Dopamine Drizzle & the Goldfish Tank of Time: Hacking ADHD the Sensual Way

Let me paint the picture: you’ve got a to-do list, a solid intention, and an entire afternoon.

You’ve even made the effort to sit down. But somehow, you’re staring into the abyss of tabs, WhatsApp group chats, and that one shoe on the floor that suddenly requires urgent attention. Sound familiar?

Hi, it me. 🙋🏽‍♀️

Let’s talk about the frustrating, invisible wall between knowing what you need to do and actually doing it — especially if you're living with ADHD.

Because discipline? Willpower? Just pushing through? That narrative never worked for some of us.

And I’m here to tell you: you don’t need more shame.

You need a drizzle.

You know how a heavy downpour of all the good things [or a dopamine flood] can be overwhelming and overstimulating? Yeah, we’re not going for that 😅 .

We’re looking for a drizzle — a consistent, cozy little sprinkle of sensory delight that makes showing up to a task feel less like punishment and more like… okay, I can do this for five minutes.

For me, a dopamine drizzle can look like:

• The first sip of a Seltzer water from the plastic bottle, within reach!
• Vibey incense burning
• Lo-fi beats or a playlist that gets my nervous system nodding
• Cozy socks, always cozy socks and/or a fuzzy blanket
• Or even the ridiculous thrill of lighting incense like I’m about to sage a bad date out of my kitchen

The idea is simple: pair the meh thing you’re avoiding with something that low-key lights you up.

Okay now, let’s talk time. Ever notice how if you give yourself three hours to write one email, it takes you… three hours?

But when you only have 15 minutes between meetings, somehow it’s DONE?

That’s Parkinson’s Law, bb:

Tasks expand to the time you give them. Just like a goldfish will grow to fill its tank.

So instead of giving yourself the whole afternoon to finally organize your desktop folders [again], try giving yourself 20 minutes. Set a timer. Make it a challenge. And reward yourself with a cookie. Or a stretch. Or a scroll.

Whatever works [within reason 😉] .

Put them together and you’ve got a neurodivergent-friendly recipe for momentum.

Here’s what that could look like:

• You light your fave candle [the dopamine drizzle]
• You give yourself 10 minutes to clean the kitchen while playing that 00's Playlist [Parkinson’s Law]
• Boom. Kitchen’s clean[er], mood is better, and you're already winning.

This isn’t about getting motivated. It’s about creating just enough motion to slip out of freeze mode and into I’m doing the damn thing.

Because the truth is: activation energy is real. And some of us [especially those of us managing ADHD, trauma, burnout, or living in bodies that weren’t built for this productivity-obsessed world] need tools that feel doable, not defeating.