In this second part of my series on ADHD Prioritization Strategies, I have a simple, game-changing strategy that can be a start to revolutionize the way you approach your day. (Click here for part 1 if you missed it or want a refresher),

ADHD Prioritization Strategies, Part 2: Work With Your Energy, Not Against It

If you’ve ever reached 3 p.m. and wondered where your brain went—or why you’re suddenly organizing the spice drawer instead of finishing that one important thing—you’re not alone.

One of the biggest reasons prioritization feels so hard for adults with ADHD (especially professionals and entrepreneurs juggling a million things) is because we’re often trying to force ourselves to work against our natural energy flow.

We push through when we’re fried.
We procrastinate when we’re overloaded.
We guilt ourselves into trying harder when what we really need is a break.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

This post is about ADHD Energy Management: learning how to manage your energy so you can stop fighting your brain and start working with it—and how this strategy can completely change the way you structure your day.

⚡ADHD + Energy: The Hidden Key to Getting the Right Things Done

One of the core truths I teach my clients (and remind myself of regularly) is this:

You don’t have to “fix” your brain—you just need to work with it.

And that starts with understanding your unique patterns of focus, energy, and flow. When you can learn to notice when your brain is at its best—and align the right tasks with those times—everything gets easier.

This is the foundation of what I call Energy-Aware Planning—and it starts with a simple strategy I call the Energy Audit.

What Is an Energy Audit?

An Energy Audit is a lightweight, ADHD-friendly way to track:

• When your brain feels most “on”
• When focus or motivation dips
• What kinds of tasks feel easy or hard at different times of day

You’re basically gathering data on you.
Because the more you understand your own rhythms, the easier it becomes to plan your day in a way that actually supports you (instead of setting yourself up to fail).

It’s not about working harder.
It’s not about perfection—it’s about making everything easier!

That’s how you make the most of your 3 Precious Resources^TM of Time, Energy and Focus!

How to Do It (ADHD-Style)

1. Pick a simple way to track your energy and focus
   • Use a notebook, spreadsheet, calendar or even sticky notes. Doesn’t matter—just make it easy.
   • There’s really no wrong way to collect data!
2. Set reminders to check in with yourself 3–4x a day
   • Think: morning, midday, afternoon, evening
   • Bonus tip: Use unique sounds or prompts so you don’t tune them out like every other notification—I prefer a gentle chime or sound for these kinds of check-ins rather than something jarring/irritating. (And if you miss a reminder, just think back to whether what you were doing felt easy or hard at the last check-in. Imperfect data is still helpful!)
3. Rate your energy and focus from 1–10
   • Go with your gut to give a quick-and-dirty rating! Perfect isn’t going to help you here.
   • Notice when tasks feel easy or hard/draining, when your brain feels foggy or sharp and clear.
4. Look for patterns
   • After a few days, you’ll start to notice consistent peaks and dips
   • These patterns are gold! They help you start assigning the right tasks to the right times

👍 Why This Works (And What Makes It ADHD-Friendly)

Traditional productivity advice says: “Tackle your most important task first thing in the morning.”

But what if your brain doesn’t really wake up until 11 a.m.? Or what if you’re on fire at 4 p.m.—right when your planner says you should be shutting down?

This is where most people burn out: trying to be productive without systems that support how their brain and energy actually work.

And that’s where the right scaffolding—calendar structure, task tools, daily rhythms—makes all the difference.

Without that structure, it’s easy to waste your high-focus time on low-impact tasks—or schedule the hard stuff when your brain’s in a fog.

But with it? You start to get more done, with less resistance.
You begin to trust your ability to plan realistically.
And you stop wasting so much energy just trying to get started.

🧩 The Missing Piece Most People Overlook

Doing an Energy Audit is powerful—but only if you know what to do with the insights you uncover.

And that’s where most people get stuck.

They learn something useful, but don’t have the systems or planning habits in place to apply it consistently. It just becomes another “thing they should do.”

Inside Unleashed, we help you build the scaffolding that supports your energy rhythm—so you can actually use what you’re learning to make work (and life) easier.

You’ll learn how to:

• Plan your days around your peak zones (so that you can actually DO what you plan)
• Stop wasting your best brain on busywork (to have more bandwidth for what really matters)
• Use your lower-energy windows intentionally (instead of beating yourself up during them)
• And finally feel like your time, energy, and focus are working for you—not against you

⏭️ Coming Up Next

In Part 3 of this series, I’ll show you how to take what you learn from your Energy Audit and use it with one of my favorite ADHD-friendly tools: the Impact vs. Effort Matrix. It’s a simple, visual way to finally get clarity on what to do next—and when.

Until then, try the Energy Audit for just a few days. Notice what you learn.

You’ve got this! Get ready to conquer your to-do list and reclaim your productivity like never before.

Until next time…

Take care,

Lynne Edris, ACG
Productivity & ADHD Coach

P.S. I really do love to hear from you! Comment below with your thoughts, insights, questions, ideas, etc.