Can Brief Interventions Help with ADHD?
New Perspectives on Quick-Impact Strategies
A real look at how 30-minute interventions might actually work for ADHD brains
So I'm sitting here at my desk (okay fine, my couch) googling "ADHD quick fixes" again because apparently I hate myself. My coffee's doing that weird cold coffee thing where it tastes like disappointment, and I just spent 45 minutes learning about octopus dreams instead of working.
Did you know octopuses change color when they dream? Eight arms, three hearts, and technicolor dreams. Meanwhile I can't remember if I took my meds twenty minutes ago.
Anyway, that's when I found this thing about brief interventions. First thought: oh good, another self-help thing to add to my collection of Things I Started But Never Finished. But then I actually read about it and... okay, hear me out.
The Thing About ADHD That Makes Me Want to Throw Things
You know what kills me? When someone says "just focus."
JUST. FOCUS.
Wow, Sharon, why didn't I think of that? Let me just flip my magical focus switch that definitely exists and definitely works. While I'm at it, maybe I'll also "just be happy" and "just get organized."
Here's what people don't get: I CAN focus. Last month I spent an entire weekend researching the history of synthesizers. Did not sleep. Barely ate. My browser had approximately one million tabs open about Moog and voltage-controlled oscillators. Ask me about Robert Moog. I dare you.
But that email to my landlord about the broken dishwasher? The one that would take literally two minutes to write? It's been sitting in my drafts for three months.
It's not attention deficit. It's attention... chaos? Attention roulette? Attention "let's see what my brain decides is important today"?
Yesterday I cried because I couldn't find my keys. I was holding them. This is my life.
My Graveyard of Failed ADHD Solutions
Let me paint you a picture of my apartment. See that meditation cushion? Used it twice. That exercise mat? It's basically expensive floor decoration now. The bullet journal? Pages 1-3 are beautiful. Page 4 is where dreams went to die.
I have seven different productivity apps on my phone. SEVEN. One of them sends me notifications that just say "Hey! Remember to be productive!"
I want to throw my phone into the sea every time it happens.
So yeah, when I stumbled on this brief intervention research at 1 AM (because of course I did), I was skeptical. But also I was avoiding filling out some forms, so I kept reading.
Okay But What Even ARE Brief Interventions?
Right. I should explain.
You know how everyone's always like "sign up for this 12-week course to change your life!"? And you're like "bold of you to assume I'll remember this exists after week 2"?
Brief interventions are different. It's like... okay imagine if someone was like "hey, want to learn ONE thing that might help? It'll take 30 minutes. No homework. No follow-up emails making you feel guilty. Just here's a thing, use it if you remember it exists."
Enter Mind Hack Lab
So Mind Hack Lab has this AI coach thing. And before you roll your eyes - I KNOW. Another AI whatever. But listen.
I tried it at 2 AM because I couldn't sleep and what else was I gonna do, actually work on that presentation due tomorrow? (Spoiler: the presentation was not due tomorrow. It was due last week. Time is fake.)
The weird thing is... it kind of worked? Not in a "I am now a functioning adult" way but in a "oh, I actually did the thing today" way. Which, for me? That's huge.
Why Most ADHD Advice Can Go Jump in a Lake
Can we talk about how most ADHD advice is clearly written by people who have never had ADHD?
"Make a to-do list!" I have 47 to-do lists. They're scattered across three apps, two notebooks, and whatever receipts I could find.
"Set reminders!" My phone currently has 23 notifications. I see none of them. They're just there. Like wallpaper.
"Break tasks into smaller pieces!" Cool, now instead of one terrifying thing, I have 17 terrifying things. This is so much better.
But Here's What's Different
The brief intervention approach actually assumes you're going to forget stuff. It's built on the premise that your brain is gonna brain however it wants to brain.
They teach you these techniques that work even if you only remember them 30% of the time. Because 30% is better than the 0% I was working with before.
Example: I learned this thing about task initiation. Everyone's always like "just start with the easy part!" But there IS no easy part when your brain sees every task as Mount Everest covered in bees.
The technique is more like... you trick your brain into thinking you're not actually starting. You're just... hovering near the starting line. Like a weird productivity ghost.
I don't know why it works. But sometimes it does. And sometimes is all I've got.
What Actually Happened When I Tried It
Confession time: I almost didn't sign up because the button was at the bottom of the page and I got distracted halfway through scrolling.
But then I remembered the dishwasher email (still in drafts! still broken! three months and counting!) and figured what's one more thing I'll abandon?
