ADHD is Not What You Think: What It's Really Like

ADHD is not laziness or procrastination or an excuse to be disorganized. It's a different way of being wired. If you know someone with ADHD, these are often what's happening behind the scenes. And if you have ADHD, you'll recognize yourself in every single one of these.

What ADHD Actually Is

Let me tell you what ADHD really looks like. Not the stereotypes. Not the "oh you're just easily distracted" nonsense. The actual, lived reality.

ADHD is actually:

👉 Having so much to do but being so overwhelmed that you do none of it

You have a list. A long list. Every item on it is important. And you sit there, frozen, doing nothing. Not because you don't care. But because your brain looks at everything and shuts down completely. The overwhelm is so intense that paralysis feels safer than attempting anything.

People see inaction. They assume laziness. But you're drowning internally, desperately wanting to move but neurologically unable to start. This is executive dysfunction, not character failure.

👉 Your brain tuning out without any warning

Mid-conversation. Mid-task. Mid-sentence. Your brain just... leaves. You're physically present but mentally gone. You don't choose this. You don't want it. It just happens.

Then you snap back and realize you missed everything someone just said. You have no idea what you were doing. And the shame hits: "Why can't I just pay attention like everyone else?"

👉 Everything feels like "right now" or "not at all." No in between

Time blindness is real. There are only two time zones for ADHD brains: NOW (urgent, immediate, happening this second) and NOT NOW (might as well be never).

A deadline three days away? Not now, so it might as well be three years away. Your brain genuinely can't process "future soon." Which is why you end up doing everything last minute in a panic because suddenly it's NOW.

👉 Compulsive joking. Using humor as a shield

Making jokes when things get serious. Deflecting with humor when conversations get deep. Laughing off your own struggles instead of addressing them.

It's not that you don't take things seriously. It's that vulnerability feels dangerous and humor feels safe. Jokes are armor against the emotional intensity that ADHD brings.

👉 Intense emotional reactions

Minor inconveniences feel catastrophic. Small criticisms feel devastating. Joyful moments feel euphoric. Everything is turned up to maximum volume.

You're not being dramatic. You're not overreacting. Your emotional regulation system is impaired by ADHD, so you genuinely experience emotions more intensely than neurotypical people. Understanding emotional dysregulation in ADHD helps remove the shame around this.

👉 Belief that everything takes "just a few minutes" until you're an hour late

Time estimation is broken. You genuinely believe getting ready will take 10 minutes. It takes 45. You honestly think the drive is 15 minutes. It's 30. Plus you forgot your keys. And your wallet. And now you're an hour late and feel horrible about it.

You're not disrespecting people's time on purpose. Your internal clock is fundamentally broken.

👉 The inability to plan anything long-term

"Where do you see yourself in five years?" is a nightmare question. Five years? You can barely plan five days. Sometimes five hours feels impossible.

Long-term planning requires sustained executive function and future-oriented thinking. Both are significantly impaired by ADHD. It's not lack of ambition—it's neurology.

👉 Impulsively spending your month's wages on your "new hobby" which you'll do once and then lose interest in

The hobby graveyard. Photography equipment collecting dust. The guitar you were definitely going to learn. The art supplies barely touched. The woodworking tools still in boxes.

In the moment, the interest is REAL. The passion is GENUINE. Your brain gets flooded with dopamine at the novelty and you're absolutely certain this is THE thing. Then the novelty wears off and your brain moves on.

👉 A constant cycle of acting without thinking, then regretting

Impulsivity is a core ADHD trait. You speak before thinking. Click send before reviewing. Make decisions before considering consequences. Buy things before checking your account.

Then the regret hits. "Why did I say that? Why did I do that?" But in the moment, the impulse-to-action pathway is so fast that consideration doesn't have time to happen.

👉 A million unfinished projects, which were once started with such passion

Half-written novels. Partially completed courses. Started businesses. Abandoned goals. Each one was once THE most important thing in your life. Each one was pursued with intense hyperfocus and passion.

Until it wasn't. And now they're all reminders of "things you didn't finish" rather than "things you bravely started."

Reminder: It's Not All Negative

Before we go further, let me be clear: There are also heaps of strengths that come with ADHD.

The same traits that cause struggles also create gifts:

• Hyperfocus allows deep, passionate work on interesting projects
• Creativity and out-of-the-box thinking come naturally
• High energy and enthusiasm are contagious
• Ability to see connections others miss
• Resilience from constantly adapting to challenges
• Empathy and emotional depth
• Spontaneity and adventure

But it's important to share these struggles too. Because the world sees the mistakes, the lateness, the unfinished projects. They don't see the internal battle. They don't understand what's happening behind the scenes.

If You Know Someone with ADHD

If someone you love has ADHD, understanding these realities helps you support them better:

• Their lateness isn't disrespect—it's broken time perception
• Their emotional reactions aren't manipulation—they're dysregulation
• Their unfinished projects aren't lack of commitment—they're how ADHD brains work
• Their need for external structure isn't dependence—it's accommodation
• Their struggles aren't excuses—they're neurology

If You Have ADHD

If you recognized yourself in this list, you're not alone. You're not broken. You're neurodivergent, and that means you need different tools and strategies than neurotypical people.

If you're someone who often finds yourself stuck without the activation energy to just "get that thing done," it's not weakness. It's how your brain is wired. And there are tools built specifically to work with that wiring rather than against it.

**Claudia by Neuro** understands all of these ADHD realities. She knows you'll forget. She knows you'll get overwhelmed. She knows starting is the hardest part. She was built for exactly these struggles.

It's about time you started getting stuff done and feeling good about it. Not by becoming someone different. But by having support that works with who you actually are.

ADHD is not what people think it is. It's more complex, more challenging, and more real than the stereotypes suggest. But with proper understanding and support, it's absolutely manageable.

You deserve tools that were built for your brain. You deserve support that understands what you're really dealing with. You deserve to stop fighting your neurology and start working with it.

By Josh Budd | Founder @ Neuro Notion