ADHD and Burnout: Why Trying to Work Like Everyone Else Doesn’t Work
- Sarah Hardy
- 24 hours ago
- 2 min read
For so many of my clients, “productivity” has always felt like a moving target.
They’ve tried every planner, colour-coded system, and time-blocking method out there and still ended up burnt out.
As a Manchester based ADHD coach, I see this all the time. Most people with ADHD or executive functioning challenges aren’t short on effort; they’re working against systems that were never built for how their brain actually works.
Coaching isn’t about teaching you to fit into that mould It’s about helping you build tools and systems that work for you, your energy, your focus, and your life.
💡 Why Traditional Productivity Advice Doesn’t Work for ADHD Brains
Traditional advice assumes everyone’s brain responds the same way to motivation, structure, and reward. But ADHD brains are fuelled by interest, novelty, and urgency.
When a task feels repetitive or uninspiring, the brain’s dopamine response drops making it incredibly hard to start, even when you want to.
That’s why a “just try harder” mindset doesn’t work. It’s not laziness or lack of willpower it’s a mismatch between brain wiring and expectation.
🪞 Rethinking Productivity and Burnout
For neurodivergent people, especially ADHDers, trying to work like everyone else often leads straight to burnout.
You spend all your energy masking, overcompensating, or keeping up appearances — until you have nothing left to give.
In coaching, we start by clearing the blocks:
Understanding your strengths (and when they tip into overwhelm).
Exploring how executive function challenges show up for you.
Learning how to regulate your energy and focus.
The goal isn’t to become more “consistent.” It’s to create a rhythm that works with your brain, not against it.
🧩 Building Tools That Fit You
In ADHD coaching, we co-create systems that flex not fight.
That might mean:
A work routine that adjusts to energy levels.
Accountability structures that feel supportive, not strict.
Using interest and curiosity to drive focus.
As a Manchester ADHD coach, I work with clients across the UK (and often remotely) to find sustainable ways of working that feel less forced and more natural.
You don’t have to push yourself into someone else’s version of success.
You get to build your way.
💭 Ready to Explore What Works for You?
If you’re an adult with ADHD (or suspect you might be) and you’re tired of feeling like you’re constantly catching up, coaching can help.
Together, we’ll uncover what’s getting in your way and create tools that help you show up with more clarity, focus, and calm.
🔗 Book a free discovery call:
Author Bio
Sarah Hardy is a Manchester based ADHD and Neurodiversity Coach & Consultant, Positive Psychology practitioner, and Graduate Member of the British Psychological Society.
Through her practice, Sarah Hardy Coaching & Business Support, she helps late-discovered and self-identified neurodivergent adults rebuild confidence, strengthen executive functioning skills, and create systems that actually work for them.
