Last Updated on May 31, 2025 by Jan Barley
Blogging with ADHD can be challenging, so let’s find out why.
Last Tuesday, I sat down to write a blog post about affiliate marketing. Twenty minutes later, I was reorganising my email folders. Ten minutes after that, I found myself deep-cleaning the bathroom, with no idea how I got to that point.
By the time I’d finished sorting through hundreds of emails from 2023, cleaning the bathroom, and researching the origin of Pinterest (don’t ask), the blog post still had zero words. Still, I did have a colour-coded spreadsheet of future blog topics, a half-written book on storytelling for bloggers, and a slightly concerning number of tabs open.
Add in time blindness, and you have a glorious concoction for losing track of what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.
Welcome to blogging with ADHD.
Life As A Blogger With ADHD
It’s not that I don’t love writing. I do. Writing has been my escape, my connection to something deeper than life since I was in school when my headmistress would make me read my stories out loud in the morning assembly.
My goal is to eliminate the tasks I don’t enjoy and spend my days writing blogs and books for Amazon KDP. Isn’t that the goal of most people with ADHD? To simplify?
I live for the moments when the words flow like magic when I get laser-focused and churn out content that actually feels good. But in between those moments it’s chaos.
I get distracted, spiral into self-doubt, and sometimes feel like throwing the whole blog away, especially on days when traffic drops or I haven’t posted in weeks because client work has consumed all my time and energy.
There are weeks when blogging with ADHD feels like dragging a boulder uphill while checking emails, watching a YouTube video on ferrets, and wondering whether I should rebrand again.
There are moments when motivation disappears completely, not because I’m lazy but because my brain just won’t cooperate.
I’ve burned out more times than I care to admit. I’ve felt like giving up too many times to mention. The truth is, I still do, and that’s unlikely to change. I’ve learned to accept that it’s part of my mental make-up.
But here’s the part no one tells you: blogging with ADHD isn’t a flaw. It’s a superpower once you stop trying to do it like everyone else.
That’s where AI tools changed the game for me. I started using them daily to overcome procrastination, capture ideas before they vanished, and speed up the tedious parts of blogging that usually made me want to crawl under a weighted blanket.
This article isn’t a lecture on productivity. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at how I’ve learned to create content, grow my blog, and stay (mostly) sane while living with a brain that’s doing ten things at once and still wondering if I left the oven on.
Why Blogging is Perfect for ADHD Brains
Here’s something I didn’t realise until years into my content creation journey: blogging with ADHD might actually be the best setup for my brain.
I’d spent so long trying to fit into neat little boxes, rigid schedules, and perfect niches, as well as adopting productivity hacks, that I completely missed the fact that blogging was one of the few things that allowed me to play to my strengths.
If you’ve ever felt like your brain is running five browsers with 73 tabs open, and someone’s playing music on one, but you can’t find which, then hear me out.
Obsessions? Perfect
People with ADHD have a superpower called hyperfocus, that glorious, magical zone where time disappears, and you become a content-creating machine. When you’re excited about a topic (whether it’s passive income streams, blogging tools, or why Pinterest is still underrated), you can write 3,000 words in a night like you’re possessed.
Blogging with ADHD gives you the freedom to follow your fascinations and turn them into evergreen content.
You’re A Creative Machine
ADHD brains are idea factories. While other bloggers are trying to come up with one decent post idea, you’re sitting there with 37 (and a half). Sure, execution can be a challenge, but with AI tools to organise and draft your chaos, you’re unstoppable.
The creativity you bring to your blog can be your biggest differentiator. People don’t want generic anymore. They want voice, perspective, and personality. That’s where we shine.
No Schedule? No Problem
Let’s be honest: traditional 9–5 jobs feel like a slow death. They require constant attention, emotional masking, and usually some elements of calendar management (shudders).
Blogging with ADHD works because it lets you set your own rhythm.
You can blog at 6 A.M., midnight, or during that weird burst of energy you get after folding laundry at 2:17 P.M. There’s the freedom to build your blog around your natural patterns.
You Can Work With Your Energy, Not Against It
If you wake up feeling like a genius, you can batch-create three blog posts. If you wake up feeling like a potato, you can schedule Pinterest pins or use SEOWriting.ai to whip up outlines while sipping your coffee.
