Learn to Thrive with ADHD Podcast

Ep 99: 5 Essential Routines for ADHD Adults (That Make Life Actually Work)

• Mande John • Episode 99

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Do you ever feel like you're always behind, always reacting, and never really ahead of your day? Like you're stuck in a cycle of chaos and catch-up, no matter how hard you try to get organized? If you've ever thought routines were boring, rigid, or just "not for you," this episode might completely change your mind.

In this episode, Coach Mande shares the game-changing moment when she heard the quote: "You can't be mentally healthy without routines" - and realized she didn't have any real ones. What followed was the creation of 5 essential routines that transformed her ADHD life from constant overwhelm to calm control.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

  • Why routines actually free up your brain instead of boxing you in
  • The ONE routine Coach Mande wishes she'd started with first (it's not what you'd expect!)
  • How to go from "I have 57 things to do" to clear daily priorities
  • The "brain sweep" technique that reduces mental loops and open tasks
  • Why your routines should organize what already needs to happen, not add more work
  • How to make routines stick without relying on perfectionism or willpower
  • The difference between rigid schedules and freedom-creating systems

The 5 Essential Routines Covered:

  1. Evening Routine: Start tomorrow tonight with proper wind-down
  2. Morning Routine: Include something you genuinely look forward to
  3. Planning Routine: Cut overwhelm before it starts with clear priorities
  4. Work Routine: Open and close your day with intention and brain sweeps
  5. Reset & Tidy Routine: 10-minute visual clarity sessions for mental calm

Key Takeaway: "Routines don't need to be perfect. They just need to start. You'll refine them over time."

Coach Mande gets real about her own routine evolution - from falling asleep to TV to putting a television in her bathroom for multitasking baths. She shares exactly how she plugged her morning routine into Google Calendar when she couldn't rely on memory, and why breaking down "get ready" into specific steps prevents ADHD wandering.

Whether you've tried routines before and they didn't stick, or you think you're "too spontaneous" for structure, this episode shows you how to build rhythms that work WITH your ADHD brain, not against it.

Resources Mentioned:

Connect with Coach Mande:

Tell us in the comments: Which of these 5 routines could change everything if you started it tomorrow?

Click here for full show notes.


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CLICK HERE for more resources. We're on this journey together!

 You can't be mentally healthy without routines. Do you ever feel like you're always behind, always reacting and never really ahead of your day? Like you're stuck in a cycle of chaos and catch up. I was struggling big time with my time management. My calendar was a mess. I was juggling two businesses, and honestly, I didn't have a single true routine in place.

And then I heard that quote, you can't be mentally healthy without routines. It stopped me in my tracks because I realized I didn't have any. I had checklists and coping strategies, but not routines, not rhythms. That grounded my day and removed the chaos. So I decided to start in this episode, I'm gonna walk you through five essential routines that I built and how they help ADHD adults, not just function, but thrive.

So before jumping in, I wanna say this, I used to think that routines were boring, rigid, and only for type A people.

But what I found is they actually free up my brain. They don't box me in. So if you've tried routines before and they didn't stick, you're not broken. Most of us just try to do so much too fast or without enough support. This time we're going to do it differently. But first, a quick exercise.

If every day were exactly the same, what would need to happen to feel like you were keeping up with life? So grab a pen or open a note in your phone and list out everything you'd wanna get done in an ideal day. If you're busy while listening to this, no problem, you can get the full workbook at www.learntothrivewithadhd.com/routine

Or you can find that in the description of the podcast or the YouTube channel.

So let's give you some ideas of things you might need to fit in. Meals and snacks, movement cleaning, medications or supplements, work tasks, family or household responsibilities, self-care planning, or organizing. Now you've got your list and we're going to talk about the five essential routines. And what you're going to do is look for where these things would fit in naturally. That is the key. Routines don't add more work. They organize what already needs to happen. So number one, evening routine. Start tomorrow, tonight.

If I could go back and do this one all over again, this is the routine I would've started with because your evening routine doesn't just end your day, it sets up the next one. Evening Routines are about winding down, reducing stimulation, and transitioning from the go, go, go to the let it go.

Here is what mine looks like. Now. Make dinner around 6:30 PM After that, I pick up the counters, put away food, and I leave the dishes till morning. Now, I know that might make some people cringe, but that's what works for me. And then if I haven't already fed the farm animals. I'll do that. I will take a bath while watching tv. Yes, I put a TV in my bathroom so I could multitask.

I will finish my day with a podcast or an audio book, put on a sleep timer while settling into bed. For a long time, I fell asleep to the tv and that was fine for where I was at at the time, but later I realized that the light disrupted my sleep. So I evolved to the routine.

That's lesson number one. Routines don't need to be perfect. They just need to start. You'll refine them over time. Another pro tip, if there is an area in your life that you're struggling with, like self-care, movement, or hydration, make it a part of your routine. If it matters, build it into the rhythm.

