ChatGPT prompts for ADHD planning, focus and weekly resets
Copy-ready prompts for task breakdowns, body-doubling scripts, routines and weekly resets. Adults only. Not a diagnosis. Not medical advice.
In short: This page contains 30 copy-paste ready prompts, organized into 6 categories with a description and pro tip for each. The first 5 prompts are free instantly, no signup needed. Drafted with AI writing assistance and checked against our editorial policy.
Task Breakdowns
5 promptsOne scary task into tiny steps
1/30✨ What it does
Splits one scary task into eight sub-10-minute steps that use tools you already have, starting with a physical first move. Vague done-states stay tagged; no diagnosis is invented.
Break one scary task into tiny steps I can start today. Task: [SCARY TASK]. What done looks like, in my words: [DONE LOOKS LIKE]. Tools I already have: [TOOLS I HAVE]. Output 8 numbered steps, each doable in under 10 minutes, using only those tools. Step 1 must be a physical first move, such as open the file. If done-looks-like is vague, write [VERIFY] on the last step and ask me to name a file, inbox or room that would count as finished. Do not invent a diagnosis, a therapist homework or a medication. This is a checklist, not medical advice.
Pro tip: Name the file, the sink or the email thread. 'Sort my life' is not a task.
Open loops from a messy list
2/30✨ What it does
Turns a messy list into open loops with a next physical action, capping tonight at three. Actions that need unlisted tools stay tagged; no extra project is invented.
Sort this messy list into open loops I can close. List: [PASTE MESSY LIST]. Energy I have tonight, in my words: [ENERGY TONIGHT]. Output a table with columns Loop, Next physical action, Minutes if I wrote any, Tonight or later. Tonight gets at most three loops. If a loop has no next action I could do without buying something, write [VERIFY] in Next physical action. Do not invent a project I did not list. Do not label me with a disorder. A made-up 'you probably also need to file taxes' is extra shame, not help.
Pro tip: Paste the notes app dump, including half-sentences.
Start in two minutes version
3/30✨ What it does
Rewrites one task as a two-minute start that uses something already on your desk, plus a stop rule you chose. An empty desk stays tagged; no system is invented.
Rewrite this task as something I can start in two minutes. Task: [TASK]. Where I am sitting: [WHERE I AM]. What is already on the desk: [DESK ITEMS]. Output a 6 line card: Two-minute start, Then if I keep going, Parking lot for extra ideas, Stop rule I chose in [STOP RULE]. The two-minute start must use an item on the desk. If the desk list is empty, write [VERIFY] and ask me to name one object within reach. Do not invent a productivity system. Do not invent a brain type. A pomodoro I did not ask for is still a hurdle.
Pro tip: If the start needs a login on another device, pick a worse start that is here.
Context-switch cost table
4/30✨ What it does
Tables each work stream against unfinished next actions and switches you recorded yesterday. Unrecorded switches stay tagged; no ping count or disorder is invented.
Show me the cost of switching using work I already juggle. Work streams: [WORK STREAMS]. Switches I made yesterday: [SWITCHES YESTERDAY]. Output a table with columns Stream, Last unfinished next action from my notes, Switch I recorded, Cost in my words. If I did not record a switch, write [VERIFY] in that cell rather than guessing I flipped ten times. Do not invent a focus disorder. Do not invent Slack pings I did not mention. A story about 'ADHD context switching' I did not write is a diagnosis costume.
Pro tip: Count yesterday from the browser history or the calendar, not from vibes.
What done looks like card
5/30✨ What it does
Defines done, not-done, who sees it and where the file lives from evidence you already accept. Missing evidence stays tagged as a short pick-list; no boss is invented.
