How to Write with A Neurodivergent Brain

What do you do when you want to write (spiritually) but just can't seem to (physically) open that doc?

You have the inspo. You have the vision. You have…. Nothing.

No matter how much you want to write, you aren't. Something is holding you back from making that move. Maybe you're burnt out. Exhausted from daily life. Or maybe, you have ADHD like me and just can't seem to get yourself to follow that writing schedule you made at 2 am last night.

The Paralysis from Hell

The worst part of the writing process is indecision.

It sucks.

You feel inspired to write, but you don't have the actual motivation to start writing. The mental toll is too much, so you close your computer for the day and tell yourself you'll just write more words tomorrow.

I've done this more times than I can properly count.

Honestly, if I were to give myself a title, it would be "World-Famous Procrastinator" for how often I add things to my "Tomorrow To-do" list without fully committing.

But I'm getting better at it, and I think you can, too.

Training Your Brain

I think, for me, the hardest part of the whole writing shtick is that I have to focus.

Focus is something I lack, so I've had to find other ways to "lock in" besides just staring at a screen and hoping the words will come.

I need inspo from things outside of my own head. I need movement and motion. I need a spark of something that really gets me going.

I need… A routine.

I know routines are a hit or miss for the ADHD folks. I either follow them strictly and feel mountains of guilt if I don't do this at exactly 4:07 PM, or I become so stubbornly anti-routine that I do everything in my power to do the opposite of what I planned. This is silly, of course, since I'm the one who made the routine and therefore I know my limits and what I can accomplish in a day. And yet, the me of the present refuses to listen to the me of the past.

What I realized was that these schedules I was setting for myself were too strict. While I need deadlines (or else nothing will get done. Ever), I can't handle an hourly schedule.

So, I learned to be flexible. I adapted to the juxtaposition of my own head, and I think I figured out how to work around the lack-of-motivation crisis.

The ADHD-approved* Routine

*by me and only me

Much to my chagrin, feeling productive doesn't stem from the completion of 5000 words a day, every day. It comes from completing tasks, yes, but it's more about how you feel completing them than the finished result.

How will you be proud of all you've written if the whole time you were pushing through a headache or neglecting yourself a glass of water?

Hyperfocus will be the death of me someday. When I get locked in on a task, I lose all awareness of other things I need. I'll drink from my waterbottle, but if I run out, I won't be able to move and get more. I won't eat. I won't use the bathroom. In the moment, I'm aware how negatively impacted I am by my focus, but I need to hit my word count goal so desperately that I can't find it in my heart to care.

There are, of course, cases where hyperfocus can be beneficial. But what I've found for myself is that writing is not one of those cases.

So, to combat this neglect of self-care, I made this "routine":

1. Do not, under any circumstances, start your day on your phone.

I know it's tempting to check all the notifications you received while asleep, but you can't! All those unread dots will make you stressed out, and then you'll be panicking before you even get to brush your teeth. I promise you those Instagram comments can wait an hour to be responded to.

Instead, read a book.

This can be supplemented for any number of things, like crafting or cleaning, but if you want to jumpstart the writer bits in you, I recommend your current read. Give yourself a limit, whether it's a time limit (which never works for me) or a chapter limit, and dive in.

Once you've completed that small goal, you'll feel accomplished already. Plus, your brain will already be working its imagination sectors before you even turn on those writing engines later on.

2. Take a walk.

Depending on your fitness level, you can do a full body workout, a run, or even yoga, but a walk is what has worked for me.

In order to get my creativity flowing, I need my body moving.

Not only does the exercise get me outside, but it gets my blood pumping. I feel awake. Alive. Connected to something other than myself.

Walking half a mile is another box to check off in the internal to-do list of productivity—and you'll feel good doing it, too!

3. Eat, Pray, Love.

Cooking is an act that gives you a lot of space to think. As you crack eggs or make a protein smoothie, keep that energized headspace from your walk/workout/yoga, and start thinking about your story.

Don't, like, plan stuff that you'll have to write down, but imagine the vibes. Picture your characters. Immerse yourself in the story you're telling without actually having to write it (and make sure you don't burn those eggs along the way).

This step of the routine has worked really well for me. I've started getting antsy enough to write that I'll scarf down my breakfast just so I can get my hands on my keyboard.

By forming the story in your head while doing other tasks, you're able to warm up your creativity engines. So, later, instead of staring at a blank doc for 40 minutes, you can just press "Go."

4. Write!

This is where the routine ends, because how my writing session goes depends on the day. However, what I can say is that I have been feeling soooo much more content with my word counts and task lists over the past few weeks than I have in a long time —maybe ever.

I know a lot of people use the Pomodoro method, but that's never worked for me because I'll end up ignoring the timers and just keep hyperfocusing. Sometimes, I'll write half a chapter of my novel, transition into writing a blog post, and then go back to the unfinished chapter at the end of my session. Sometimes I'll hyper-ish focus and write until I feel a bodily need. Then, instead of ignoring it, I'll be able to act on it because I'll feel okay about stepping away from my computer.

I think my issue with hyperfocus in the past has been a dire need to get things done. I can't stop writing because I didn't hit my goal, and that thus means I failed as a human being.

Now, though, I have a bunch of tasks completed before I even start writing, which means I did stuff. I can step away. I can be calm.

I can take a break.

Your Creativity is Not a Check Box

This might work for you the same way it did for me, or it might not. But what will work is valuing yourself and understanding that just because you can't write 5000 words a day on top of your day job, that doesn't mean you're failing as a human being.

You are still a creative person even when you're not actively writing. You are still a writer even when you lack the motivation to open that doc.

Making a routine that works for you can be additive to not only accomplishing the things you want to accomplish, but also in feeling good about accomplishing them. 2026 is the year of self-care, people!

And hey, it's OK to take a break every once in a while, too.

Distance yourself from that WIP for a bit. When you come back, it will be a well-rested, victorious return.

So take care of yourself. Let that creativity ignite in you once more.