What is a dopamine menu? How to make one for your ADHD brain
You sit down to do the thing. Ten minutes later you're deep in your phone and not even enjoying it.
Most people with ADHD know this loop well. When your brain is bored or tired, it grabs whatever is closest, and the closest thing is usually a screen. A dopamine menu won't stop that pull, but it gives you a few better options that are just as easy to reach.
What a dopamine menu is
It's a list of things that give you a lift, written down ahead of time and grouped like a restaurant menu. Jessica McCabe of How to ADHD and ADHD coach Eric Tivers made the idea popular, and lots of people have made their own version since.
The trick is when you write it. On a good day you know exactly what helps. On a bad day your mind goes blank. So you write the menu on the good day, and on the bad day you just pick something off it.
The four courses
Most menus use four courses. We use them like this.
Starters are two-minute lifts: one loud song, a minute outside, a drink you like. They're for when you can't start anything at all.
Sides go with a boring task so it's easier to stick with. Music while you clean, a podcast while you sort email, a friend on video while you both work.
Mains take longer and leave you with more energy than you started with. A walk without your phone, cooking something new, an hour on a hobby.
Desserts feel good but are easy to overdo: scrolling, one more episode, window shopping. They can stay on the menu. Just set a timer first.
Some people add specials too, for bigger things you can only do now and then, like a concert or a day trip.
Write yours in five minutes
- Write three starters you could do from where you're sitting right now. If it needs planning, it's not a starter.
- Add one side for the task you put off the most.
- Add one main you've been missing lately, something that used to make you feel like yourself.
- Be honest about desserts. Write down what you reach for anyway, with a time limit next to it.
- Keep it where you'll see it: your phone's home screen, the fridge, or pinned in Notion.
A few things that help
Mark each item with how much energy it takes. A main that needs a lot of energy won't help on a foggy afternoon, so it's useful to see at a glance what fits right now.
Picking one "special" in the morning also helps. When you get stuck later, you don't have to decide anything.
Keep the list short. Ten things you'll actually use beat fifty you'll never read. And when something stops working for you, swap it out.
Start with ours
We made a free Dopamine Menu for Notion with all four courses and 17 examples, sorted by energy and how long they take. Copy it, delete what isn't you, and pick one starter today.
Wall of Okay makes planning tools, not medical advice. If ADHD is making life hard, a doctor or therapist can help you find what works for you.