Morning Motivation is a Lie. I Use This AI Prompt Instead.
Momentum beats motivation. Here's the system that proves it.
I used to wake up with twelve ideas about what to do first.
Or zero ideas.
Both felt like paralysis.
So I’d sit there for 20 minutes scrolling my task list, getting more anxious, accomplishing nothing.
Then I got diagnosed with ADHD at 47 and realized the problem wasn’t me.
The problem was asking my brain to make a decision it’s not wired to make.
“What should I do first?” is an impossible question when you have ADHD.
Everything feels equally urgent.
Or nothing feels urgent at all.
So I stopped asking my brain to choose.
I started letting AI do it instead.
Here’s the exact system I use.
The Problem With Morning Decisions
Here’s what used to happen:
I’d look at my task list.
“Slack Sarah. Fix the button. Write the blog post. Review the client feedback. Research that thing. Buy milk.”
My brain: “All of these matter. None of these matter. I don’t know where to start. Maybe I should reorganize the list first. Or check Slack. Or make coffee. Or redesign my entire productivity system.”
20 minutes gone.
Zero tasks started.
The issue wasn’t the tasks.
It was the decision.
ADHD brains don’t do well with open-ended choices, especially first thing in the morning when executive function is at its lowest.
You need a starting place that doesn’t require thinking.
What I Do Instead
Every night at 5pm (or whenever my day ends), I brain dump everything bouncing around my head into Apple Notes.
Not organized.
Not prioritized.
Just everything.
slack sarah project update
fix checkout button color
call mom
did i pay electricity bill?
client feedback on homepage
that shower design idea
research notion alternatives
buy milk
analytics broken - why?
It’s a mess.
Then I copy it into Claude and use this prompt:
I have ADHD and I’m looking at a mess of tasks.
Here’s everything from today:
[PASTE YOUR CHAOS]
Please:
1. Sort this into: Tasks, Ideas, Random Thoughts
2. For tasks: identify which ONE task I could do tomorrow that would give me momentum, not the one I “should” do
3. Keep it simple
No extra commentary. Just help me see what’s here.
Claude sorts the chaos and recommends one task for tomorrow.
That’s it.
What This Actually Looks Like
My brain dump:
email sarah project update
fix checkout button color
call mom
electricity bill?
client feedback on homepage
that design idea
research notion alternatives
buy milk
analytics broken
Claude’s response:
TASKS:
- Email Sarah project update
- Review client feedback on homepage
- Check electricity bill status
- Fix checkout button color
- Buy milk
- Troubleshoot analytics
IDEAS TO REVISIT:
- Design idea from shower
- Research Notion alternatives
RANDOM:
- Call mom (scheduled?)
RECOMMENDED FOR TOMORROW:
Email Sarah project update
(You mentioned this first, which suggests momentum. It’s also quick and will feel good to complete.)
Why This Works
1. It removes the morning decision
I wake up and look at one task.
Not twelve.
One.
I don’t have to think about priority, importance, urgency.
The decision was made last night when my brain was slightly more functional.
2. It picks momentum over importance
Claude doesn’t recommend the “most important” task.
It recommends the one I’m most likely to actually do.
The one that has momentum.
The one I mentioned first, or mentioned multiple times, or seems smallest.
Why does this matter?
Because motivation is unreliable.
Momentum is real.
One small win changes your brain chemistry.
Dopamine kicks in.
Suddenly the next task doesn’t feel impossible.
3. It’s one prompt, one answer
I’m not having a conversation with AI.
I’m not refining the output.
I’m not asking follow-up questions.
I dump the mess, get the answer, move on.
Low cognitive load.
What to Do in the Morning
Wake up.
Look at yesterday’s sorted tasks.
Find the recommended task.
Ask yourself: “Can I do this before checking email?”
If yes: Do it.
If no: Pick the smallest task from the list instead.
That’s it.
Don’t overthink it.
Don’t re-analyze.
Don’t decide the AI was wrong and you should do something else.
Just start.
When This Doesn’t Work
Some mornings, the recommended task feels impossible.
Too big. Too vague. Requires energy you don’t have.
Don’t force it.
That’s the trap.
Instead, look at the rest of the task list and pick the smallest, easiest thing.
The thing you could do half-asleep.
“Buy milk” counts.
“Slack Sarah” counts if you already know what to say.
The goal isn’t to be productive.
The goal is to trick your brain into wanting to keep going.
The Before and After
Before this system:
20+ minutes of decision paralysis every morning
Started 3-4 tasks, finished none
Constant guilt about the “important” thing I wasn’t doing
Gave up by noon and scrolled Twitter
After this system:
Look at one task
Start within 5 minutes
Finish the first thing (even if it’s small)
Dopamine hit carries me to the next task
Actually get momentum instead of hoping for motivation
Try This Tomorrow Night
Tonight, before you stop working:
Step 1: Open Notes (or whatever you use) and brain dump everything still in your head.
Every task, idea, worry, random thought.
Don’t organize it.
Step 2: Copy it into Claude (or ChatGPT, or whatever AI you have).
Use this exact prompt:
I have ADHD and I’m looking at a mess of tasks.
Here’s everything from today:
[PASTE YOUR CHAOS]
Please:
1. Sort this into: Tasks, Ideas, Random Thoughts
2. For tasks: identify which ONE task I could do tomorrow that would give me momentum
3. Keep it simple
Step 3: Save Claude’s response.
Look at the recommended task tomorrow morning.
Do that one thing first.
See what happens.
One Last Thing
This won’t fix executive dysfunction.
It won’t make you neurotypical.
It won’t solve all your productivity problems.
What it does:
Takes the hardest decision of your day (what to do first) and removes it.
You’re not trying to be better.
You’re trying to start easier.
That’s enough.
Want the complete system? Paid subscribers get my full AI-powered ADHD task management workflow, including:
How to capture thoughts before they vanish
Context recovery after interruptions
Weekly review protocol
Emergency reset when everything falls apart
Complete prompt library
Have questions? Reply to this email or drop a comment. I read everything.