Write a done-looks-like card for one task so I can stop. Task: [TASK]. Evidence I will accept: [EVIDENCE I WILL ACCEPT]. Who else needs to see it, if anyone: [WHO NEEDS TO SEE IT]. Output four lines: Done when, Not done while, Who to send it to, Where I will put the file from [WHERE IT LIVES]. If evidence is missing, write [VERIFY] and list three candidate proofs I must pick from, without adding a fourth. Do not invent a boss, a grade or a clinical outcome. A fake 'inbox zero' I did not define will keep me polishing all night.
Pro tip: Done should be visible, such as 'email sent', not 'I feel ready'.
Body-Doubling Scripts
5 promptsTwenty-five minute sit-with-me script
6/30✨ What it does
Writes a 25 minute sit-with-me script with start, mid check and stop lines for a task you named. An unnamed partner stays tagged so the script still works alone; no clinic is invented.
Write a 25 minute body-doubling script I can read aloud or paste to a friend. Friend or group: [WHO IS SITTING WITH ME]. Task I will do: [TASK]. Output a timed script: 0:00 say the task, 0:02 start, 20:00 check whether the next action is still the same, 25:00 stop and name one thing that moved. If I did not name who is sitting with me, write [VERIFY] on 0:00 and keep the script usable alone. Do not invent a coach. Do not invent a clinic group. This is not medical advice and a 'therapy session' I did not book is the wrong frame.
Pro tip: Mute video if faces distract you. The point is another person in the room, not a meeting.
Text a friend to sit with you
7/30✨ What it does
Drafts a 40 to 70 word text with a time window, a one-line task and an easy no. Missing times stay tagged; no prior agreement or diagnosis is invented.
Draft a short text asking a willing friend to body-double. Friend: [FRIEND NAME]. When I want to start: [START WINDOW]. What I will work on, in one line: [TASK LINE]. Output a text of 40 to 70 words: ask, time window, task line, how they can say no. If the start window is missing, write [VERIFY] where the time would go. Do not invent that they already agreed. Do not mention a diagnosis. Do not claim a medical need. A guilt trip about my brain is not an invitation.
Pro tip: Send it to someone who already said this kind of sit is okay, not to a random group chat.
Virtual coworking intro
8/30✨ What it does
Writes a six-line coworking intro covering camera rule, your task, midpoint ping and ending. A blank camera rule stays tagged as optional; no attendee names are invented.
Write an intro I can paste at the start of a virtual coworking session. Session: [SESSION NAME]. Camera rule I want: [CAMERA RULE]. Tasks on my list: [TASKS]. Output a 6 line intro: hello, camera rule, my task, how we ping at the midpoint, how we end. If camera rule is blank, write [VERIFY] and default to cameras optional in the intro. Do not invent other attendees' names. Do not invent a paid community. Do not frame this as treatment. A fake 'accountability therapist' in the Zoom is not a coworker.
Pro tip: Put the task in the intro so you cannot silently switch to email.
Mid-session check-in questions
9/30✨ What it does
Gives five mid-session questions, starting with whether you are still on the named task. Missing elapsed minutes stay tagged in the header; no score or symptom question is added.
Write mid-session check-in questions a body-double can ask me. Task: [TASK]. Minutes elapsed: [MINUTES ELAPSED]. Output exactly five questions, numbered, each yes or no or a next-action in five words. Question 1 must be 'Are you still on [TASK]?'. If minutes elapsed is blank, write [VERIFY] in the header and still ask the five. Do not invent a productivity score. Do not ask about symptoms. Do not diagnose why I drifted. A question about my childhood is not a check-in.
Pro tip: Answer out loud. Typing a novel in the chat is another context switch.
End-of-session recap
10/30✨ What it does
Creates a recap form for what moved, what is open, tomorrow's first step and where you parked it. Missing park place stays tagged; no win or streak is invented.
Write an end-of-session recap I fill, not a pep talk you invent. Task: [TASK]. What moved, in my words after I type it: I will paste [WHAT MOVED] after we start, so first output a form with blanks What moved, What is still open, First step tomorrow, Where I parked it from [PARK PLACE]. If park place is missing, write [VERIFY] on that blank. Do not invent a win. Do not invent a streak. Do not congratulate me for a brain chemistry I did not describe. A recap with fake progress trains me to lie to the next session.
