Why Do I Keep Abandoning Productivity Systems? (An ADHD View)

If you keep abandoning productivity systems, it's probably not because you're lazy or broken. More often the system doesn't fit you. With ADHD, I can hyperfocus on what excites me, but I struggle with discipline for anything that feels boring or pointless. And willpower isn't the hero we think it is.

What worked for me wasn't finding the right system. It was changing my space so the right thing is the easy thing, keeping a "baseline" I return to every day, and treating slipping as part of the plan instead of the end of it.

Why you keep abandoning productivity systems

I've tried every system. Paper checklists, digital dashboards, color-coded Notion templates, bullet journals. For most of my life I was either all-in or totally checked out. I'd get obsessed with some new habit or system, like tracking my sleep, designing the perfect Notion setup or building the ultimate morning routine, and I'd go so hard I'd burn out, crash, and have to start all over again.

Sound familiar?

Here's the uncomfortable part. In After the Crash I admit it: "I convinced myself that tweaking my system was progress. (Who doesn't love a rainbow spreadsheet? Guilty.)"

I love a good checklist as much as anyone, but I wasted hours, maybe days, making lists look pretty in Notion and color-coding tasks that didn't really matter.

I've also been the guy who wakes at 4 a.m. to meditate and the guy who just "listens to his body" and hopes for the best. Surprise: neither extreme ever really worked.

What ADHD has to do with it

I spent years wondering if something was "wrong" with me. It turns out I'm just further along the ADHD spectrum than most.

The way it shows up for me: I can hyperfocus on what excites me, but I struggle with discipline for anything that feels boring or pointless. The only reason I've been able to thrive, launching a business, finishing my degree, staying healthy, is because I built systems for everything. In my second book I listed them:

• Automated calendars and reminders
• Pre-packed smoothie bags
• Outsourced admin
• Structured environments for work and creation
• Friction reduction at every step

And the rule underneath it: "If it wasn't systematized, it didn't happen."

The same goes for friction. If something takes too much effort to set up, it won't get done. That's true for recording videos, working out, cooking healthy food, even sending messages. My entire life is about lowering friction for the things that matter and outsourcing, automating or eliminating the rest.

Your environment beats your willpower

One line from After the Crash sums it up: "Willpower isn't the hero we think it is. When you're tired, stressed, or distracted, your environment will win—every time."

Full honesty: with ADHD, the environment matters even more.

So I started experimenting with my space.

I replaced my couch with a proper desk and a comfortable chair. I got a bigger monitor and made sure the lighting was good, so it actually felt good to sit down and get stuff done. Less friction. More focus. Fewer excuses.

My job isn't just to "get organized." It's to make my apartment invite me to do the things I want to do. So I made little "stations" for things I want to do more of. My workout equipment is always ready. My Kindle is charged and waiting. My guitar is out in the open, not stuffed in a case.

You can do the same for almost anything. Want to read more? Put your book on your pillow, keep your e-reader charged, and get a reading lamp you actually like. Want to play more music? Keep the instrument out, tuned and ready. Want to work out more? Set up your space so you can literally roll out of bed and start moving.

The principle is simple: reduce friction for the things you want to do, and increase it for the things you want to avoid. If the centerpiece of your room is the couch and the TV remote, guess what you'll do most? If your desk is inviting, clear and comfortable, you'll naturally sit down and work.

The baseline: a reset you don't have to think about

The other piece, the real breakthrough for me, is what I call "baseline."

Every item has a place. After I eat, after I work out, after I finish a project, I return my space to baseline. It's not about being obsessive. It's about waking up to a clean slate every morning.

Why it matters so much with ADHD: cleaning up isn't fun and gives me no dopamine. If my first task of the day is tidying, I'll procrastinate and lose momentum. The mess becomes my first project, and I start the day with procrastination and frustration instead of momentum. That's why baseline is non-negotiable for me now. The faster I reset my environment, the faster my mind comes back online.

