Busy Brain Manual

Busy Brain Manual Strategic Hacks & ADHD-Friendly Systems by Emmy-winning news anchor & ADHD-er Diane Macedo

08/31/2026

iPhone reminders are too damn polite.

They blend in.
They're easy to swipe away
and once you do, there's no follow up.

That's especially useless for my ADHD brain.

So I found something better:
I set labeled alarms instead.

I just tell Siri: “Set an alarm for 3pm: Call Kate.”

Then At 3pm, I get a loud alert.
It takes over my screen.
It tells me exactly what to do.

and most importantly... it doesn't shut up until I actually do it.

or if I can’t do it right away, I hit snooze and it bugs me again a few minutes later.

So if you keep forgetting things, try this out:
1.) Pick one thing you keep forgetting (switch the laundry? take your vitamins? reply to that text?)
2.) Set a labeled alarm for when you want to do it.
3.) See how much easier it is to finally get it done.

Save this -- future you will forget.

08/27/2026

NOTE: This also applies when you’re talking to yourself.

How many times have you looked at an unfinished task and thought, 'Why don't I just do it?'

Beating yourself up with 'obvious' solutions doesn't work externally or internally.

Instead of judging yourself for not doing something, try asking yourself:
1. What part of this feels hard or annoying or scary right now?

2. What would make the first step 10% easier?

What's the one 'simple' task your brain refuses to do right now?
Drop it in the comments and let's chat about how to make it easier.

08/26/2026

No more naked trash can.

My rule for any chore I keep forgetting is to stop blaming my memory and start redesigning the task.

Instead of promising to 'do better' next time, I look for a simple tweak that builds the reminder directly into the process.

Storing the bag roll at the bottom of the trashcan means the system itself does the remembering for me, so my brain can focus on more important things.

Share this with someone who needs to hear it.

08/25/2026

Thought I was fixing one mess. Instead I ended up deep in another.
Can you relate?

I sat down to organize the tangled wires by my nightstand…

and ended up organizing the drawer that holds my organizing supplies. 🤦‍♀️

You can’t make this stuff up!

This kind of unintentional task-switching might look harmless (or even productive).

But when it happens all day long, it can keep you from finishing the stuff you actually need to get done.

That’s the real challenge with ADHD:
👉 It’s not that we can’t focus.
👉 It’s that our focus doesn’t always go where we planned.

And if you don’t have a system to catch it… the mess stays messy.

The good news? Once you start seeing the pattern, you can build systems to troubleshoot it.

Thankfully, in this case, I caught myself, asked my husband for a few more minutes and I did organize the wires.

Have you ever done something like this? Let me know in the comments.

08/24/2026

I know you're trying to be flexible but “Just let me know what works for you,” is like a trap for ADHD brains.

Trying to find "the best" time means weighing various factors and scanning through lots of other plans on the calendar, which then remind me of other stuff I have to do and prepare for.

So I end up in a chain reaction of:
distraction
overwhelm
decision fatigue
..and (ironically) zero plans.

Instead, offer a specific date and time.
(eg."How's Tuesday at 3pm?")

Now, I'm just looking at ONE time slot and determining "yes or no."
And if that doesn't work, I'm only checking the adjacent days/times to find an alternative.

Which is SO. MUCH. EASIER.

Share this with someone who needs to hear it. And drop your best calendar hacks below

08/20/2026

Sometimes the most helpful thing I can do after the show is… nothing structured at all.

I sit in dim light, set a 15-min timer, start scrolling and let my brain go wherever it wants.

Sometimes I come up with ideas, sometimes I just enjoy the content without much thinking at all.

The timer is key though. Without it, “a few minutes” turns into who knows how long.

But with it, I get the break my brain is craving before I get back to work.

Anyone else do this?

08/19/2026

My secret weapon for managing ADHD is turning memory tasks into visual tasks, and decanting one of my go-to's.

Clear containers let the environment 'remember' things for me, so I don't have to spend mental energy constantly monitoring supplies or trying to remember that we're running low.

It's a simple switch that lowers my cognitive load.

And bonus: it looks better too.

08/18/2026

I still can't believe I needed a profession to teach me this but what a game changer.

We don’t hang onto clutter because we really want to use it: we hang onto it because we feel guilty that we don't.

That sewing machine I swore I’d master? The calligraphy kit I barely touched? They weren’t taking up my physical AND mental space.

Making me feel bad every time I looked at them!

Then a professional organizer told me: Sometimes the purpose of an item is just to show you that you don’t need it.

Now I thank those things for their service, let them go, and same for procrastinated tasked on my to-do list. ✌

Less guilt. More room for the things I actually want to do.

Can you relate?

Address

New York, NY

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Busy Brain Manual posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Busy Brain Manual:

Shortcuts

Share

Category