There’s always something you can do that matches your energy. This flexibility makes blogging with ADHD feel less like a punishment and more like a partnership with your brain.
What Doesn’t Work (And You Should Stop Forcing)
One of the most freeing things I’ve learned about blogging with ADHD is that half the advice out there is utterly useless for us. Not because we’re broken. But because we’re playing an entirely different game and trying to win using someone else’s rulebook.
So, if you’ve been forcing yourself to do the following, consider this your permission slip to stop:
Forcing Rigid Schedules
You sit down to write at 9 A.M. because “that’s what successful bloggers do.” But your brain says, “Actually, let’s deep clean the kitchen and learn about vintage fonts today.”
Trying to blog on a schedule that doesn’t align with your natural energy cycles is like trying to sprint through wet concrete.
Instead, try blogging when the energy is right or time-block tasks (e.g., mornings for creative work, evenings for editing). Flexible routines > rigid schedules.
Overplanning With Fancy Systems
If you’ve spent more time colour-coding your Notion dashboard than actually writing blog posts, same here. We love new systems. They feel productive. They look aesthetic. But if your productivity tool needs its own onboarding course, it’s probably just another procrastination portal.
When blogging with ADHD, simplicity is a matter of survival. A messy Google Doc or brain dump Trello board works better than the world’s most beautiful setup if you actually use it.
Copying Neurotypical Productivity Advice
“Just batch content on Mondays.” “Use Pomodoro.” “Time block your entire week in advance.”
Sounds great in theory. But when you’ve got ADHD, that kind of structure can feel like a straitjacket. It’s exhausting trying to force yourself into systems not designed for your brain.
Instead, try what I call “fluid batching.” I make the most of my focus when it strikes and use AI to batch ideas, outlines, or repurposing tasks on less creative days.
Shiny Object Syndrome (Blog Edition)
One week, it’s a blogging course. Next, it’s a rebrand, then launching a new niche site about minimalism (even though you’re not remotely minimalist). Classic.
For example, I’ve bought numerous domain names over the years because I often get an impulse to start something new. For instance, (this will make you laugh) when I discovered I had ADHD, I bought ADHDcoach.com. WTAF!! <face slap> Yes, but I am sure you can relate 😊
It’s easy to mistake movement for progress, but blogging with ADHD means learning to spot when you’re creating and when you’re just chasing dopamine.
Quick trick: Ask: “Is this task helping me get closer to publishing a post, increasing traffic, or earning income?” If not, pause and refocus.
What Actually Helps Me Get Content Out
Look, blogging with ADHD is rarely a smooth, linear process. But after years of falling down rabbit holes, forgetting drafts existed, and crying into my analytics, I’ve found a few actual things that help me publish content consistently (and stay mentally upright).
Here’s what works, not in theory, but in the real world, slightly chaotic, “my brain is a browser with 18 tabs open” kind of way:
Tip #1: Using AI as an Idea Dump + Draft Buddy
When your brain is buzzing with blog post ideas at 1:23 A.M., do not let them vanish. I dump every idea, no matter how messy, into a running Google Doc or straight into SEOWriting.ai.
AI tools help me build outlines quickly, overcome blank-page panic, and stay on track when I forget the point of the post (again). Blogging with ADHD means having a short attention span, and AI keeps you moving before motivation dips.
AI Tools I love:
- SEOWriting.ai – structure + keyword-rich outlines (Try it)
- ChatGPT – helps rewrite rambling sentences into sense (Try it)
- Pictory.ai – turns blogs into videos when I’m low-energy (Try it)
Tip #2: The “15-Minute Rule”
If I feel too overwhelmed to blog, I promise myself 15 minutes of focused work. That’s it. Just open the doc. Maybe write the headline. Maybe one sentence. Usually, once I start, I keep going. But if not? I still won because I showed up.
This ADHD hack reduces resistance. It’s blogging in easy mode. You’re not committing to a full post, just a nibble.