If you're overwhelmed, start with one thing. One drawer. One inbox. One corner of your desk. Momentum builds.

When you slip (because you will)

Even with all of this, I slip. Let's be real: there are weeks when even the best system falls apart. I fall off my meal plan. I miss a work block. My inbox explodes.

You will slip. Everyone does. The trick isn't to be perfect. It's to get back up, remember why you started, and start again.

Now, instead of beating myself up, I do another brain dump, reset my plan, and start again. Progress, not perfection.

And I ask a few plain questions:

• What made it hard?
• Do I need to adjust my environment, my trigger or my reward?
• Do I need to ask for help?

What matters isn't the tool. It's the habit of coming back to your system.

Build a system that fits you

So, why do you keep abandoning productivity systems? My answer comes back to one line from my second book.

Borrow frameworks. Try templates. But your system must fit your energy, quirks, ambitions and weaknesses. My best weeks are three focused hours a day, with the rest for rest, connection and learning. Around that I keep a few stations, a daily baseline, and a reset for when it slips. When in doubt, I do less, but smarter.

You don't need a perfect home or a minimalist Instagram office. You need a space that works for you, a few small things that make the right action easier than the wrong one, and the habit of picking it back up when it falls apart.

One thing to try today

Set up one station (10 minutes). Pick one thing you keep meaning to do more of. Make it ready to go where you'll see it: the book on your pillow, the guitar out of its case, the workout gear by the bed, the desk cleared so it's inviting to sit at. Just one station, today.

Free: After the Crash is free to read (coming soon). Chapter 5 goes deeper into stations, baseline and how your space shapes what you actually do.

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Sources

• [atc.c02.rainbow-spreadsheet] After the Crash, Ch 2: "I convinced myself that tweaking my system was progress."
• [atc.c05.baseline] After the Crash, Ch 5: "Every item has a place."
• [atc.c05.friction-design] After the Crash, Ch 5: "The key is to reduce friction for the things you want to do, and increase friction for the things you want to avoid."
• [atc.c05.adhd-baseline] After the Crash, Ch 5: "That’s why “baseline” is non-negotiable for me now."
• [bbb.c04.adhd-systems] Burnout, Bullshit, and Breakthroughs, Ch 4: "If it wasn’t systematized, it didn’t happen."
• [bbb.c10.system-fits-you] Burnout, Bullshit, and Breakthroughs, Ch 10: "Borrow frameworks, try templates."
• [atc.c03.when-it-goes-wrong] After the Crash, Ch 3: "there are weeks when even the best system falls apart."
• [atc.c10.slip-questions] After the Crash, Ch 10: "Ask yourself: what made it hard?"
• [atc.c02.all-in-or-checked-out] After the Crash, Ch 2: "For most of my life, I was either “all-in” or totally checked out."
• [atc.c03.q-not-the-tool] After the Crash, Ch 3: "What matters isn’t the tool. It’s the habit of coming back to your system."
• [atc.c05.desk-and-stations] After the Crash, Ch 5: "I created little “stations” for things I want to do more of"
• [atc.c05.q-environment-wins] After the Crash, Ch 5: "Willpower isn’t the hero we think it is."
• [atc.c05.start-with-one-drawer] After the Crash, Ch 5: "If you’re overwhelmed, start with one thing. One drawer."
• [bbb.c04.friction-enemy] Burnout, Bullshit, and Breakthroughs, Ch 4: "If something takes too much effort to set up, it won’t get done."
• [atc.c05.q-invite-me] After the Crash, Ch 5: "make my apartment invite me to do the things I want to do."
• [atc.c05.q-no-perfect-home] After the Crash, Ch 5: "You don’t need a perfect home or a minimalist Instagram office."
• [atc.c05.q-reset-environment] After the Crash, Ch 5: "the faster I reset my environment, the faster my mind comes back online."