Pro tip: Fill it before you close the laptop, even if the honest answer is 'I opened the file'.
Daily Routines
5 promptsMorning launch from my real morning
11/30✨ What it does
Sequences at most seven steps from your real wake time to the first block, using actions you already do. Missing wake time stays tagged; no cold shower or supplement is invented.
Build a morning launch sequence from what I already do, not from a 5am fantasy. What I already do after waking: [CURRENT MORNING]. Time I actually wake: [WAKE TIME]. First work or care block: [FIRST BLOCK]. Output a sequence of at most 7 steps between wake and first block, using only actions in [CURRENT MORNING] plus one 'put the phone in [PHONE HOME]' if I named a phone home in [PHONE HOME]. If wake time is blank, write [VERIFY] and do not invent an alarm. Do not invent cold showers, journaling I skip or a supplement. Not medical advice: a routine I will not run is decoration.
Pro tip: Time yesterday morning. If it was 40 minutes of phone, write that down.
Shutdown ritual at the actual end of day
12/30✨ What it does
Writes a six-step shutdown for a stop time you can keep, including device parking and tomorrow's first task. Missing stop time stays tagged; no journal or sleep product is invented.
Write a shutdown ritual for the time I actually stop, not the time I wish I stopped. Stop time I can keep: [STOP TIME]. Devices I must park: [DEVICES]. Tomorrow's first task if I know it: [FIRST TASK TOMORROW]. Output a 6 step shutdown: save, park devices in places I named in [PARK PLACES], write tomorrow's first task, leave the room. If stop time is missing, write [VERIFY] on step 1. Do not invent a gratitude journal. Do not invent a sleep supplement. Do not diagnose insomnia. A shutdown that needs a new hobby will not happen tonight.
Pro tip: Park the laptop charger in another room so opening it again costs a walk.
Leave-the-house object chain
13/30✨ What it does
Orders a door chain from the furthest object to the exit using homes you named. Homeless objects stay tagged until you pick a hook or bowl; no gadget is invented.
Build an object chain I can run at the door. Objects I must have: [OBJECTS]. Where each one lives: [WHERE THEY LIVE]. Output a numbered chain that starts at the furthest object and ends at the door, each step 'pick up X from Y'. If an object has no home, write [VERIFY] beside it and ask me to pick a hook, bowl or pocket before we continue. Do not invent a gadget. Do not invent a medical alert item I did not list. A key dish I do not own will not save Thursday.
Pro tip: Put a bowl you already own by the door tonight, then rerun the chain.
Meal-time scaffold from my kitchen
14/30✨ What it does
Builds a five-line meal card from food at home, a slot and minutes you will spend. An empty kitchen stays tagged as cupboard questions; no diet is invented.
Scaffold one meal time from food I already have. Kitchen: [FOODS I HAVE]. Meal slot: [MEAL SLOT]. Minutes I will spend: [MINUTES]. Output a 5 line card: What I will eat from the list, What I will skip, Timer I will set from my minutes, Where I will sit from [WHERE I SIT], What I will not open (phone, extra tabs) if I named it in [DO NOT OPEN]. If the kitchen list is empty, write [VERIFY] and give me three questions to answer while I open the cupboard. Do not invent a diet. Do not invent calories. Not medical advice and not a nutrition plan.
Pro tip: Eat the boring option that is already cooked. Hunting a new recipe is a stall.
Work to home transition
15/30✨ What it does
Writes a four-step work-to-home transition from your real commute or doorway, open loops and who meets you. A blank commute stays tagged as doorway-only; no family member is invented.
