The Mid-January Slump – Why ADHD Brains Struggle With Work Momentum

 

Why Mid-January Hits ADHD Brains So Hard

With our ADHD Brains, our momentum is closely tied to things like novelty, energy, interest……not the calendar or clock. Early January often comes with a short-lived boost simply because things feel new.

New year, new goals, new planners – we tend to start out strong and then by mid-January, the novelty fades. This happens exactly as expectations at work quietly ramp back up. Deadlines reappear, inboxes start filling up, and the unspoken (or sometimes spoken) pressure to be “back on track” settles in. While this is happening, many of us are still recovering from the cognitive, emotional, and physical load of the holiday season.

Whether they were joyful or not, the emotional load of holiday transitions can feel impossible. Changes in routines, social demands, and overstimulation all take a toll on already-taxed executive functioning. So when work asks for sustained focus, intitiation, and follow-through again, our brains are depleted, not lazy or obstinent.

Then you add in ADHD time blindness and mid-January can feel disorienting. The year feels brand new AND somehow already behind schedule. That tenstion alone can trigger anxiety, self-criticism, and avoidance, making it even harder to regain momentum. This is just your brain responding exactly as an ADHD brain does when the environment changes faster than your nervous system can adapt.

 

Why Pushing Through Makes The Slump Worse, Not Better

When we get into a slump, typically we hear the advice to push harder, try harder, make a better plan, power through, focus better.  For our ADHD brains this approach doesn’t just fall flat – if often makes everything worse. The reason for that? Pressure and shame don’t create momentum, they shut it down completely.

When our brains feel judged, behind, or under threat (even perceived), the nervous system shifts into protection mode. Focus narrows, task initiation gets harder, and avoidance creeps in. Not because you don’t care but because your brain is trying to save you by reducing overload.

Pushing through also assumes that motivation comes first and momentum follows.  But for our brains, it usually works the other way around. Momentum is something that builds after safety and support are in place. Without those, forcing productivity can lead to more exhaustion, more self-criticism and burnout that makes you feel worse than before.

That is why mid-January can feel so defeating. You aren’t just trying to work, you are trying to work while also carrying the belief that you SHOULD be doing better by now. That pressure adds so much extra weight to every task that it makes simple work feel heavy and daunting.

It’s not a problem with effort, it’s that force is being applied where softness and kindness are actually needed.

 

Tips To Softly Rebuild Work Momentum

 

You don’t need a full reset or a productivity overhaul to regain your momentum. Here are a few small, intentional shifts that can help your brain re-engage without pressure.

 

• Redefine what “working” really means.  Momentum starts with contact, not with completion – Opening the email, printing the document, replying to one email is still work. Let little points of engagement be a good start.
• Remember the Next Step Practice. If a task feels overwhelming or impossible, it’s likely too big for yoru nervous system to manage. Instead, focus on what is the very next step in the project. Even if the next step feels silly like “pick up the phone.” This is smart scaffolding.
• Borrow Momentum.  Body-doubling, co-working, or just having someone nearby can reduce resistance and increase follow-through. ADHD brains often regulate much better with a shared effort than in a solo effort.
• Regulate before you try to focus. Take a breath, do a short stretch or a 30 second dance party. This can lower activation of that nervous system and signal to your body that it’s okay. Focus is easier when your body isn’t braced in fear.
• Try Short Sprints – working in gentle short sprints of 15 minutes beats an hour of forcing yourself and beating yourself up. Work for a short period of time then take a short break. Check out how pomodoros work!

 

You aren’t behind – you are re-entering

 

If mid-January feels harder than you expected, it isn’t a sign that you failed your fresh start. It’s a sign that your ADHD brain is recalibrating after a stretch of change, stimulation, and shifting expectations. Momentum doesn’t disappear, it ebbs and flows, especially for our brains. 

 

You don’t need to catch up, push through, or prove anything right now. You are allowed to warm up, ease in, and move slowly. You are allowed to rebuild momentum in a way that honors your energy and brain instead of fighting them. 

 

Remember – the goal isn’t to power your way back to productivity – or to better proctivity. It’s to create enough safety, support, and softeness for momentum to return all on it’s on – one step at a time. 

 

Here’s a reflection for you – What would it look like to meet your brain where it is this week, rather than where you think it should be?