By JJ - The Otternative Educator

ADHD Homeschooler | Business-Wrangler | Energy-Based Lifeform Held Together by Coffee and Willpower
I can’t focus. But when I can, it’s terrifyingly effective.




“Just focus.”

Two words guaranteed to make any ADHD parent consider launching themselves into the sun.

Because here’s the truth: Focus isn’t a switch we can flip on command. It’s more like a mythical creature that shows up when it wants, often at 2am, and leaves without warning halfway through an important sentence.

But you know what does work?
Momentum stacking.

It’s not about trying harder. It’s about starting where you’re at—and building up tiny wins until you accidentally become unstoppable.

So if your productivity style looks more like “burst, crash, regroup, snack, repeat,” pull up a beanbag and let me show you how I stack momentum instead of trying to manufacture focus from thin air.

🧠 What Is Momentum Stacking?

Momentum stacking is when you start with something easy (or mildly tolerable), get one win under your belt, and use that energy to snowball into the next task.

Think of it like dominoes. You only need to knock over the first one. The rest fall from inertia.

Not motivation.
Not discipline.
Not the illusion of focus.

Just a gentle push that gets your brain moving.

🧹 1. Start With Something You’ve Already Done (No, Seriously)

Want a quick dopamine hit to kickstart your day?

Start your to-do list with:

  • “Woke up” ✔️

  • “Fed child” ✔️

  • “Breathed air” ✔️

Boom. You’re already winning.

This is not cheating.
This is strategy.
Because a brain with ADHD loves feeling like it’s making progress. Even if that progress is just remembering to wear pants.

🛠️ 2. Stack the Tasks by Vibe, Not Category

Don’t plan by subject. Plan by energy level.

  • Low energy? Passive stuff like reading, planning, or quietly crying into a spreadsheet.

  • Medium energy? Writing emails, doing admin, helping your kid label parts of a volcano.

  • High energy? Teaching, cleaning, calling clients, running the homeschool circus.

Match tasks to your current battery level. And for the love of dopamine, don’t start your day with the hardest task unless you're in a mood to fight the universe.

⏲️ 3. Set a Stupidly Small Goal First

Starting is the hardest part. So make it too small to fail.

  • “Work on maths for 5 minutes”

  • “Clear one corner of the table”

  • “Send one email”

  • “Write one sentence in the blog I was supposed to finish yesterday” (hi)

Once you’re in motion, your brain is more likely to keep going. But if it doesn’t? That’s fine too. The win was in starting.

💥 4. Use Your Wins Like Fuel

Every time you complete something — no matter how small — celebrate it. Yes, I’m serious.

High five yourself.
Write it down.
Tell your kid “I did the thing!” and ask them what they did.

Momentum is contagious.
When they see you stacking wins, they’ll want in on it.

And suddenly everyone’s:

  • Cleaning up

  • Doing maths

  • Baking banana muffins

  • Calling it "home economics"

You created a wave. You just had to start it.

🧃 5. When You Crash (Because You Will), Rest Without Guilt

Momentum stacking isn’t about maintaining a perfect streak.
It’s about restarting with grace every time life — or your brain — hits pause.

Crashes happen. Plans fall apart. You’ll go to bed wondering what even happened to the day.

That’s okay. The point isn’t perfection.
The point is knowing you can start again… with something small.

And if that small thing is “I put the laundry near the machine today”?
You’re crushing it, friend.

🌪️ Final Word from the Blurry Middle of a Momentum Stack

I don’t focus like neurotypical mums.
I don’t time-block like productivity bros.
I don’t finish what I start every time.

But I do build momentum.
I start small.
I stack wins.
And I take breaks that look like naps and reboots that start with coffee.

Because focus may be fleeting — but momentum?
Momentum is buildable.

Even when you don’t know where your planner went.