Number two, morning routine. Start strong and steady. This is the first routine that I created. I literally plugged each step into my Google calendar. Something really important is to make sure that you're planning things into your morning routine that you really look forward to. Maybe it's a special kind of coffee, a few minutes with a favorite book, a morning walk,

or music that lifts your mood. Having something enjoyable built into your morning gives you a reason to get up. Not just something that you have to do, but something that you want to do.

So why did I get so detailed on my Google calendar? It was because I could not rely on my memory for a new thing that I was implementing, and so I literally plugged everything in.

Here's what I included. Wake up. Then I have about a half hour of free time where I can get on the internet, look things up. I can write, I can journal, I can, that's where I have that thing that I'm really looking forward to. I can listen to a podcast, watch a video, get on YouTube, do whatever I want next. I will get ready for the day and I'll go into detail about that in just a minute.

And then in a 30 minute block, I will clean my house.

Clean house doesn't mean a deep clean for me. It means pick up clutter, wipe surfaces,

do dishes, fold, switch, and start a load of laundry.

Get ready means wash my face, brush teeth, skincare makeup, get dressed. So you see the difference. If your routine isn't broken down, you'll either wander or overload it. This is especially important with ADHD because you're prone to both for getting the steps and unintentionally adding unnecessary ones.

If you're struggling to remember or stick to your routine, write it down. A Post-it index card or reoccurring phone reminder can go a long way. So essential. Routine. Number three, a planning routine. Cut out the overwhelm before it starts. Planning routines can be daily or weekly, but the purpose is the same, reduce, overwhelm and give your brain a roadmap.

My planning routine includes reviewing my calendar, prioritizing one to three key tasks for the day. Blocking time for the things on my to-do list, checking for upcoming appointments or obligations. This helps me to go from, I have 57 things to do to here's what I'm actually doing today.

And remember, if you're struggling with consistency or forgetfulness, make the planning process itself part of a routine.

Four essential routine is your. Work routine, open with intention, close with a brain. Sweep

this routine bookends your workday and helps you shift in and out of focus mode. Start of work routine. Your start of work routine. Do a quick brain sweep. That's what's on your mind. Review your calendar or task list. Open the tools that you need. tidy your workspace. Do a physical pickup.

Start a focus timer. end of work routine, brain sweep. Again, capture what's unfinished in your mind. Note where to pick up tomorrow. Respond to quick messages.

Again, tidy up your space, shut down your work apps or laptop.

This start close rhythm not only creates momentum, it reduces open loops, which is critical for ADHD brains. If you struggled to get started on your own, try body doubling I used Focusmate when I was building this routine and it helped so much. Five, reset and tidy.

Visual clarity equals mental clarity. Clutter can absolutely derail your focus. This is why a daily reset.

Even just 10 minutes can make a huge difference. You can tie this into a specific time or trigger after dinner, before bed, end of workday. Keep it simple. Set a timer for 10 minutes and do what you can Focus on clearing counters, tossing trash, putting things back in their homes.

You're not deep cleaning. You're clearing the visual field so that your brain can reset. So let's talk about weekends. Should you keep your routines on the weekends? That depends. If you need a break, take it.

But if you're like most of my clients, completely unstructured, weekends feel great in theory and then kind of awful in practice. You wake up late, you drift through the day, and by Sunday night you're anxious

about the week ahead, and you don't feel completely rejuvenated.

So here's what I recommend. Keep your wake sleep times fairly consistent. Plan one or two rejuvenating activities. Use your routines to set up your week, not recover from it.

Weekends do not have to be rigid, but they also don't have to be a free for all. So let's talk about why routines work for ADHD. Here's the truth. Routines aren't about rigidity, they're about freedom. They greatly reduce decision fatigue and decision fatigue is real. The more decisions you make, the more depleted and overwhelmed you become. When your routines are dialed in, the important stuff happens on autopilot. You don't have to think about it, and that gives you the mental space to focus on what actually matters, And

most importantly, your routines should work for you, not against you. You don't need to be part of the 5:00 AM Club. You don't need a Miracle Morning. You don't need to copy anyone else's system. You just need to ask what would support me right now? So let's recap. Here are the five essential routines.

Number one evening routine, wind down and set up for tomorrow. Number two, morning routine. Start strong and steady. Number three, planning routine. Create your Game plan.

Number four, work routine. Open and close your day with intention and a brain sweep. Number five, reset and tidy routine. Clear your space and clear your mind. Which of these routines do you already have in place? Which one would change everything? If you started doing it tomorrow,

I would love to hear from you, and if you want help building ADHD friendly routines that actually stick, grab my free guide in the description

and I really want to set up your expectations here. When you create new routines, anytime you're doing something new, it's going to be uncomfortable and it's going to feel difficult at first, and then it's going to become easier and easier. And not only that, you're going to reevaluate your routines, constantly deciding what's working for you and what's not working for you.

What I want you to be able to do is get through that sticking point of it being difficult so that everything is on autopilot and simple for you in the future.

Your future self is going to thank you for every tiny rhythm you build today. Alright guys, I will see you next week.