Write a transition between work and home using the commute or doorway I actually have. How I get home: [COMMUTE OR DOORWAY]. What work still pulls at me: [OPEN LOOPS]. Person or pet who meets me, if any: [WHO MEETS ME]. Output a 4 step transition: closing line I say at work from [CLOSING LINE], commute or doorway action, one sentence I can say to who meets me, park-the-work step. If commute is blank, write [VERIFY] and treat it as a doorway only. Do not invent a family member. Do not invent a therapist script. A fake 'how was your day' ritual with nobody there is noise.
Pro tip: The park-the-work step should be physical, like bag on a hook, not a feeling.
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Focus Blocks
5 promptsOne-block calendar from hours I have
16/30✨ What it does
Places a single focus block inside hours you already have, with known interruptions parked. Missing hours stay tagged as a request for a start clock; no four-hour fantasy is invented.
Place one focus block on hours I actually have. Hours free: [HOURS FREE]. Task: [TASK]. Interruptions I already know: [KNOWN INTERRUPTIONS]. Output a one-row calendar: Start, End, Task, Interruptions parked where I named in [PARK PLACE]. Start and end must sit inside [HOURS FREE]. If hours free is blank, write [VERIFY] and stop after asking for a start clock time. Do not invent a four-hour deep-work fantasy. Do not invent a focus drug. A calendar brick I cannot sit through is how I ghost the next one.
Pro tip: Start with 25 to 40 minutes you can keep, then book a second block if the first one happens.
Distraction parking lot
17/30✨ What it does
Maps each usual intrusion to one line you will write in a park place you named. A missing park place stays tagged until you pick paper, file or memo; no extra worry is invented.
Build a parking lot for thoughts that arrive mid-block. Thoughts that usually arrive: [USUAL INTRUSIONS]. Where I will park them: [PARK PLACE]. Output a two-column card: If this thought arrives, Then I write this one line in the park place. Limit the card to the intrusions I listed. If park place is missing, write [VERIFY] and ask me to pick a paper, a note file or a voice memo. Do not invent a thought. Do not invent a rumination diagnosis. A parking lot full of extra worries I did not name is another task list.
Pro tip: Use paper if the phone is the distraction. A notes app on the same phone is a trap.
Phone in another room protocol
18/30✨ What it does
Sets where the phone goes, what you tell anyone who might need you and how you retrieve it when your timer ends. Missing rooms stay tagged; no lockbox is invented.
Write a protocol for putting the phone in another room during a block. Rooms I have: [ROOMS]. Who else might need me: [WHO MIGHT NEED ME]. Output: where the phone goes, from my rooms; what I tell who might need me, in 20 words; how I get it back when the timer I set in [TIMER MINUTES] ends. If rooms is blank, write [VERIFY] and ask for one other surface besides the desk. Do not invent a lockbox. Do not invent a family emergency plan I did not describe. A protocol that needs a gadget I do not own will fail at 3pm.
Pro tip: Put the phone face down in a room you must walk to. On the sofa arm still counts as here.
If I bounce, restart script
19/30✨ What it does
Writes a five-line restart: notice, close the bounce destination, stand, sit, two-minute start. A missing start stays tagged as open the file; no shame lecture is added.
Write a restart script for when I bounce off a block. Task: [TASK]. Where I tend to go instead: [WHERE I BOUNCE]. Output 5 lines I can read: Notice I bounced, Close the other tab or room from my bounce list, Stand up, Sit back, Do the two-minute start from [TWO MINUTE START]. If the two-minute start is missing, write [VERIFY] and use 'open the file or paper for [TASK]'. Do not invent a shame lecture. Do not invent a symptom tracker. A restart that takes twelve steps is another bounce.
Pro tip: Practise the stand-up once on a good day so it exists when you need it.
Energy-matched pick from my own words
20/30✨ What it does
Matches each task to an energy word you used and picks at most one. Missing energy words stay tagged as a request for three friend-words; no clinical label is invented.
