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Let me guess - you've already scrolled through a dozen "Year in Review" journal prompts that start with "Simply sit in peaceful meditation for an hour and let your mind wander through the past year." Right. Because that works so well for ADHD brains. If you're like me, your "peaceful meditation" usually involves remembering you need to order more dog food, wondering if sloths dream, and then suddenly realizing 45 minutes have passed and you're now deep in a Wikipedia rabbit hole about medieval farming techniques.
Here's the thing: your ADHD brain isn't broken – it just processes experiences and memories differently. Instead of fighting against your natural tendencies (like my failed attempts at "mindful journaling" that mostly produced elaborate margin doodles), this guide will work with them. We'll explore reflection strategies that actually make sense for ADHD minds, breaking things down into manageable chunks and finding ways to make the process engaging rather than exhausting.
Ready to reflect in a way that actually works for you?
🤔 Asking the right questions
Before we dive into specific reflection prompts, let's understand what makes a question truly helpful for ADHD brains. Many traditional reflection questions present challenges for those with adult ADHD, who may struggle to remember what happened earlier today, let alone what we've been doing the rest of the year. (Ask me what I had for breakfast? No clue. The entire lyrics to the Pokémon theme song? Locked and loaded.)
ADHD brains typically respond to reflection questions in one of two ways:
- Complete blank – like when someone asks what you want for dinner, and suddenly you've forgotten every food that exists
- Overwhelming flood of thoughts – like when that dinner question triggers memories of every meal you've ever eaten, including that weird sandwich combination you tried in 2016
To avoid these scenarios, nix the broad questions, like "What did you achieve this year?" Instead, break your reflection into smaller chunks:
- Work projects and career moves
- Relationships and social connections
- Health and wellness changes
- New skills or hobbies
- Daily life adjustments that worked
Another thing to keep in mind - our neurospicy minds often remember things differently:
- Through emotions ("That was when I felt really excited about my work")
- Through sensory experiences ("The new office layout helped me focus better")
- Through seemingly random connections ("I started that project right after binge-watching Ted Lasso")
This is why questions like "What moments made you feel most energized?" or "Which spaces helped you thrive?" often work better than traditional achievement-focused prompts that make your brain feel like it's buffering at 2% speed.
🔍 ADHD-friendly reflection questions for looking back
Now that we know what doesn’t work for ADHD brains, let’s talk about what does help. The following sections include reflection questions grouped by topic that will hopefully feel less like a drag - and may actually even be useful.
Energy and Focus
This may not be a shocker, but the traditional productivity mindset often doesn't serve ADHD brains well. So instead of beating yourself up with reflection questions like, "Why was I so unproductive?" (which is about as helpful as asking why you can't teleport), explore these more useful questions:
- "When did I feel most energized and focused? What conditions created that state?" This helps identify your optimal working conditions – maybe you discovered you work better with background music, or that your focus peaks during certain hours. Was it during that late-night coding session, or maybe while explaining your favorite topic to a friend?
- "Which environments helped my brain work at its best?" Your physical space profoundly impacts your ADHD brain. Some might thrive in a busy café while others need a minimalist home office.
- "What time management strategies showed promise, even if they only worked sometimes?" Even partially successful strategies offer clues about what might work better, with some tweaking. These are some of the best insights to bring to an ADHD coach, who can help you figure out which tweaks to make.
Accomplishments and Growth
ADHD can make it easy to fixate on what went wrong while overlooking significant progress. Let's shift the perspective:
- "What did I accomplish that surprised me in a good way?" This question helps combat negative self-talk and highlights your capabilities, especially in areas where you might have underestimated yourself. Maybe you discovered you're actually great at project management- when it involves planning a D&D campaign.
- "Did any of my ADHD traits actually help me succeed this year?" Many ADHD traits, like hyperfocus, creativity, and thinking outside the box, can be tremendous assets when channeled effectively.
- What new insights did you gain about your brain's operating system? Every small insight about how your unique brain operates is valuable for future planning.
