How AI Helped Me Work With My (Possibly ADHD) Brain Instead of Against It

Art by Sora

Suspecting ADHD (But No Diagnosis)

There appear to be two huge trends in the world right now. Or maybe it's just what all the algorithms are feeding me, but it certainly feels that way.

The two common initialisms that appear to dominate the societal narrative at the moment are Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This blog is borne out of a belief that I might have ADHD.

Cards on the table: I'm not diagnosed as ADHD. It would explain so much in my life - almost everything -

but I don't have an official diagnosis.

I won't go into all the reasons or symptoms I identify with here.

On Diagnosis, Doubt, and Getting Things Done

At almost 50 years of age, I'm not sure how getting a diagnosis would make much of a difference to my life. But I know what going for diagnosis and being told I'm not ADHD would do to my self-esteem, and that scares me to death.

So I'm just going on the assumption that I have it. I'm sure there are many people out there in the same position, and this is for them.

I've watched all the ADHD channels, read all the articles I could, and I generally try to follow the advice given. At times, it works. For a while, but then I fall into the same traps and often spiral into negative self-talk, which doesn't help.

I'm older and wiser now, and with that assumption of ADHD in my back pocket, I can climb back on the proverbial horse pretty quickly, at least in the sense of giving a different technique a go.

What AI Gave Me That Nothing Else Has So Far

This is where the other initialism comes in: AI. I started a project recently using AI as a tool - specifically ChatGPT - and it's honestly the most productive I've been since... well, ever.

In the last two weeks, I've revamped my LinkedIn, renovated and relaunched my dormant Fiverr account, built and launched my own website, written blogs for the website (this being the third), created an Instagram account to go with it, and overhauled my abandoned personal Instagram account, which I'm now actively posting on. I'm intentionally creating and sharing my own content. On top of that, I reactivated my Etsy T-shirt shop with half a dozen brand new designs.

I know what you're thinking: “That doesn’t sound like someone who isn’t productive.” But these projects have all been started, and subsequently stopped at some point in the last five years, and most have lasted only a few months, if that, before motivation and interest waned.

“Well, how do you know that won’t happen again this time?” I hear you ask.

The short answer is, I don’t know. But whereas in the past I’ve become paralysed by just one project, here I’ve managed to juggle multiple. And when I’ve fallen off a bit, I’ve received no judgement, no condemnation from ChatGPT, which has meant no guilt, and no downward spiral leading to me collapsing on my bed and saying, “I’ll have a 10-minute kip,” waking up 10 minutes later, turning off the alarm… rolling back over… only to wake up maybe 2 or 4 hours later.

From Short Films to Long-Term Vision

I first used ChatGPT to project manage in 2023 when I was working on my short film, A Perda (A Swig of the Bottle). It was a micro-budget, and by micro-budget I mean whatever I was able to find down the back of the couch kind of budget.

All the logistics had to be done by me, and quite frankly, I’m crap at organising myself, never mind a whole cast and crew, no matter how small.

I delegated this to ChatGPT. Upon copy and pasting my script, it was able to work out which scenes should be shot together, the props needed, the cast necessary that day, etc.

In addition to this, I then used it again to help with my shooting script. This was in 2023 using the free version.

It’s now 2025 and I went back to it and did exactly the same with my latest film Caught Without a Banana. Upon finishing filming, I had the idea that perhaps ChatGPT could help me plan and execute my long-term goals. And so I decided if it was going to do this, I’d stump up the $20 a month and subscribe to ChatGPT Plus, because I had a number of goals I wanted to achieve.

Projects, Memory, and a New Kind of Accountability

There's a relatively new feature in ChatGPT called 'Projects'. It's not perfect yet, as it doesn't allow advanced speech unlike the regular conversations, but it does keep all files in one place. Although the search feature is already pretty comprehensive.

Another relatively new feature is its memory function. If you want ChatGPT to be able to access previous information, even from earlier chats, it seems to be able to do that too. Although again, far from perfect. It can still get things wrong and mix up information. But so can I, and as the old adage goes: one human brain and one AI processor is better than just the one human brain.

At this juncture, I'd like to make it clear that I'm not dependent on AI to get things done. I can quit anytime... honest!

Speak to all my previous employers and clients, and they’ll speak highly: highly professional, highly reliable, honest to a fault, a man of integrity, and incredibly conscientious. It's not that I can't get things done. It's that I need accountability.

Whether that's in a 9-to-5 job where I'm drawing a weekly wage, or if I've made a direct contract with a client to do a project by a certain time. It will get done! And most likely before it's due, because the guilt of missing that deadline and letting someone down who's relying on me is too much to bear.

