Does anyone else with ADHD struggle to feel accomplished? Because I definitely do. You would assume that when you finally finish something difficult you would feel proud of yourself, or at least some sense of satisfaction that the effort was worth it. For many people with ADHD it does not work like that. Tasks that are not naturally interesting can take a huge amount of effort just to start and even more effort to finish, yet when we finally get to the end the feeling you exp

Why avoidance, guilt and unfinished tasks can make replying feel harder than it should I realised something about myself recently - sometimes I ghost my own PA. She’ll send me a message asking for something simple, such as a decision, a document I said I’d send, or a quick answer to something so she can move forward. I read it, think “I’ll do that in a minute”, and then of course something else grabs my attention and it slips out of my mind. Later she follows up. By that poin

One thing I hear again and again from adults with ADHD is a sense that life seems harder than it should be. Many of the people I speak to are intelligent, capable and hardworking. They care about doing well in their work and meeting their responsibilities. Yet they often describe a persistent feeling that they are always slightly behind, no matter how much effort they put in. Over time, that feeling can become exhausting. Patterns I hear about repeatedly Although every person

Yesterday we held one of our regular in person ADHD support group meet ups and it was a fantastic afternoon. We had a brilliant turnout, which can be a surprise as with ADHD often comes lapses of memory - forgetfulness is practically part of the entry criteria for these groups! A Table Full of Chat, Laughter and Relatable ADHD Moments As always, there was plenty of conversation, a lot of laughter, and more than a few very relatable ADHD stories being shared around the table.

Have you ever wondered why people with ADHD find it hard to filter their attention? To understand this properly, it helps to look at the role of the prefrontal cortex. This part of the brain is responsible for decision making, planning, impulse control and directing attention. It enables us to prioritise what matters and tune out what does not; in people who have ADHD, this system works differently. It is not that ADHD brains receive more information than everyone else, in fa

I went along to The Science of ADHD  with my ADHD support group a few months ago and it was an excellent event from start to finish. I even got to meet Professor James Brown and shake his hand, which was a lovely moment. As an ADHD coach and teacher, I am always interested in research that deepens understanding without overcomplicating things. This talk did exactly that. Who Is Professor James Brown? Professor Brown is a biomedical scientist and ADHD researcher who was diagno

Across England, proposed changes to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities system are being discussed in response to rising demand, growing financial pressure on local authorities, and widespread recognition that families often find the current process slow, complex and emotionally draining. Over the past decade, the number of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) has increased significantly. Greater recognition of neurodevelopmental differences, including ADHD and

The Most Common Challenges ADHD Clients Bring to Coaching After years of working with ADHD clients, two themes come up again and again: productivity struggles and emotional regulation, particularly rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD). Both can have a profound impact on daily life, confidence, and relationships. Productivity Challenges: When Getting Started Feels Impossible Many people assume productivity problems are about poor time management or lack of effort, when in reali

The excitement and the quiet fears I was so excited to become a father. I had always wanted children, yet alongside that excitement sat a quiet fear that my forgetfulness would let me down. I worried I might leave them behind at a park, or get distracted in conversation while supervising them and miss something important. Like many parents with ADHD, I carried anxiety about responsibility and safety - the idea that something could happen on my watch felt overwhelming. Parenti

Parenting a child with ADHD can feel exhausting, confusing and, at times, isolating. Many parents find themselves repeating instructions, managing the same behaviours over and over, and wondering why strategies that work for other children seem to make little difference. After years of teaching and working with families, there are a few things I wish every parent of a child with ADHD could truly understand. Not because they are doing anything wrong, but because the right unde

If I could stop people saying just one thing to those with ADHD, it would be this: " just try harder ." It sounds like a reasonable comment, after all effort matters, and so does perseverance. But when it comes to ADHD, this phrase completely misunderstands the difficulty people are facing and, more importantly, it creates shame. The Hidden Effort Behind ADHD The assumption behind “just try harder” is that the person is not trying enough, when in reality, most people with ADH

ADHD misinformation on social media Has anyone else noticed that ADHD misinformation on social media is starting to become a real problem? Social media has helped many adults recognise ADHD traits and feel less alone, which is genuinely positive. That visibility matters, particularly for people who were missed or misunderstood earlier in life. However, research consistently shows that a significant amount of ADHD content on platforms such as TikTok is misleading, oversimplifi

This is a difficult topic to talk about, but it’s an important one. The more openly we speak about things like depression and suicide, the more we reduce stigma and the more likely it is that people who are struggling will feel able to reach out for help. ADHD is often talked about in terms of focus, organisation, forgetfulness, or impulsivity, and while these challenges are very real, they are only part of the picture. What is discussed far less, but is just as important, is

I believe that much of the exhaustion people with ADHD describe has far more to do with decision making than it does with motivation. The clients I work with are not stuck because they don’t care or aren’t trying hard enough; they are worn down because daily life now involves a constant stream of choices that don’t ever fully resolve. Money decisions sit alongside school decisions, work decisions, health decisions, and the low-level admin that never quite gets finished but st

I was recently approached by a medical advertising company that works with the NHS to display information about my ADHD coaching services at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. Following their approval process, my details are now shown on patient noticeboards in two of the main waiting areas. I want to be clear that I do not work in partnership with the NHS, however I am genuinely pleased that my work was considered appropriate to be shared in a hospital setting, particularl

Growing up with ADHD and learning to fight yourself Many people with ADHD grow up believing there is something inside them that needs controlling, such as their impulsivity, emotional intensity, anger, or self doubt. These traits are rarely framed as understandable responses or neutral differences. Instead, they are treated as flaws to manage, hide, or eliminate. By adulthood, many ADHD adults are exhausted from fighting themselves. Why “inner demons” develop in ADHD adults T

ADHD burnout in late-diagnosed adults If you were diagnosed with ADHD later in life, burnout can be especially hard to recognise. Many late-diagnosed adults spend years pushing themselves to cope, adapt, and meet expectations without understanding why everything feels so exhausting. By the time ADHD is identified, burnout is often already present. ADHD burnout is often misunderstood because it does not always look dramatic or obvious. What ADHD burnout looks like day to day A

Most adults with ADHD already have a drawer full of planners (some never even taken out of their wrapper!) They have tried daily lists, weekly spreadsheets, colour-coding, habit trackers, and productivity apps. Some work briefly, but most are abandoned with a familiar sense of disappointment, often because the novelty of something new has worn off. The problem is not the tools, but the expectation that one tool will fix a system-wide issue. What adults with ADHD often need is

I believe that accountability is often misunderstood as pressure; for many adults like me with ADHD, the word alone brings up memories of being monitored, judged, or told to “try harder”. But effective accountability is not about control, it is about support. ADHD brains tend to struggle with tasks that rely solely on internal motivation - getting started on tasks is often a struggle, even though we know how essential something is to get done. This is where accountability com

There comes a point where trying harder stops helping. Many adults with ADHD reach out to me after years of effort - they have read the books, tried the apps, bought the planners, watched the videos. They understand their ADHD better than ever before, yet they still feel stuck. Not because they do not care, but because nothing seems to stick. Being stuck is can sometimes be misunderstood as procrastination or lack of motivation, but quite often in reality, it is more often a