Originally published: 13 May 2026
Newsletter title: Should You Swipe Left on Old-School Productivity Tips?
Most productivity advice assumes everyone’s brain works the same way
If you’ve ever enthusiastically embraced a new productivity system only to abandon it a few weeks later, you’re not alone.
Many ADHD and neurodivergent professionals have shelves full of planners, bookmarked productivity apps, and well-intentioned strategies that promised to be the solution. For a while, each one seems full of potential. Then life gets busy, motivation shifts, or the system becomes difficult to maintain, and it’s added to the growing list of things that “didn’t work.”
It’s easy to interpret this as a personal failure.
But what if the problem isn’t you?
Much of the productivity advice we encounter today was developed with assumptions about how people think, plan and sustain attention. Those assumptions don’t reflect the lived experience of many neurodivergent people, particularly those with ADHD. When strategies designed for one type of brain are presented as universal solutions, it’s no surprise that many capable professionals end up feeling frustrated, ashamed or convinced they simply lack discipline.
That’s why it’s worth questioning the advice itself, not just your ability to follow it.
In this newsletter you’ll discover
- Why many popular productivity techniques don’t work equally well for everyone.
- The hidden assumptions behind traditional productivity advice.
- Why repeatedly trying the wrong systems can damage confidence and increase shame.
- What to look for instead when building ways of working that support long-term performance.
Why it matters
This isn’t just about personal productivity.
When talented employees spend years trying to force themselves into systems that don’t match the way they think, the consequences extend far beyond an unfinished to-do list. Confidence declines, unnecessary stress accumulates, and people often compensate by working harder rather than working differently. Over time, that pattern can contribute to inconsistent performance, exhaustion and burnout.
For organisations, it can also mean overlooking capable people whose potential is hidden beneath systems that were never designed with them in mind.
Creating more sustainable performance isn’t always about finding a better planner or a more disciplined routine. Sometimes it’s about recognising that different brains need different approaches.
Read the original newsletter
In the first edition of The Neuro-savvy Leadership Newsletter, I explore why traditional productivity advice often misses the mark for ADHD and neurodivergent professionals, why strategies like “Eat the Frog” aren’t universally effective, and how shifting the question from “What’s wrong with me?” to “What’s wrong with this system?” can change the way we think about productivity.
Read “Should You Swipe Left on Old-School Productivity Tips?” on LinkedIn
Related resources
You might also find these resources helpful:
- You don’t have to eat that frog! – Why one of the world’s most popular productivity techniques isn’t the right fit for everyone.
- The Manager’s ADHD Support Guide – Practical guidance for leaders supporting ADHD and neurodivergent employees.
- Executive Coaching – Helping leaders build practical systems that improve performance without increasing pressure.
About the Neuro-savvy Leadership Newsletter
The Neuro-savvy Leadership Newsletter explores ADHD, neurodiversity and workplace performance through the lens of leadership, organisational systems and sustainable ways of working. Each edition shares practical insights to help leaders, HR professionals and neurodivergent employees create environments where people can do their best work – not by trying harder, but by working in ways that fit how they think.