Pick today's task from a list using energy words I already used, not a clinical scale. Energy words today: [ENERGY WORDS]. Task list: [TASK LIST]. Output a table with columns Task, Energy word from my list that fits, Why in 12 of my words, Pick or wait. Pick at most one. If energy words are missing, write [VERIFY] and ask me for three words I would tell a friend. Do not invent a hypo/hyper label. Do not invent a diagnosis. Matching a task to 'tired' I did not say is fiction.
Pro tip: Use ordinary words such as foggy, wired, okay. Skip internet ADHD slang if it is not how you talk.
Weekly Resets
5 promptsSunday forty-minute reset
21/30✨ What it does
Times a Sunday reset of 40 minutes or less across areas you named, using next actions you already know. Unknown next actions stay tagged and skipped; no deep clean is invented.
Fill a 40 minute Sunday reset from areas I already want to touch. Areas: [AREAS]. Minutes I will give: [MINUTES], which must be 40 or less. Output a timed list that adds up to my minutes, with each area getting a next action I could do in that slice. If an area has no next action in [NEXT ACTIONS I KNOW], write [VERIFY] and skip it rather than inventing a deep clean. Do not invent a meal prep I do not cook. Do not invent a therapy homework. A 3 hour 'reset' is how Sundays disappear.
Pro tip: Set a kitchen timer. When it rings, the reset is over even if the sink is still there.
Calendar versus dumped tasks
22/30✨ What it does
Marks each dumped item as already on the calendar or not, then park or schedule. Items without a duration stay tagged; no meeting or deadline is invented.
Reconcile my calendar with a dumped task list. Calendar: [PASTE CALENDAR]. Dump: [PASTE DUMP]. Output a table with columns Dump item, Already on calendar yes or no, Next action, Park or schedule. If a dump item has no duration I wrote, write [VERIFY] in Next action rather than inventing a 2 hour block. Do not invent a meeting. Do not invent a deadline. A phantom Friday review I never run should not appear as if it were booked.
Pro tip: Paste the real calendar export, including the boring appointments you will keep.
What slipped without the shame story
23/30✨ What it does
Tables slipped items against facts you pasted, with drop or retry and a tiny next step. Unknown instead-facts stay tagged; no moral or disorder reason is invented.
Review what slipped last week using facts I paste, without a character story. Slipped items: [SLIPPED ITEMS]. What I did instead, if I know: [WHAT I DID INSTEAD]. Output a table with columns Item, Fact from my paste, Next tiny step, Drop or retry. If I do not know what I did instead, write [VERIFY] in that cell. Do not invent a moral. Do not invent a disorder reason. Do not write 'because of ADHD' unless those words are in my paste. A shame novel is not a plan.
Pro tip: If you drop an item, delete it from the list so it stops haunting Monday.
Three rocks for next week
24/30✨ What it does
Chooses exactly three rocks from commitments you already made, each with a done line and a day you can work. Hours that cannot cover three stay tagged on rock 3; no fourth rock is invented.
Pick three rocks for next week from work I already committed to. Commitments: [COMMITMENTS]. Hours I can honestly give: [HOURS]. Output exactly three rocks, each with a done-looks-like line from my words and a day from [DAYS I CAN WORK]. If hours cannot cover three, write [VERIFY] on rock 3 and recommend dropping it. Do not invent a fourth rock. Do not invent a OKR. Do not invent a client. Three honest rocks beat a vision board I will not open.
Pro tip: A rock is visible to someone else, such as a sent draft, not 'think about the project'.
Admin hour contents
25/30✨ What it does
Maps one protected hour across papers, messages and money admin you already named, with a five-minute buffer. Items needing unnamed logins stay tagged; no bill is invented.
Fill one admin hour with tasks I already owe. Owed admin: [ADMIN LIST]. Hour I can protect: [HOUR WINDOW]. Output a minute map that fits the window, grouped as papers, messages, money admin I named, and a 5 minute buffer. If an item needs a password or a person I did not name, write [VERIFY] and park it. Do not invent a bill. Do not invent a tax form. Do not invent a bank. An admin hour stuffed with extra adulting I did not list is how I avoid the hour.