Tip #3: Repeating Structures to Beat Overwhelm
Creating new content formats every week is draining. So, I use repeating post structures:
- Listicles (e.g., “7 Mistakes New Bloggers Make”)
- How-tos (“How to Start a Blog Without Burning Out”)
- Personal stories + takeaways (“What Blogging with ADHD Taught Me About Focus”)
Having go-to formats keeps me from having to reinvent the wheel. Blogging with ADHD thrives on pattern, not perfection.
You might enjoy reading, “7 types of blog content that Google loves”
Tip #4: Letting Go of ‘Perfect’
If I waited until I felt 100% clear, focused, and inspired, I’d never publish anything.
Now I aim for 70% done and honest and then hit publish. Sometimes, I circle back and improve it later. Sometimes, that “imperfect” post becomes one of my best-performing. People resonate with real. Especially when you’re blogging with ADHD, and they can feel it in your voice.
Tip #5: Repurposing Instead of Always Creating
Creating content from scratch every week? Burnout city.
Now I repurpose:
- Turn old posts into Pinterest pins or carousels
- Summarise blog content into YouTube Shorts using Pictory
- Pull quotes from articles for Pinterest Pins or email intros
It’s still fresh to your audience, and you save your mental energy for when you’re in the zone. I also edit a few blog posts each week as that can help improve SEO.
How I Balance Client Work + Blogging (Without Melting Down)
There’s nothing like trying to write a thought-provoking blog post while also juggling client emails, last-minute revisions, realising you’re a few hours from a deadline, and that one invoice you forgot to send, even though you need money in the bank.
Blogging with ADHD while also working with clients is chaos with a sprinkle of existential dread. It’s a big part of why I started my blog, as well as on Pinterest and YouTube because life would be easier if I didn’t have to juggle other people’s requirements.
Here’s how I (mostly) keep the blog alive without needing a nervous breakdown and a cabin in the woods:
I Work in “Content Sprints”
Trying to blog consistently every week didn’t work for me. I’d always get pulled away by client work. Now, I use what I call content sprints: 1–3 focused days where I batch as much blog content as possible while the energy is high.
This process works beautifully for ADHD brains because it involves short bursts of focus, followed by rest.
AI tools are critical here: I use ChatGPT or SEOWriting.ai to outline 5–10 posts in an hour. I’ll expand 2–3 into rough drafts the next day, then clean up and schedule them in the third round. It’s intense but effective.
I Use “Brain Modes”
When switching from writing a client blog post to my own, my brain panics. So, I’ve learned to group similar tasks:
- Client mode: research, writing, edits, admin
- Blog mode: creative ideation, storytelling, my voice
- Admin mode: invoices, emails, life stuff
Blogging with ADHD becomes more manageable when I avoid context-switching. If I try writing a blog post between editing two client pieces, it never gets finished. Grouping tasks by “mental flavour” = sanity.
Beating yourself up for procrastinating makes it worse. Be kind to yourself. The ADHD brain needs down time.
I Leave Room for Down Days
Some days, I just can’t. No energy. No spark. Everything feels pointless. (Hello, dopamine crash.) I used to try and push through, but that just made things worse.
So, now I build buffer time into my blogging workflow. Instead of panicking when I can’t post, I plan for inconsistency. I always aim to be working one or two posts ahead, just in case.
ADHD brains need recovery time. If you’re constantly pushing, the blog becomes another source of stress. When I honour my energy cycles, I create better content and feel like a human, not a content machine.
I Automate the Repetitive Stuff
Things that bore me are things I procrastinate forever. So now I automate them:
- Pinterest Scheduling
- CapCut for video editing
- ElevenLabs for YouTube voiceovers
- Repurposing snippets with Repurpose.io
- Email list welcome sequence via Systeme.io
- ChatGPT for blog ideas, outlines, and brainstorming
- Pinterest and YouTube descriptions created with ChatGPT prompts
Blogging with ADHD becomes so much lighter when I remove friction points. I don’t want to “just push through”; I want to make things easier by design.
Why Traffic Drops Wreck Me (and How I Stay Hopeful)
If you’re blogging with ADHD, you know the emotional rollercoaster all too well. One day, your traffic spikes, and you feel like you’ve cracked the code. The next? It plummets faster than you can say “Google algorithm update,” and suddenly, your motivation is in freefall.
