Day’s Gone Sideways? Use This Midday Reset Prompt
A prompt to reset your day with less shame and more traction.
The Executive Dysfunction: Meltdown or Shutdown Midday
For ADHDers, a single derailed morning — a missed task, a tough email, a late start — can feel like a total system crash. Momentum collapses. Emotional regulation drops. And instead of restarting, we default to “what’s the point?”
This isn’t laziness — it’s emotional overload without a clear off-ramp.
Common Non-AI Workaround
Some ADHDers force themselves to “power through.” Others abandon the day and try again tomorrow. Neither strategy is ideal when your nervous system is fried, but the world keeps moving.
What’s needed is a low-stakes way to regroup — one that meets you where you are, without requiring a full restart.
How AI Can Help
AI gives you permission to replan without shame. You can tell it exactly where things went off the rails and ask for a kind, realistic schedule from this moment on.
It doesn’t judge. It just listens, recalculates, and hands you a clean slate.
Suggested Prompt:
“My day fell apart this morning. Can you help me reset with a new plan starting from right now?”
Example Use (Curio’s Midday Crash)
Curio types:
“It’s already 1pm. I missed everything I had planned this morning. I’m tired and frustrated. Can you help me build a simple, doable plan from here?”
AI replies:
“Absolutely. Let’s reset:
First, take 10 minutes to decompress — a short walk, a snack, or deep breathing.
Then choose ONE priority task for the afternoon.
Block 45 minutes for it, with a 10-min buffer after.
Leave space at the end of the day to reflect — even small wins count.
Here’s your plan, not your punishment.”
Curio exhales. It’s not perfect. But it’s possible.
When to Use This Prompt:
Your morning plans went off the rails
You feel like giving up on the rest of the day
You need a re-entry point without guilt or complexity
Tips to Improve This Prompt:
Add emotion: “I’m frustrated” or “I feel scattered”
Share time context: “It’s already 2pm” or “I have 3 hours left”
Ask for pacing: “Include breaks” or “Go light, I’m low on energy”
Include non-work needs: “Help me balance errands, rest, and one priority task”
Level Up:
“Can you help me build a few standard midday reset plans I can reuse depending on how I’m feeling?”
When This Prompt Doesn’t Work:
If emotional dysregulation is still high — begin with nervous system or mood check-in prompt
If your plan was overloaded from the start — try a triage prompt to redefine what matters
Copyable Prompt:
“My morning fell apart. Can you help me build a doable new plan starting from right now that respects my current energy?”
I don't use it for ADHD so much, I think because I already have so many strategies (developed pre AI) already in place. I use it more for work, outlines, editing, that sort of thing. But I can see how it could really work and some of my clients could really benefit!
This is a really helpful tool, that overwhelm can be debilitating and having a strategy to engage again can make the difference between a functional day and a lost day.