Organize Without Overhauling Your Brain
When mental clutter takes over, AI can help you sort the chaos into usable buckets — no full system reset required.
The Executive Dysfunction: Disordered Thinking → Disordered Systems
For ADHDers, internal disorganization shows up externally. Ideas come fast, connections branch in every direction, and the result is often dozens of half-started notes, systems, or tools — none of which feel usable.
This isn’t laziness. It’s the downstream effect of non-linear thinking and open-loop overload. You’re holding too many things at once, and the pressure to sort them "correctly" only adds paralysis.
Common Non-AI Workaround
Many people try a full system reset — new notebooks, new apps, a “Sunday Sort.” That often leads to more time organizing than doing… and the new system quickly goes the way of the old one.
What we actually need is a fast, low-overhead way to categorize mental messes into usable clusters — even if they’re temporary.
How AI Can Help
AI is great at identifying patterns in chaotic input. You don’t need to have a system — you just need to dump. Let the AI propose groupings you might not see.
This approach lets you hold less in your head and recover a sense of forward motion — without cleaning your whole desk or reconfiguring Notion.
Suggested Prompt:
“Here’s a mess of tasks, ideas, and notes. Can you help me sort them into groups or buckets that make sense?”
You can also frame it as:
“I’ve got a bunch of scraps. Can you help organize them without asking me to be specific?”
Example Use (Curio’s Overwhelm)
Curio opens her notes app and copies in:
Email J about follow-up
New idea for coaching exercise
Finish Wednesday’s article
Get Dex’s feedback
Look into that productivity book again
Update the STORM outline
She types:
“Can you sort this into meaningful categories?”
AI replies:
Work Tasks: Email J, Finish Wednesday’s article, Get Dex’s feedback
Planning/Strategy: Update the STORM outline
Creative Ideas: Coaching exercise idea, Productivity book
The fog lifts. Now she has a surface to stand on.
When to Use This Prompt:
You feel like your brain has tabs open in every direction
You’ve collected a bunch of ideas but don’t know what to do with them
You keep switching systems instead of making progress
Tips to Improve This Prompt:
Add a theme: “These are all related to my business” or “These are just my personal life chaos”
Ask for categories that are time-sensitive, energy-sensitive, or low-stakes
If the AI’s groupings feel off, follow up: “Can you group them more by emotional tone or urgency?”
Ask for visual representation: “Can you turn this into a table or map?”
Level Up:
“Can you help me turn these into a weekly plan with suggested focus areas per day?”
This makes it actionable without needing you to architect the entire week yourself.
When This Prompt Doesn’t Work:
If you’re emotionally dysregulated or overstimulated, even sorting may feel like too much — try a grounding prompt first
If the data is too vague (e.g. “stuff I’m thinking about”), AI may mirror your vagueness — start with 5–7 solid items
Copyable Prompt:
“I’ve got a pile of mixed notes, tasks, and ideas. Can you sort them into categories or buckets so I can stop juggling them all in my head?”