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Why Most Productivity Advice Fails the Distractible (And What to Do Instead)

Jane Grismer
2 min readFeb 7, 2025

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Photo by Unseen Studio on Unsplash

Ever sit down to work, determined to be productive… only to find yourself deep in a Wikipedia rabbit hole about ancient civilizations?

Same.

Most productivity advice assumes you can just decide to focus. That if you follow the right system — SMART goals, Pomodoro timers, color-coded planners — you’ll magically become a productivity machine.

But if you’re distractible, neurodivergent, or just wired differently, you already know: That advice doesn’t stick.

Why? Because it wasn’t built for brains like ours.

Why Traditional Productivity Systems Fail

Most mainstream productivity hacks rely on:

Rigid structures (e.g., Pomodoro timers that feel like handcuffs)
Delayed rewards (e.g., “stick to this routine for six months and you’ll see results”)
All-or-nothing rules (e.g., “if you miss a day, you’ve failed”)

For the easily distracted, these systems feel restrictive, uninspiring, and impossible to sustain.

What we need instead is fluidity, urgency, and instant momentum.

How to Work With Your Brain, Not…

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Jane Grismer
Jane Grismer

Written by Jane Grismer

Writer | Designer | Productivity + Empowerment Coach✨ Helping You Master Focus + Skill Stacking | ADHD 🦋

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