Why My ADHD Brain🧠Feels Like a BAD Team Meeting🌀
Have you ever sat in a team meeting where ideas are flying, people are interrupting each other, goals are half-clear, and the agenda has already been tossed out the window?
Welcome to my brain on a regular Tuesday.
As someone with ADHD, I’ve spent years navigating a mind that’s overflowing with creativity, possibility, and—let’s be honest—chaotic energy. But here’s the twist: the more I’ve worked with teams as a facilitator and product strategist, the more I’ve realized… a group of people trying to move toward a shared goal faces many of the same challenges as a neurodivergent brain.
Both are brilliant. Both are unpredictable. And both thrive when given the right structures to support their natural strengths.
So here’s a playful comparison to show how the internal experience of ADHD mirrors the external dynamics of collaboration—and why creative constraints, structure, and support systems aren’t about limiting us… they’re about unlocking our full potential.
| 🧠ADHD Brain | 👥 Team Working Toward a Goal | 🔍 How They're Alike |
|---|---|---|
| Many thoughts all at once. | Many people, ideas, and opinions. | Too much input. Hard to prioritize. |
| Task-switching is hard. | Teams pivot slowly and clumsily. | It’s hard to shift focus without chaos. |
| Easily distracted by novelty. | "Shiny object syndrome" in meetings. | Tempted to chase new ideas constantly. |
| Bursts of hyperfocus. | Team flow state—when it clicks. | Magic happens... briefly! |
| Needs structure to stay on track. | Needs agendas, deadlines, and facilitation. | Without scaffolding, everything unravels. |
| Overwhelmed working memory. | Collective memory fails without documentation. | Need systems to remember anything. |
| Motivated by interest & urgency. | Team activates when they *care* or feel a deadline. | Emotion + pressure = momentum. |
| Needs dopamine to engage. | Needs momentum, quick wins, or fun. | No juice = no progress. |
| Impulsive brilliance. | Team “aha!” moments—sometimes chaotic. | Breakthroughs and breakdowns alike. |
| Struggles with follow-through. | Projects stall at 80% without ownership. | Finishing is hard without a plan. |
🧩 So What’s the Big Insight?
Teams are collective brains.
And just like an ADHD brain, they benefit from externalized structure—not to limit creativity, but to harness it.
🔧 Tools That Help Both
Timeboxing (Pomodoro / team sprints)
Visual planning (kanban, Miro boards)
Explicit roles and responsibilities
Clear goal framing (“What does done look like?”)
Dopamine-friendly rituals (celebrate small wins!)
Thoughtful constraint-setting (“We’ll only use this tech / this budget / this week.”)
