Here’s the thing about to-do lists when you have ADHD: they lie. They whisper sweet nothings like “You just need to get started” and “It’s only three steps, tops.” Next thing you know, you’re ankle-deep in browser tabs, ten sub-projects deep into a task you barely understood in the first place, wondering if you’ve actually started anything at all.
This is where AI tools—yes, the same AI tools everyone seems to be using to write cover letters and apology emails—can actually become super-functional. Not flashy, not miraculous. Just functional. Think of them less like robot assistants and more like a thinking partner with the patience of a monk and the memory of a digital elephant that is also a cloud server.
The trick isn’t just “using AI.” It’s knowing what to ask for. And for people with ADHD, the magic happens when we use these tools to shrink things down. Because breaking a thing into its smallest useful parts? That’s not just productivity—it’s survival.
Let’s walk through how that works.
The Big Thing: Projects Are Just Decisions in Costume
Let’s say you’re starting a new project. A real one. Not “clean your desk,” but something that spans multiple days or weeks—like Apply to Grad School or Launch the Mental Health App or Plan a Move Across the Country Without Losing Your Mind. You look at it and your brain just… folds. It’s not that it’s impossible, it’s that it’s undefined.
This is where an AI tool—ChatGPT, for example—can be a real ally.
First Things First: How to Start Using ChatGPT
If you’ve never used ChatGPT before, don’t worry—there’s no learning curve, no install wizard, no special command syntax. It’s just a text box where you type what you’re thinking, and it responds. That’s it.
Here’s how to get started:
- Go to chat.openai.com and sign up for a free account.
- Open a new chat. It’ll look like a blank screen with a little blinking cursor.
- Type your question like you’d ask a real person. You don’t need fancy wording. Just say: “I’m overwhelmed by this project. Can you help me break it down?”
- Treat it like a conversation. You can say, “That’s too vague,” or “Can you be more specific?” or even “That’s not what I meant.” It’ll adjust.
That’s it. No pressure to get it perfect. The goal isn’t to have ChatGPT solve your life—it’s to help you see it more clearly. Now let’s talk about how to use it to break a big thing down.
You say:
“I need to apply to grad school and I don’t know where to start. Help me break it down.”
The response you’ll get won’t just be a list of tasks. It’ll be a map of decisions. Because what most ADHD brains struggle with isn’t effort—it’s friction. You don’t need the AI to do the work. You need it to define the edges of the work, shrink the ambiguity, and make it concrete.
You might get back something like:
- Choose which schools you’re applying to.
- Identify recommendation letter writers.
- Gather transcripts.
- Write a statement of purpose.
- Research deadlines.
- Create a single folder where all of this lives.
That last one? That’s not a coincidence. Sometimes “Create the Folder” is the most ADHD-friendly starting point there is. Because once you name the folder, suddenly the project exists.
And now you can ask the AI again:
“Can you help me break down ‘Write statement of purpose’ into smaller steps?”
And it will. Things like:
- Brainstorm stories or experiences relevant to your field.
- Find 3 sample statements to model structure.
- Draft bullet points before writing full sentences.
- Ask a friend to review before editing.
These are not just tasks. They’re momentum in disguise.
The Small Thing: When Even the Task Is Too Big
But let’s say it’s not a project you’re struggling with. It’s a task. One stupid little thing that has been on your list forever. Like:
- “Call the dentist.”
- “Schedule oil change.”
- “Send the thank-you note from three weeks ago that is now emotionally radioactive.”
You’ve told yourself it’ll take five minutes. You’ve put it on your list every day this week. You’ve rearranged your entire workflow to avoid doing it. Why?
Because this “simple” task has emotional weight. It’s carrying shame, or fear, or dread, or sheer inertia. It’s not a five-minute task. It’s a trap.
This is where AI helps again—not by reminding you, but by breaking the illusion of simplicity.
Try:
“I need to call the dentist to schedule an appointment, but I keep avoiding it. Can you help me figure out what steps I’m missing?”
You might get:
- Find the phone number.
- Check your calendar to know when you’re available.
- Decide what kind of appointment you need (cleaning? follow-up?).
- Write down a script of what to say.
- Put phone on Do Not Disturb so you don’t get interrupted during the call.
- Reward yourself after.
Now it’s not “Call the dentist.” It’s a sequence. And sequences feel doable in a way isolated tasks often don’t especially if you have a brain that needs visible progress before it can activate.
Even better, you can say:
“Make this easier. Give me a pep talk and a script.”
AI will happily oblige with something like:
“Hey, you’re not bothering anyone. They want to schedule you. Just say: ‘Hi, I’m looking to schedule a cleaning sometime in the next few weeks. I’m flexible on weekdays except Monday mornings.’ That’s it.”
Suddenly, it’s not a mountain. It’s a pebble.
Closing the Loop: Make the Invisible Work Visible
Here’s the secret most productivity advice skips: people with ADHD are not lazy. We are overthinking, underprioritizing, momentum-starved geniuses who just need fewer invisible steps and more obvious footholds.
AI can help because it doesn’t care how many times you’ve procrastinated or how irrational your avoidance feels. It just keeps breaking things down patiently until the problem shrinks to something you can actually move.
And once you start seeing AI this way—not as a miracle worker, but as a conversation partner who’s really good at logistics—you can build a habit around it. A few practical ways to do that:
- When you’re stuck, ask: “What might I be missing?” or “What’s the first step before the first step?”
- When a project feels too big, ask: “Help me break this into chunks I can do in under 20 minutes.”
- When a task feels emotionally charged, ask: “Why might this feel hard, and how could I make it easier?”
These are lifelines. They turn ambiguity into clarity and clarity into motion. And for ADHD brains, motion is gold. You don’t need to have the perfect plan. You just need to start smaller. AI can help you figure out where.