The AI coach asked me what I struggled with most. I said "existing" which apparently wasn't specific enough. So then I went on this whole rant about:
- Can't start things but also can't stop things once I start
- Transitions between tasks feel like dying
- I have a reminder app to remind me to check my other reminder app
- Sometimes I sit in my car for 20 minutes because getting out requires too many decisions
It very politely suggested we focus on one thing. Fair.
The session was actually... nice? It didn't make me feel like a disaster human. It was just like "yeah, brains are weird, here's a workaround."
I learned this bridging technique thing. Can't explain it properly without giving away their whole deal, but it's about making tiny connections between what you're doing and what you need to do. Takes like 20 seconds.
(Yes I got distracted during the session. No I'm not proud of it. Yes they accounted for that.)
The Science Part Where I Pretend I Didn't Skim
Look, there's research on this stuff. Some really smart people have spent years studying ADHD interventions. I would tell you their names but I forgot to write them down.
Actually wait, I did write one down. Edmund something. Edmund... Sonuga-Barke? That sounds right. He's been studying ADHD for like 30 years which is approximately 29.5 years longer than my attention span.
The gist is: medication helps but it's not the whole story. You need actual strategies too. And brief interventions can teach those strategies without requiring you to, you know, actually stick with something long-term.
There's probably more science but I got distracted by an article about whether fish sleep with their eyes open. (They do. Because they don't have eyelids. You're welcome.)
Real Talk Time
I need to be super clear about something: this isn't a magical cure. I still have ADHD. I still forgot to eat lunch yesterday. And the day before. The dishwasher remains broken. The email remains unwritten. This is my villain origin story.
BUT (and This Is Important)
Sometimes - SOMETIMES - I remember the technique. And sometimes when I remember it, I use it. And sometimes when I use it, it actually helps.
That's three sometimes-es but you know what? Three sometimes-es is better than zero sometimes-es.
Last week I had this huge work thing. Normally I'd procrastinate until the panic monster showed up, then rage-complete it at 3 AM while questioning all my life choices.
Instead, I used the bridge thing. Still procrastinated for like two hours first (I'm not a miracle worker), but then I actually... started? Without the panic? It was weird. I didn't trust it.
I mean, I still questioned my life choices. But at a reasonable hour.
If You're Still Reading (Hi, Hyperfocus Friend!)
Look, if you made it this far, either your hyperfocus kicked in or you're avoiding something scarier. No judgment. I'm literally writing this to avoid doing my taxes.
Here's my advice: pick ONE thing that's making your life absolutely miserable. Not ten things. ONE.
For me it was the starting tasks thing. For you maybe it's:
Time blindness
"I'll be there in 5 minutes" (narrator: it was not 5 minutes)
Email mountain of doom
Currently at 14,000 unread. It's fine. Everything's fine.
The interrupting thing
Sorry but if I don't say this thought RIGHT NOW it will evaporate forever
Object permanence who?
If I can't see it, it doesn't exist. This includes bills. And vegetables in my fridge.
Mind Hack Lab's brief intervention sessions target whichever specific thing is ruining your life most. Takes 30 minutes. You learn maybe 2-3 techniques. You'll forget at least one immediately because of course you will.
The one that sticks might help though. And might is better than nothing.
Expectations vs Reality Check
What definitely won't happen:
- You won't suddenly become neurotypical (and that's okay)
- You won't stop having bad days
- You won't use every technique perfectly
- You might sign up and forget to actually do it (I did this three times)
What might actually happen:
- You'll have one thing that sometimes helps
- You'll finish a 30-minute session (because 30 minutes is doable)
- You won't add another abandoned course to your guilt pile
- Some days might suck slightly less
Where This Leaves Us (Almost Done, I Promise)
I started writing this... actually I don't know when I started writing this. Time is fake and calendars are lies.
But here's the thing: I'm actually finishing it. That's... not normal for me. Usually I have 47 half-written drafts and a lot of guilt.
Maybe brief interventions aren't revolutionary. Maybe they're just one more tool in the messy toolbox of "things that might help sometimes maybe." But when your brain is playing Calvinball with your executive function, sometimes maybe is pretty good.
Mind Hack Lab gets that. They built their whole thing around how ADHD brains actually work, not how they "should" work. No long courses. No guilt trips. Just quick hits of actual help for when you can handle it.
Will it change your life? Probably not. Will it maybe help you do that one thing that's been haunting you? Maybe. And maybe is better than definitely not.
If you're thinking about trying it, set a reminder. You'll ignore it, but set it anyway. That's just how we roll.
Oh, and that dishwasher? Still broken. But yesterday I opened the draft email and added a comma. Progress.
Ready to Maybe Sometimes Do Things Better?
Brief interventions designed for actual ADHD brains. 30 minutes. No guilt. Just techniques you might remember to use when Jupiter aligns with Mars or whatever.
