What Really Keeps An ADHD Writer Coming Back to the Desk? Hint- It’s Not Routine

Discover productivity tips from editor and coach Kirsten Donaghey who specializes in helping writers, creatives and ADHDers with projects and daily life. Check out two amazing prizes you can win at the bottom of this post.

As an ADHD Coach who works with a lot of writers, one of the most common questions I get from clients is: How can I be consistent with my writing?

I have been there myself, trying to trick my brain into showing up on a regular basis for my writing. Schedules, pep talks, forcing myself to sit at my desk even if I didn’t write a word. I spent so much energy trying, only to feel like a failure when I drifted away from yet another project.

I genuinely wanted to write. I often told people that writing was the way I processed the world around me. It was my filter from the chaos. It was a need as much as a desire.

So let me share with you what I’ve learned from my own experience, as well as from working with hundreds of writers who have struggled with this. We have been barking up the wrong tree. The question isn’t how to force consistency. If we are honest, we know better; if it feels forced, it’s not going to work long term. The real question is: what makes you hungry to write?

Trust Your Brain to Do What It Does Best

There’s a momentum that happens when you’re deep in a piece of writing. Your ADHD brain, usually bouncing from one thought to another, is in a state of flow, or hyperfocus. The constraints of time disappear. The world (aka distractions) beyond your document ceases to exist. This isn’t the result of discipline or consistency—this is you being authentically creative. The ADHD brain is naturally creative – thoughts travel away from the point, in all directions, to explore. But if you trust your brain, you will know that it is out there making connections. Ideas that seem random link up and produce new ideas. This process gives us that amazing dopamine surge.

I see it in my clients’ faces when they describe their best writing days. Their eyes light up, they become animated. They’re not talking about grinding through word counts or following schedules. They’re talking about sliding into something that felt authentic.

Allowing yourself space and patience for this to happen is what counts. When you are hyper-aware of word counts and doing it right, your ADHD brain will create resistance. The goal is not to fight resistance; it’s to let go of expectations so your creative brain has room to do what it does best.

Beyond the Productivity Trap

Here’s where most writing advice fails ADHD brains: it gives advice and one-size-fits-all strategies, saying things like, just get your butt in the chair and write, or put it into your schedule. But we don’t like instructions or rules. We’re meaning-makers, pattern-seekers, connection-builders. The ADHD writers who finish their drafts aren’t the ones who’ve mastered discipline—they’re the ones who’ve learned to recognize and trust their own patterns of engagement.

They know that Tuesday mornings feel electric while Mondays are almost always a struggle. They’ve noticed that handwriting unlocks something that typing doesn’t. They’ve stopped fighting their need for background noise or complete silence or seven different colored pens.

So, ask yourself:
What do I need? How do I want to show up as a writer? What makes writing enticing? What makes me feel authentic?

And then ask yourself:
Why do I avoid my writing? (Do you hate your desk? Do you not believe in your story? Are you afraid you aren’t good enough?) Where do I feel stuck?

And finally:
If there was one thing I could change that would make me hungry to write, what would it be?

Put As Much Energy into Reflection As The Writing

If you are having trouble staying with your writing project, I would suggest trying this first. Block off an hour or two of protected, uninterrupted time. Make sure you do it at a time when you’re not tired or distracted. Lie on the floor or go for a walk. Do something that relaxes you. Now, really delve into what is coming between you and your creative energy. Because whatever it is, it is a barrier. Not to be conquered, to be known, so you can gracefully step around it, saying, I’m not here to fight, I’m here to write.

The Practice of Noticing

Start here: choose not to worry about word counts or daily goals. Instead, become a detective of your own desire. Notice what pulls you toward your writing and what pushes you away. Take notes if you feel like. Breathe it in. Own it.

Notice the difference between wanting to write and needing to write. The want is pleasant but negotiable. The need is urgent, almost uncomfortable—like hunger or the pressure of held breath. The need is what brings you back.

Notice the moments when your story feels most alive to you. Is it when you’re walking? In the shower? Right before sleep? These aren’t distractions from your “real” writing time—they’re glimpses of your story’s natural rhythm.

Notice what happens in your body when you think about your unfinished draft. Does your chest tighten with anxiety or expand with anticipation? Your body is giving you information about what your story needs from you.

The Violence of “Must” and “Should”

And finally, we need to talk about the language that’s been poisoning our relationship with our own creativity. Listen to how we talk about writing: I must establish a routine, I should write every day, I need to manage my time better.

Every single one of these phrases is a creativity killer for the ADHD brain.

When we frame writing as something to be managed, we transform it from play into work. When we insist it requires a routine, we strip away the spontaneity that feeds our inspiration.

ADHD writers often learn to hate the act of writing because the route there makes them feel bad. It’s not a straight line back to your desk. It’s not a matter of trying harder, planning better, or engaging in processes that feel like punishment. It’s an exploratory route of reflecting and playing, to better understand how to be our authentic, creative selves.

You can explore your ADHD and discover how it affects your writing practice, gain some insight, and learn some effective strategies in my new book (co-authored with Nicole Bross) ­–  A Novel Approach: Strategies for ADHD Writers

Kirsten generously has two giveaways! One lucky winner will receive a copy of her new co-authored book, A Novel Approach: Strategies for ADHD Writers.

Full of exercises, case studies, and thought-provoking advice, A Novel Approach will give you the tools you need to develop new habits and practices that work with, not against your ADHD. Your ADHD doesn’t have to stand in the way of your dream of being an author. It’s time to rewrite the story you’ve been telling yourself about what you can do, because your ADHD doesn’t get the final word—you do.

One lucky winner will receive a 45 minute coaching session.

Many ADHD writers benefit from 1:1 coaching to help them better understand how their specific ADHD challenges are getting in the way of finishing their book. In coaching, we not only identify roadblocks but also focus on harnessing your strengths to create a writing practice that works for you.

Enter one or both of these giveaways HERE.

Please thank Kirsten for her generosity in the comments. Winners will be announced on this post and notified via e-mail on Monday, November 3. Good luck.

Here are additional tips for writers with ADHD.

Book Structure for Disorganized Writers
Writing Tips from a Neurodivergent Brain
Amazing Resources for Neurodivergent Writers

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Kirsten Donaghey is the author of A Novel Approach – Strategies for ADHD Writers. She is a certified ADHD coach and longtime editor and writing coach. A Canadian living in Vienna, she was the founder of a nonprofit writing hub where she organized writing workshops and networking events for local writers. She now works with clients worldwide as a coach and editor, thriving on collaboration and creative solutions. Her own inspiration comes from reading, traveling, hiking, meaningful exchanges, and creating. She specializes in helping writers, creatives, academics, and ADHDers with their projects and daily life.

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