4 Ways to Master your ADHD Energy Levels

If you live with ADHD, you’ve probably noticed that your energy doesn’t exactly follow a 9-to-5 schedule. One minute you’re buzzing with ideas and motivation -the next - you can barely remember what day it is.

ADHD energy isn’t consistent. It’s unpredictable, intense, and often feels like a wild roller coaster.

This isn’t laziness, it’s neurological. And when we learn to work with our energy instead of against it, we create space for more peace, productivity, and self-trust.

Let’s talk about how to do just that.

ADHD Energy Roller Coaster: Bursts, Dips, and Second Winds

ADHD brains often move in bursts:

• Hyperfocus highs

• Deep dips in stamina

• Random second winds at the weirdest times

You might feel unstoppable at 9 a.m., hit a wall by 2 p.m., then get the urge to clean your entire kitchen at 9 p.m.

That’s not your imagination, it’s your nervous system. Our brains struggle to regulate alertness, so energy patterns often look a little… chaotic.

But chaotic doesn’t mean unmanageable.

1️⃣ Understand Your Natural Rhythm

Your energy has a pattern, you just haven’t been taught how to listen for it yet.

Start tracking what times you feel focused, scattered, motivated, tired, or inspired. You’ll likely notice a rhythm you can build around.

Instead of fighting your flow, try this:

• Respect your natural highs and lows

• Track your best focus windows

• Build your hardest tasks around peak times

Working smarter with ADHD isn’t about “trying harder.” It’s about honoring your brain and adjusting your strategies to match.

2️⃣ Use Your High-Dopamine Windows Wisely

When you're in a dopamine-rich window (aka: focused and alert), don’t waste it on busywork or guilt spirals.

Instead:

• Do your hardest tasks when you’re sharpest

• Pair boring tasks with stimulation like music, movement, or body doubling

• Protect your best energy from guilt, pressure, or perfectionism

These golden windows are precious. Use them to your advantage, not to “make up for lost time.”

3️⃣ Give Yourself Permission to Rest

When your focus fades, it’s not because you’re lazy. Your brain might be signaling one of three things:

• It needs a dopamine refill

• It needs actual rest

• It needs a change in environment

Try not to push through the crash. Instead, ask what kind of reset your brain needs.

A walk, a snack, a 10-minute guilt-free scroll, or a nap can be strategic, not shameful.

Rest is not failure... It’s fuel.

4️⃣ Build In Low-Demand Days

Your energy is not infinite, and you’re allowed to plan for that.

Low-demand days give your nervous system a break and help you bounce back stronger.

That might look like:

• No back-to-back hard tasks

• Skipping “catch-up” marathons

• Extra breathing room between meetings

• Shortcuts like buying lunch guilt-free

You don’t have to earn recovery. You just have to respect the ebbs as much as the flows.

ADHD energy can be messy, inconsistent, and surprising but that doesn’t mean it’s unmanageable.

With a little awareness and the right strategies, we can move through our days with more compassion and control.

Track it. Respect it. Work with it.

Because you aren't broken, your brain is just wired differently.

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You've Got This,

Coach Brooke