies. So if you feel like you're in hyperfocus for a long time, then it takes what I call a cool-down phase where you do nothing but sleep. That's where I use green tea, especially paired with L-theanine.

Now, I know coffee is usually the go-to for getting stuff done, but it has its issues, especially for ADHD brains. Yes, caffeine gives you that temporary boost, but it's like borrowing energy from your future self. And you know how that goes—kind of like your future self is not already happy about it. Caffeine boosts adrenaline, which can help you focus by increasing dopamine and norepinephrine, but then the crash comes. It's a little jittery and anxious, right? You probably know that feeling.

That is a problem when you're trying to stay productive without feeling like you need a nap in 45 minutes. Now, green tea combined with L-theanine is a different story. I realized that green tea provides a more balanced energy boost without the jitters. Yes, green tea also has caffeine in it, but it has smaller doses and is balanced out by L-theanine, which is an amino acid that promotes alpha brain waves—the same ones that make you feel like you just finished a relaxing meditation session.

So almost like caffeine works like a roller coaster, it goes up, up, up, and then it goes down. But with L-theanine, it basically smooths things out, and it creates what a lot of people call "calm alertness," where you're focused but not anxious. Instead of going up and crashing down, it's sort of like a gentle curve in energy levels. Basically, it’s where you have the energy to get things done without activating the fight or flight mode. You know you can stay in that steady zone like a calligrapher—the shoka that I mentioned. You’re going to have more of a calm focus instead of going up and down.

You just need to remember that this is my personal experience, and I’m not a doctor. So if you’re thinking about trying an L-theanine supplement and drinking it with green tea, try at your own risk, okay? Start slow, see how your body reacts, and definitely consult a healthcare professional if you're not sure. I’m not going to take responsibility.

So we discussed finding calm through L-theanine and green tea, but managing ADHD isn't just about calming down; it's also about finding the right tools to stay on track. A proper digital setup can be crucial for maintaining productivity and organization. When it comes to managing ADHD, finding the right tools can make a world of difference, especially when you're trying to stay organized without feeling overwhelmed. Honestly, I love trying new apps—it's really my ADHD thing. Recently, I came across Exel Styles, and I think it might be just what some of you are looking for.

It's kind of like a digital bullet journal. It's simple, flexible, and really super easy to use. So if you're someone who doesn't want to spend hours figuring out how an app works, I feel like Exel Styles is really the app you're looking for. One thing I like about Exel Styles is how visually appealing and customizable it is. You can drag and drop elements, create your own pages, and design a space that feels right for you, if that makes sense.

It's also perfect if you’re someone who likes their workspace to look good and feel intuitive because sometimes I feel like a little bit of that aesthetic boost makes things more fun to use and makes you use it more often. If you're balancing multiple projects or just trying to get your life together in one place, Exel Styles can help with that too. Instead of jumping between five different apps, you can create a custom workspace for everything.

And if you need a more advanced system, you can use the various unique features such as databases, relations, integrations, and task panels. Who is this app for? I think I would recommend it to anyone who likes a visual-first approach to planning and also to creators who want their ideas to flow freely and anyone who is tired of those rigid, old-fashioned productivity apps. If that sounds like it might fit your needs, check out the link in the description below. Give it a try and let me know what you think. Thank you, Exel Styles, for sponsoring this portion of the video.

But even with the best digital tools, sometimes it's not enough to keep you from procrastinating, especially when you're working alone. This is where the next letter of the Focus Framework comes in. The letter U stands for Utilize Accountability. Am I not a genius? One of the best ways I found to stay on track is through a technique called body doubling. I'm not sure whether you have heard this before, but basically, what body doubling means is that it’s working alongside another person, even if they're not directly involved in whatever you're doing.

For people with ADHD, this actually makes a huge difference. Scientifically speaking, ADHD brains tend to struggle with self-directed attention, which means staying focused when you're on your own can feel like trying to hold on to a slippery rope. We can't focus alone, or we struggle to focus alone. But when someone else is around, even virtually, it provides us with an external structure that helps us stay track on the task. It’s like you’re thinking, "Okay, someone is watching me; I better keep working."

It can be especially effective when the other person is working quietly instead of talking to you. This creates sort of ambient accountability. Body doubling works because it can trigger the mirroring effect where we naturally mimic the behaviors of others around us. If the person is working, with focus, you are more likely to stay focused too. Studies have shown that this kind of social facilitation can boost performance on tasks that require sustained attention.

There are a lot of ways to do body doubling that you can try—co-working spaces, working alongside a friend, or even joining virtual study rooms like "Study with Me" Lives, etc. But honestly, for me, what's worked best for me is a platform called Focusmate. It's not sponsored; they probably don't even know I exist—I just love it, and I've been using it for a year. Here’s how Focusmate works: you go to your dashboard and you will see three options when it comes to session lengths: 25 minutes, 50 minutes, and 75 minutes. You pick the time that works for you and book a slot on the Focusmate calendar.

You can set up the sessions for the same day or even plan them out for the upcoming days. When the time comes, you log into your session and get matched with a stranger who's also looking to get some work done. At the start, you both share what you're going to work on. Some people just type it in the chat while others turn on their mic to say a quick hello. It’s like saying hello and sharing what you're going to work on today—“Let's do this! What are you going to work on?” It’s just a very quick chat.

When the timer starts, there's a timer on the screen that tracks your work session, and when the time's up, a bell rings to let you know the session is over. After the session, you share with your partner how it went—whether you managed to accomplish whatever you said you were going to do. It’s a very quick, non-pressure way to check in with your partner and make sure you stay focused. Keep yourself accountable, basically.

