Fun to Function

There’s something magical about starting the day with warmth in my cup and something creative in my hands. For me, it’s coffee, medication, and creating something with my hands. This is the trio that now quietly sets the tone for most of my days.

As a maker, that hands-on time gives me a little boost of dopamine and helps me start the day feeling capable and connected.

It will for you too! Research shows that activities engaging both hands, like knitting, crocheting, drawing, or playing an instrument, can activate both hemispheres of the brain.

Sometimes I’ll listen to news while I sip my coffee and work on whatever project calls to me that morning. It isn’t structured. It’s permission-based.

I let my medication settle in, catch up on what’s happening in the world, and enjoy creating.

While I’m crafting, I usually take a few minutes to look at my calendar and make my to-do list for the day. I move anything unfinished from the day before, write down new tasks, and make sure my appointments are noted, with alarms set so I don’t forget.

Somehow, doing this during my time to sip and create makes it feel more doable. I think it’s joy that helps.

I work from home, mostly, so I shower when I’m ready. Unless I have somewhere to be, or a coaching session, I often harness the flow, and use my shower as a natural pause to my morning.

By the time I’ve had that slow start, a little joy, and some organization, the motivation has usually arrived.

Because motivation doesn’t come from waiting.

It comes from starting.

Doing something that feels good often leads to doing more good. I give myself permission to do what I can, not what I “should.” Who says what I “should” do anyway? Who knows better than I do what my brain needs in any given moment?

The questions I keep coming back to are:

What does my brain need right now?

What can I do?

If I can’t do the hard thing yet, I ask what I might need for that to happen.

One of the most important things I’ve learned is to give myself permission to start where I am and to do what works for my brain.

I work best when I honor that rhythm, not when I try to push through and “get the hard thing out of the way.” That sense of agency over my morning usually leads to productivity.

And if it doesn’t, being hard on myself won’t help. I simply return to those same questions: What does my brain need, and what can I do right now?

Why feeling good leads to doing good (in simple, ADHD-friendly science)

Here’s the gentle science behind it:

• Positive emotion fuels executive function.When we feel good, dopamine and norepinephrine rise. Those are the exact chemicals ADHD brains need for focus, motivation, working memory, and follow-through.

• Small joy = internal permission.When your brain gets a little “yes,” it relaxes. When we start with a “no,” the nervous system tightens, and everything feels harder.

• Success spirals are real. Even tiny accomplishments create momentum. We’re not trying to be productive. We’re creating the conditions for productivity.

• Nervous system first, tasks second. You can’t think your way into calm in the moment; you have to feel your way there. Once your nervous system shifts, the to-dos become easier.

This is why starting with joy, creativity, coziness, curiosity, a tiny success or sensory pleasure is not indulgent. It’s strategic.

Practical ideas to spark your own ideas

Make it tiny. Five minutes counts. So do five seconds. Maybe it needs to be longer on some days. Savoring the moment (scroll down to find more on savoring).

Make it visible and ready. Leave the craft out. Leave the journal open. Leave the colored pencils or knitting or puzzle where you can see it.

Make it pleasurable. Favorite mug, Favorite sweater, Funny socks, New coffee creamer flavor, A cozy blanket, A candle (scented or not)

Use comedy. A 30-second clip can shift your whole nervous system or in the background if it isn't distracting.

When you’re really struggling: Give yourself time to feel some joy, pleasure, peace, before diving into your day. It sounds counterintuitive, but it works so much better than forcing yourself through. Remember, it can be small. Wearing silly socks for example.

When joy doesn’t work

Sometimes the small things don’t shift anything. That’s when curiosity becomes the tool:

• What am I feeling right now?

• What is this trying to protect me from?

• What does my brain need?

• What would feel gentler?

• What would feel like a “yes”? What can I give myself permission to do?

And if emotions are there, the goal isn’t to push them away; it’s to actually feel them. If you give them space, they move. They soften. They shift.

Stuffed feelings always come back louder at inconvenient times. .

When morning routines fall apart

Morning systems break down when they’re too big, too unclear, or too “should.” We want the routine to feel:

• small

• welcoming

• enjoyable

• low-friction

• forgiving

• flexible

• and available… not mandatory. Nobody wants to have to do anything.

So if the desire is, for example, to walk but the cold or clothes or energy is stopping you:

• set the clothes out the night before

• put hair in a ponytail or wear a hat

• keep the walk to the end of the street

• pair it with a reward (coffee shop coffee, audiobook, favorite playlist)

Remember: don’t rely on your morning brain to think of these options. Have a visible list. Even for just a week or two until it becomes familiar.

What can you see yourself doing in the morning?

What might you experiment with?

What are you curious about?

A note to perfectionists:

There is no “perfect” way to start your day because life is full of situational variability; your sleep changes, your stress changes, your energy changes, the weather changes.

Of course your mornings will need to change with them.

Your list isn’t meant to produce the right choice every time. It’s simply a set of options you can choose from based on what your brain and body need that morning.

And remember: This isn’t indulgence. It’s strategy. Feeling good supports your executive function, your focus, your capacity, and your ability to do the things that matter to you.

Practice Savoring

One beautiful way to support your nervous system is to build in tiny moments of savoring; actually pausing to notice what feels good:

• that first warm sip of coffee or tea: the flavor, the texture, the warmth traveling down

• the shower: the water on your skin, the scent of the soap, the temperature

• the feeling of soft or cozy clothing—choose comfort

• the scent of a candle

• your pet’s warm body or soft fur

• the weight or warmth of a heated blanket

• the way sunlight hits the wall or plants

• the crisp air when you open the door

• the sound of a favorite song or ambient background noise

These micro-moments take seconds, and they count. They shift your nervous system just enough to open a little space, ease, presence, and capacity.

Have fun with this! I'd love to hear what you do first thing, and throughout the day, that make your day more doable, productive, but especially enjoyable.