Pro tip: Put the hour on the calendar with a start ritual, such as headphones on, then start the first paper.
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Capture and Reminders
5 promptsInbox-ish capture from notes
26/30✨ What it does
Turns pasted notes into short loops parked in a capture place you already use. Feelings with no action stay tagged and skipped; no second inbox is invented.
Capture open loops from notes I paste into a list I can trust. Notes: [PASTE NOTES]. Capture place I already use: [CAPTURE PLACE]. Output a bullet list of loops, each 8 words or fewer, plus a line 'parked in [CAPTURE PLACE]'. If a note is a feeling with no action, write [VERIFY] and skip it. Do not invent a second inbox. Do not invent a GTD ritual I do not run. A new app in the output is another place to forget.
Pro tip: One capture place. If you have four, pick the one you opened yesterday.
Recurring reminder list from my own items
27/30✨ What it does
Writes one reminder line per repeating chore in the tool you already use, at cadences you wrote. Missing cadence stays tagged; no pill schedule is invented.
Turn chores I already repeat into reminder lines I can paste into a tool I already use. Chores: [CHORES]. Tool: [TOOL I USE]. Cadence I already try: [CADENCE]. Output one reminder line per chore in the tool's plain language, with the cadence I wrote. If cadence is missing for a chore, write [VERIFY] beside it. Do not invent a weekly reset I skip. Do not invent a pill reminder. Not medical advice: a dose schedule I did not supply is out of scope.
Pro tip: Attach reminders to events that already happen, such as after the kettle, not to a blank hour.
Waiting-on tracker
28/30✨ What it does
Tables people you already asked, the ask, the date if you have it and a nudge on a channel you use. Missing dates stay tagged; no extra follow-up is invented.
Build a waiting-on tracker from people I already asked. People and what I asked: [WAITING ON]. Date I asked, if I have it: [DATES ASKED]. Output a table with columns Person, Ask, Date or [VERIFY], Nudge date I will choose in [NUDGE RULE], Channel I already use from [CHANNEL]. If a person has no ask, drop the row. Do not invent a follow-up I did not send. Do not invent a manager. A tracker full of ghosts makes the real waits invisible.
Pro tip: If you cannot name the channel you used, you probably did not actually ask.
Visual cues in the rooms I have
29/30✨ What it does
Places cues you are willing to put up into rooms you live in, each tied to a task. Cues that need unnamed walls stay tagged; no smart light is invented.
Place visual cues in rooms I actually live in. Rooms: [ROOMS]. Cues I am willing to put up: [CUES I WILL PUT UP]. Tasks those cues should trigger: [TASKS]. Output a table with columns Room, Cue from my list, Task it triggers. If a cue needs a wall I did not name, write [VERIFY] and skip it. Do not invent a smart light. Do not invent a housemate's permission. A sticky note in a room I do not have is not a cue.
Pro tip: Use objects you already see, like a basket on the shoe you trip over.
I forgot again recovery card
30/30✨ What it does
Builds a five-line recovery card from what you forgot, where you found it last time and who you had to tell. Missing last-time locations stay tagged; no punishment is invented.
Write a recovery card for the next time I forget something I already forgot before. What I forgot: [WHAT I FORGOT]. Where I found it last time: [WHERE I FOUND IT]. Who I had to tell, if anyone: [WHO I TOLD]. Output a 5 line card: What to check first, Where to look from last time, Who to message in 15 words, How to add one cue from [CUE I WILL ADD], How to stop the spiral in one sentence I supply in [STOP SPIRAL SENTENCE]. If last-time location is missing, write [VERIFY] on Where to look. Do not invent a diagnosis. Do not invent a punishment. Not medical advice: a forgetting is a logistics problem here, not a label.
Pro tip: Keep the card in the same place as the thing you forget, even if that feels silly.
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