Dopamine Hacking

Ever notice how you can somehow find the energy to reorganise your entire bookshelf when you’re supposed to be doing something important? Or how adding your favourite music can suddenly make washing dishes feel almost… fun?

Welcome to dopamine hacking — the art of working with your brain’s reward system instead of against it.

If you’re neurodivergent, especially if you have ADHD, you’ve probably experienced the joy of a brain that either finds something FASCINATING RIGHT NOW or treats it like it doesn’t exist. That’s partly down to how your brain handles dopamine — the chemical that helps with motivation, reward, and that satisfying feeling of “yes, I did the thing!”

Here’s what dopamine hacking actually looks like in real life:

• Putting on your “productivity playlist” to trick your brain into thinking work is a party
• Breaking big scary tasks into tiny, ridiculously manageable pieces
• Setting a timer for 15 minutes and telling yourself you only have to do the thing for that long
• Promising yourself a proper treat (coffee, a walk, that TikTok compilation) after you finish
• Pairing boring tasks with something you actually enjoy — like listening to a podcast while doing admin

The beautiful thing about this approach is that you’re not trying to force your brain to be different. You’re just learning its language and speaking it fluently.

Some people worry that this is “cheating” or that they should be able to just buckle down and do things. But honestly? If it works for your brain and gets stuff done without burning you out, it’s not cheating — it’s smart.