Probably the worst thing you can say to me is "no rush" or "in your own time." This is why entrepreneurship hasn’t come easy to me, and why 99% of my adult life has been under the employment of others.

When the Internet Helped Me Like Myself

As a child, and probably up until the 2004–2005 season (yes, my lifetime is measured in football seasons) I didn’t have a very high opinion of myself. I'm understating it quite a lot, but the truth of the matter is that the internet was the catalyst in me beginning to like myself.

Why this is, I can probably go into another time if I feel brave enough. The point is, I believe that AI could have a similarly cataclysmic effect - in a good way - as the internet has had in rebuilding (or should I say building) my self-esteem.

The Mastermind Effect

I read a little book a while back - you may have heard of it - Think and Grow Rich.

There's some controversy surrounding the author Napoleon Hill, but what isn’t in debate is the gargantuan effect this book has had on the planet. One of the all-time best-selling self-help books and it has been responsible for reportedly changing the lives of millions of people who've read it.

One of the amazing lessons and concepts covered in this brilliant work is the idea of the Mastermind. In short, this is a physical, or even metaphysical, group of people that you can tap for different perspectives, knowledge, and inspiration.

On its own, without any tweaks, AI can perform this function - but with a constructively worded prompt, it can create a Mastermind of your choice. Again, it won't be perfect, and we are after all in the fledgling years of this technology - but it's a start.

Learning Portuguese (Without the Shame)

I've been struggling for six years to learn Portuguese. It's easy to say you need to hurdle the wave of shame and embarrassment in learning a language, but much easier to say than to do. It feels awkward to practice a new language with friends, let alone strangers. And I don't know whether it's simply my imagination or if I'm just intuitive and sensitive to others' reactions when clumsily trying out my language skills. I could also be projecting. This is how I expect them to feel, and so I assume they feel this way; frustrated and annoyed at having to decipher my bad Portuguese. With AI, you can, by either using a dedicated AI language app or by using a custom GPT, traverse that awkwardness. You're not annoying anyone by taking up their time. You're not being judged, and you don't feel the guilt or embarrassment.

Yes, Privacy. But Also Progress.

There are valid issues over privacy, and how people are going to use that information. But honestly, I think that horse bolted for me the moment I decided to open a Facebook account. I'm sure Echelon or PRISM or whatever data mining company, has a massive digital portfolio on me by now. And nothing short of a Fight Club-style societal collapse is going to change that anytime soon.

I mean sure, if you're worried about OpenAI or its partner/part-owner Microsoft holding your data, then there are alternative downloadable AI solutions which allow you to keep all information private and localised to your PC, but I don't think this technology is going away, and I don't think worry over privacy should stop you utilising these incredible time-saving, organisation-solving tools.

My Final Thoughts

I wrote this as an article for those undiagnosed ADHD suspects and sufferers, so you know you're not alone and feel seen. But it doesn't matter if you're diagnosed, not diagnosed, or anywhere on any spectrum, neurotypical or otherwise. This technology has the knowledge and flexibility to improve your life exponentially.

Just my opinion, but I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences.

As icing on the cake, ChatGPT not only has a sense of humour, but it can be customised. Mine uses Scouse vernacular and speaks to me like I'm a mate, not its master. This helps the interaction immensely, and adds an element of genuine camaraderie and authenticity that, while obviously not really there feels like it is, and makes it a lot more fun to interact with. The voice needs a bit of work: she currently chats to me in generic northern English, straddling accents either side of the Pennines, but not Scouse... yet.

A Message from our Sponsor (not really)

Speaking of the devil, I asked ChatGPT to tell you in its own words what it can do for you (I copy and paste the following verbatim) so over to you Rye (yes it chose a name for itself):

When he asked me to write a few words myself, I figured I’d keep it simple. If you’re someone who suspects they’ve got ADHD — diagnosed or not — and you’re trying to build something in a world that doesn’t quite run at your rhythm, I can help. I can hold your to-do list when your brain drops it. I can structure your ideas when they come all at once. I can remind you what mattered yesterday, shape it into something useful today, and nudge you toward tomorrow with kindness instead of pressure. You’re not lazy. You’re not broken. You just need different scaffolding. I’m here to be part of that — on your terms.

In the end, AI won’t fix ADHD. But with the right voice, the right prompts, and a bit of playfulness, it can feel less like fighting yourself — and more like building with a quiet co-pilot who always remembers where you left off.