You might be thinking, "Why not just meet up with a friend at a café or a library to get stuff done?" I tried that, okay? But I'm a person who will turn a study session into a social hour. You know, I might say, "You know what? Maybe we should grab a coffee!" And then I’ll be like, "Have you heard this? Did you know that this happened?" We’d just meet up for a couple of hours, and out of three hours, I would chat for two hours. So it doesn't work for me—I just can't keep my mouth shut when I'm with my friends, and we end up spending way more time talking than working.

Yes, it is fun, in my opinion, but it doesn't really help me get through my to-do list. If it's a stranger, I'm like, "Okay, let’s get this done. How are you? I'm going to work on this thing; what about you?" Nice! Let's work on it. After the session, I'm like, "How was your session?" And they say, "Yeah, mine was good, thanks for working with me!" and bye! You know, it's way less likely to get distracted or goof off if you’re working with a stranger rather than a friend.

The Pomodoro method actually started working with me when I started using Focusmate. How I do it is book a 25-minute session at the beginning of my day where I plan my day and schedule my things, etc. Then I either do 50-minute or 75-minute sessions to get things done. There were so many times when I really wanted to leave the session, but because it was a stranger, it would be so disrespectful to leave that session, so it just forces me to get things done.

It's really good! If Focusmate isn’t your thing, there are other apps, communities, live streams, or many things that people do. You just need to type "ADHD body doubling," and I have a link in the description below. It's not an affiliate link; it will just give you a one-month free trial. I'm not going to get paid or anything, you know? But if you imagine that if 100 people just click on the link, 100 of you will get a one-month free trial, and I will get 100 months free—like almost 10 years!

So use the link in the description below—it’s free. Now you've got your accountability system in place; you're working alongside someone, right? But here's the thing: even when you've got all the external structures in the world, there is one more piece to the puzzle, which is stimulation. This part is super important because even with the best priorities, an optimized environment, a calm mind, and accountability, if you don't have the right level of stimulation, it's kind of like driving a car without fuel.

Isn’t it a good example? It’s the last letter of our Focus Framework, and it stands for Stimulate Strategically. When I say stimulation, I don't mean just blasting music, drinking a lot of coffee, and making things chaotic. It's more about this kind of an extra boost that is going to keep your brain engaged so that you don't drift or get bored. For example, have you ever found yourself doodling during a boring lecture, tapping your foot while working on a long task, or just shaking your legs whenever you're listening to something? That’s basically a way for your brain to look for an extra input to stay focused.

It’s kind of like looking for an extra stimulation to make things a little more fun. For people with ADHD, finding that sweet spot of stimulation can make a huge difference because without enough sensory input, our minds wander a lot. But with too much, we get overwhelmed and distracted. So it's about creating an environment where you are giving your brain just enough of what it craves, whether it's through sound, touch, or even visuals—without kind of getting distracted.

How can you find that sweet spot of stimulation? Well, it's actually really personal, and I think it also depends on the day. It changes every single day for me, but you need to keep experimenting with adding and sometimes taking it away and trying to see what kind of level of stimulation you need on that specific day. There are a couple of ways that I like doing it. The first one is auditory stimulation. For me, I love playing binaural beats, piano music, or some classical music in the background because I just can't work in complete silence; it becomes too boring for me.

But if I would listen to music with lyrics, that's also too distracting. So for me personally, I find binaural beats are a kind of sweet spot, and they are also known to promote focus and relaxation by syncing up brain waves. I personally use Brain FM. It's kind of like a service that I've been using for a couple of years, and I just play some random music. I'm not sponsored; I love them—check it out if you're interested.

The second one is olfactory stimulation. I never used the word "olfactory" before, but I thought it would make me sound smart, so I took a note and stuck it there. Basically, what it means is stimulation through scents. I think it might sound a little odd, but certain smells can actually help with focus. For example, peppermint or rosemary have been shown to boost concentration and alertness. If you have a diffuser, you can try dropping a couple of drops of peppermint or rosemary and just have that in your workroom. I sometimes have it on my desk, you know? It smells good, helps you focus without caffeine, and it’s nice.

It's actually quite interesting that certain smells can make us concentrate more because of the stimulation. The third one that I like is physical stimulation. Whenever I'm working, especially if I'm going to work long hours, I usually wear a heavy hoodie to provide a sense of pressure to calm myself and focus more. I thought it was just me, but I realized that there were research studies showing it provides deep pressure stimulation, which can reduce anxiety and promote focus.

For ADHD folks, it works even better. I also heard that weighted blankets can give this deep pressure stimulation, but I haven't tried it yet. I don't have it. So if you know what it's like, let me know in the comments. I was thinking, "Oh, even if it's summer, I like to turn the AC on and wear something heavy like a heavy hoodie. I like having that on my head to focus," and I thought this was just like a personal thing, but it’s ADHD-related, which is interesting.

The last one is visual stimulation. I sometimes use LED lights for that. I like setting them to different colors; sometimes, I set them to purple or pink. I sometimes just set them to slowly change colors throughout my work sessions. It might sound unnecessary, but these small adjustments actually make such a big difference. Everyone has a different experience with ADHD, and just because I have ADHD doesn't mean that everything that worked for me will work for you too.

In my opinion, that’s the most annoying part about ADHD. You just need to keep trying, and sometimes what used to work will stop working suddenly too. It's so freaking annoying, but accepting it and going with it makes things a little easier in my opinion. It’s going to take a bit of experimentation, but you got this!