🚀 ADHD-friendly questions for looking ahead
While reflecting on the past is valuable, the real power comes in using these insights to move forward purposefully. The key is to approach future planning in a way that works with your ADHD brain, not against it.
Setting Realistic Expectations
Instead of aiming for complete transformation, focus on strategic improvements:
- "What small wins would make a meaningful difference in my daily life?" Breaking down larger goals into smaller, manageable changes increases the likelihood of success.
- "How can I set up my environment to work better with my brain?" Environmental adjustments are often more effective than trying to force behavior changes through willpower alone.
- "What experiments could I try to make tasks more engaging?" ADHD brains thrive on novelty – treating changes as experiments can make them more appealing.
Building Support Structures
Rather than comparing yourself to people who seem to have their life in color-coded containers, focus on:
- What specific organizational challenges do you want to tackle? Pick one or two, not the entire self-help section of the bookstore
- Who could join your support squad? Think mentors, friends, or professionals like ADHD coaches and professional organizers. People who understand that "just focus" isn't helpful advice
- What systems could you test? Emphasis on "test" – like trying a new morning routine without signing a blood oath to maintain it forever. Focus on automation, routines, and tools that reduce cognitive load and decision fatigue.
🧠 Making reflection more ADHD-friendly
Let's be honest – sitting down to reflect can feel like torture for the ADHD brain. Traditional advice like "just journal for an hour" or "meditate on your year" might make you want to run for the hills, and even our suggested questions, while more approachable than the traditional reflections you see around this time of year, may not have you jumping for joy. (It’s okay, no judgment here). If so, here are a few more tips on how to make reflection work for you, not against you.
Use External Memory Aids
Rather than trying to peer into the dark corners of your memory, a more helpful approach is to use external anchors – think of them as memory bookmarks. These could be:
- Your phone's photo gallery
- Your calendar entries
- Email folders
- Social media posts or updates
- Playlists you created
- Apps you downloaded
- Lists you've made throughout the year
- Text messages with close friends or family
These tangible reference points can help trigger memories and provide a more accurate picture of your year, without relying solely on recall. They also help bypass the ADHD tendency to either hyperfocus on recent events or completely forget significant moments from earlier in the year.
Make It Social (If That Works for You)
Some people with ADHD find reflection easier when it's interactive:
- Schedule a reflection session with a friend (in person or virtually)
- Share your insights with someone who gets your ADHD brain
- Join an ADHD support group to discuss year-end reflections
- Work with an ADHD coach who can guide you through the process
Capture Insights Your Way
There's no "right" way to document your reflections:
- Use voice-to-text if writing feels tedious
- Create bullet points instead of paragraphs
- Make videos talking through your thoughts
- Use a template or worksheet if you like structure
- Keep a running note on your phone to add thoughts as they come
Remember: Progress Over Perfection
- This isn't a race – unless you want it to be, in which case, pretend you're trying to beat your high score
- Skip around like you're choosing songs on a playlist
- Come back to things later (or don't – we're not the reflection police)
- Celebrate any insights you gain, even if they're as small as realizing why you keep buying planners you never use
⏭️ Questions that move you forward
Remember that scene in "Back to the Future" where Doc Brown pulls out that massive, complicated flow chart to explain time travel? Sometimes traditional year-end reflection can feel just as overwhelming. But just like Marty McFly figured out time travel by doing it his own way (albeit with a few interesting detours), you've now got the tools to navigate reflection in a way that works for your ADHD brain.
The goal isn't to create a perfect, comprehensive review of your year – it's to gather insights that help you move forward with more understanding and intentionality. Maybe you've discovered that your best work happens at 11 PM while listening to video game soundtracks, or that your "procrastination" sometimes leads to brilliantly creative solutions. These are the kinds of revelations that matter.
The goal isn't perfect planning - it's understanding yourself better and creating momentum toward what matters to you. Start with one question that feels energizing, and let your curiosity guide you from there.
