Most productivity advice feels like it was designed for a brain I just don’t have. It’s all about rigid schedules and linear thinking, which can be a huge source of frustration. Then I stumbled upon this incredible post from an industry pro who completely reframes how to use AI for productivity!
The core idea is brilliant: stop trying to force your brain to work like a machine, and instead, prompt the machine to work like your brain. This contributor shared a set of AI prompts specifically designed for the ADHD mind, which often seeks novelty, struggles with time perception, and thrives on interest-driven tasks.
It’s about creating an external support system that adapts to you. I was blown away by how simple and effective this approach is.
Here are a few of the mind-bending prompts the author shared:
📌 Break tasks into “dopamine-sized chunks.”
Instead of facing a huge, overwhelming task, this prompt breaks it into small, rewarding 5-minute actions. It’s designed to trigger your brain’s reward system quickly, making it easier to start and maintain momentum. For example, you could ask: `”I need to clean my apartment. Break this into dopamine-sized chunks.”`
💡 Gamify the boring stuff.
ADHD brains crave novelty and challenge. If a task is tedious, you can ask the AI to make it interesting. This sparks curiosity and reframes the task from a chore into a game. A great example from the original poster is: `”What’s the most interesting way to do my taxes?”`
✅ Design systems for forgetfulness.
One of the biggest hurdles is creating a system and then forgetting it exists a week later. This prompt helps you build routines with built-in redundancies and environmental triggers, so you don’t have to rely on memory. The post’s author suggests trying: `”Help me design a morning routine that works even when I forget the routine exists.”`
The full post is packed with even more amazing prompts, covering everything from simulating body-doubling to creating “time-blind-friendly” schedules and using hyperfocus as a feature, not a bug.
If you’ve ever felt like standard productivity hacks just don’t click for you, I highly recommend checking out the original post for the full list of these awesome prompts.
I discovered ADHD-specific AI prompts and they’re like having a brain that actually remembers the thing you were supposed to do
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