Try as I might, I cannot seem to break the habit of checking analytics each morning (who am I kidding? It’s like every hour!). That’s great when things are going well. But when stats drop, rejection sensitivity kicks in, I convince myself I’m failing and spiral into depression faster than pouring a cup of coffee.
For me, these traffic drops have been brutal. They trigger the triple threat: distraction, depression, and that creeping sense of hopelessness. When I lose traffic, it feels like my blog, my passion, and my identity is vanishing in real-time.
Logically, I know my feelings of doom aren’t an accurate measure of what’s happening, but so far, I’ve been powerless to break that cycle of response.
Still, here’s what I’m learning about staying afloat:
Shift Focus from Numbers to Process
Instead of obsessing over daily visits or fluctuating rankings, I remind myself that blogging with ADHD means valuing progress over perfection. Traffic is just one metric. What matters is consistent effort, learning, and growth.
I celebrate small wins: finishing a post, engaging with one reader, or mastering a new AI tool. These are real, tangible victories that help maintain momentum.
Build a Traffic ‘Safety Net’
Relying on just one source of online traffic is a trap. I diversify: SEO, Pinterest, email, and YouTube all contribute to my “traffic safety net.” That means when one platform dips, I’m not losing everything.
I’ve been working on Pinterest marketing since late 2024. That was the best decision ever. This morning, I installed the Monster Insights plugin (for site analytics) and was pleasantly surprised to see that Pinterest is number two in the top ten list of my traffic sources.
Building a traffic safety net is like ADHD brain multitasking in marketing form, spreading energy so one drop doesn’t sink the ship. Google updates can be brutal and wipe out traffic so fast that you feel giddy. Months of working hard to build it up, and it topples down with such force that it leaves you breathless with rejection sensitivity.
Use AI to Speed Up Recovery
When traffic dips, the temptation is to spiral into procrastination or despair. Instead, I utilise AI tools to expedite content updates, repurpose high-performing posts, and refine my SEO.
That not only boosts traffic faster but also gives me a productive focus rather than feeling stuck.
Practice Self-Compassion
Finally, I remind myself that this is hard. Blogging with ADHD isn’t just about content. It’s about managing brain chemistry, motivation, and mood.
On tough days, I pause, breathe, and reset my expectations. This self-compassion is a game changer. I’ll take the dogs for a walk or sit in the garden with a coffee and a book and try not to beat myself up for not working.
It’s continually a work in progress because I always feel like I’m not doing enough. I’m a widow, so there’s only my income coming in. That causes stress, which, as you undoubtedly know, doesn’t help with ADHD.
Conclusion: Thriving While Blogging with ADHD
If you’ve made it this far, you already know that blogging with ADHD isn’t a walk in the park. It’s a wild, messy, sometimes frustrating journey filled with distractions, motivation dips, and more than a few moments of doubt.
But here’s the truth: your ADHD brain isn’t a barrier. It’s a superpower waiting for you to harness it. I know some with ADHD don’t like that expression, but the truth is that when we are on fire, our productivity is at warp speed. Blogging is perfect for individuals with ADHD if you employ a few simple strategies and utilise AI tools.
Some days, I feel like I’ve done nothing, but then I write down what I’ve actually done, and I’m shocked. For instance, yesterday, I wrote three blog posts, created three videos, and walked for two hours. Then I went to bed, opened up my phone and brainstormed three blog posts for my dog behaviour blog.
And it still didn’t feel enough.
Can you relate?
Remember:
- Embrace flexible routines, not rigid rules.
- Permit yourself to start small and imperfect.
- Use AI to do the heavy lifting and spark creativity.
- Balance client work and blogging with realistic boundaries.
- Protect your motivation by focusing on progress, not just traffic.
- Don’t beat yourself up when you hit the down times. Remember, it always passes, and it goes away quicker if we are kind to ourselves.
Your blog doesn’t have to be perfect or polished every day. It just has to be you. And that’s more than enough.
So, take a deep breath, open that draft, and let’s keep blogging with ADHD on your terms, at your pace, with all your brilliant, adorable quirks.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you sign up for a program or make a purchase using my link.
