I’m Not Disorganised, My Brain’s Just Full
What Is Life Admin and Why Does It Break Our Brains?
Life admin, the boring but necessary tasks that keep us functioning: bills, forms, appointments, cleaning, emails, laundry, birthday cards. For the neurotypical brain, it’s a mild inconvenience. For the neurodivergent brain, it can feel like drowning in paper cuts. Executive dysfunction, time blindness, task paralysis and sensory overwhelm all conspire to make life admin a form of torture.
But you’re not lazy, and you’re not broken. The standard systems just aren’t made for your wiring.
Here’s how to build your own.
Step 1: Accept That You Need a System, But Make It Your Own
You’ve probably tried other people’s planners. You’ve bought pastel bullet journals and abandoned them within a week. Neurodivergent life admin systems must be flexible, forgiving and built around your actual habits, not aspirational ones.
Try this instead:
- Use multiple capture points (e.g. voice notes, a physical notebook, and a phone reminder app) because your brain works differently depending on the moment.
- Make admin visual. Use a whiteboard or corkboard in the kitchen/living space. Colour-code urgent vs non-urgent. Out of sight = out of mind.
- Theme your days. Monday = Money, Tuesday = Tasks, Wednesday = Wellness. Themed days reduce decision fatigue.
Step 2: Choose the Right Tools (Forget What Everyone Else Uses)
Here are neurodivergent-friendly tools worth exploring:
- Goblin Tools: An AI-based planner made for neurodivergent minds—breaks down tasks into micro-steps.
- Tiimo App : Visual daily planning app with routines, reminders, and gentle notifications.
- Tweek.so: A minimalist weekly planner that works great if you hate clutter.
- Structured App: All-in-one digital planner app. Good for time blocking with soft notifications.
- Forest App: Helps beat phone distraction by growing virtual trees as you focus.
Step 3: Reframe Productivity with Neurodivergent Logic
Forget productivity porn. Try “functional flow.” That means:
- Momentum > Motivation. You won’t feel like it at first, but starting a micro-task often gets you into gear.
- Stack tasks based on energy, not urgency. Do sensory-safe, repetitive tasks when you’re overstimulated. Leave people-facing stuff for high-energy days.
- Schedule recovery like you schedule work. Recovery is part of life admin. Overstimulated brains need decompression built-in.
Step 4: Set Up Your “Default Days” and Buffer Zones
Neurodivergent-friendly life admin requires pre-decided space to fail and recover. Build in:
- One “chaos day” per month. Expect one day where it all goes off track—this protects your self-worth.
- Two “nothing days” per month. Guilt-free white space for recalibration. No obligations.
- Default meal + outfit days. Repeat meals and clothing when you’re drained. These are tools, not cop-outs.
Step 5: Join Supportive Communities That Get It
Isolation makes executive dysfunction worse. Here are support spaces with practical help and people who understand:
- Neurodivergent Insights
- How to ADHD YouTube Channel
- Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network
- The Neurodivergent Magic Podcast – honest chats with tips for daily life
Step 6: Make Emotional Space for the “Admin Spiral”
Sometimes we freeze. That email you ignored snowballs. The mess starts shouting. You miss an appointment and feel like a failure.
Interrupt the spiral. Try one of these:
- Read a forgiveness script aloud (yes, aloud): “This doesn’t mean I’m failing. It means I need a pause and a plan.”
- Ask: What’s one thing I can do right now that helps Future Me?
- Sit with a weighted blanket for 15 minutes before restarting. (Sensory resets count as productivity.)
Final Words
Life admin isn’t about being perfect. It’s about building a system that respects your nervous system. When you choose tools and routines that suit your neurodivergent brain, you stop trying to win someone else’s game, and start designing one you can actually play.
You’re not disorganised. Your brain is just full.
Let’s build a life that makes space for that.
