How I actually use tools (as a strategist with an ADHD brain)

Jun 5, 2025

Not to optimise, but to orient

I don’t use tools to optimise every second. I use them to make sense of things that feel messy.

There’s no perfect setup. No master system. But there are tools I return to, ones that help me slow down, map complexity, or move forward when I’m stuck.

I think of them like scaffolding: temporary, adjustable, only useful when they support the real work.

This isn’t a comprehensive list. It’s just what I actually use. Sometimes in focus. Sometimes in chaos. Often both.

For dense or complex material

Reading strategy decks with full focus? Rare. These tools help me extract meaning without the cognitive overload.

Notebook LM - notebooklm.google
Google’s experimental tool that lets you ask questions about uploaded docs. I use it to:
• Understand internal decks
• Pull insights from PDFs I’d otherwise avoid
• Summarise frameworks before mapping them

ChatGPT with custom GPTs - chat.openai.com
Not to write for me, but to think with me:
• Define what “done” looks like
• Rephrase jargon
• Challenge overthinking
• Test tone and formats

I keep a few custom GPTs for different moods, especially when I’m spiralling or procrastinating. Some are tailored to tone-checking. Others just mirror my thinking so I can see it more clearly. It’s like talking to a version of myself who doesn’t spiral.

For more focused prompts, see 11 AI prompts that actually help my ADHD brain.

For strategy and systems thinking

I’ve never met a system map I didn’t want to sketch. These help me see the whole picture.

Strategyzer Tools - I recommend to so many people the should be paying me! strategyzer.com
• Value Proposition Canvas
• Business Model Canvas
• Test + Learning Cards to de-risk ideas

These frameworks act like external memory. When my brain feels like a browser with too many tabs, they let me reduce the load, map one layer at a time.

4 Ps Framework - From Peter Boyd at Yale
Purpose, Priorities, Potential, Progress. A rope diagram that connects a team’s intent with what they do. I use it when a project feels misaligned or fuzzy. It reminds me to check not just what we’re doing, but why, and where it’s going.

Iceberg Planning + System Maps - Based on systems thinking:
• Events (what we see)
• Patterns (what’s behind it)
• Structures + mental models (what’s beneath it)

This is my go-to when the same issues keep showing up. It helps me go deeper without jumping to solutions. This type of systems thinking is part of what makes these ADHD productivity tools so adaptable to fast, nonlinear brains.

For an excellent introduction to systems thinking, I often recommend this Systems Innovation beginner's guide. from Explorer Labs.

For making sense visually

If I can see it, I can sort it. (British Transport Police, do not come for me!)

Whiteboards - My old wall-sized whiteboard was my brain on the outside, but now I use giant post-its (a little more portable). I still love post-it mapping with others, seeing how people shape ideas always teaches me something. I’ll often photograph my boards and drop it into Notion or a system map later.

Notion - notion.so
Flexible enough for scattered thoughts. Structured enough to find them again. I use it to:
• Plan content and projects
• Track frameworks
• Park half-formed ideas

When I get overwhelmed, I create a “working log” in Notion, one simple entry per day. Not for performance. Just to remember what I did and why it mattered.

The ADHD layer

I rarely sit still and focus on just one thing. I listen while I walk, jot notes mid-cleaning, or voice memo between tabs.

Not because I’m great at multitasking. But because I need movement to focus.

Sometimes the tools are a way in. Other times, they’re a gentle interruption. A moment to pause, surface what matters, and leave the rest.

I don’t chase the perfect productivity setup. I chase clarity I can act on. Sometimes that’s a strategy map. Sometimes a scribble I voice-noted while walking.

How it looks in real life

On a typical week, I might:
• Map out a workshop with post-its, then reframe it in Notion
• Use Notebook LM to distill a 40-slide strategy deck into 5 key insights
• Ask a custom GPT to challenge my assumptions on a team proposal
• Return to the 4 Ps to sense-check direction
• Good ved (firewood) stacking session or sweep the stairs to know what “done” feels like again

Building systems I can return to

The most useful tools don’t just work once. They invite me back. They become places I can revisit when things feel scattered.

For example, I have a recurring practice in Notion I call “What I Know Today.” Just a list. Not necessarily truths. Just a gentle log of what feels clear right now. Over time, it’s become a map I can scan to see what changed and what stayed.

These tools also help me manage transitions. Moving between deep work and meetings. From focus to family time. They act like mental bookmarks.

If you’re curious

Here’s what’s in rotation right now:
• Notebook LM
• Strategyzer
• ChatGPT
• Notion
• Iceberg Model overview
• 4 Ps by Peter Boyd
• My notebooks and pens