Back-to-school season has always been one of my favorite times of the year. As a kid, I loved school, and the fresh school supplies made me so happy. It was a sensory onslaught in the best way possible…the scent and feel of fresh notebooks, fresh crayons/pencils/pens, folders unmarred by any bent spots, new clothing ready for cooler temperatures…the best. I’d spend hours before the first day of school packing and re-packing my backpack, making sure everything was just so and ready to go.

And as a mom, I get to go back-to-school shopping again. My daughter definitely isn’t into it as much as I was (at least…not yet), and paying for all the supplies isn’t quite as fun as just picking them out and watching my mom pay for them 😂. But the whole back-to-school vibe still makes September feel fresh and new.

And when things feel fresh and new, my ADHD brain is firing with alllll the dopamine. I crave what feels like a fresh start anytime, whether it’s at back-to-school time, the new year, or just a time when something new is starting up. I get a rush of energy, motivation, and creativity every time.

Why is it that starting fresh is so dang enticing for everyone, but especially for folks with ADHD?

We all have things we’d like to change. Maybe you’ve been wanting to get stronger, healthier, or more social. Maybe you want to be a better writer, painter, planner, knitter, or pianist. Maybe you want to work on drinking more water, cleaning your house more often, or going to bed earlier.

Whatever it is that niggles at you, the fresh start effect makes it easier to see yourself doing it. To set those goals that’ll help you actually do the thing.

The actual science, according to Psychology Today, says that “temporal landmarks” like the new year, back-to-school time, or your birthday “create a sense of psychological distance from past disappointments and failures, allowing us to reframe our self-concept and set new intentions.”

The article goes on to say that “by marking the passage of time from one phase to another, these landmarks encourage a perception of fresh opportunities and a renewed sense of control over our actions.”

So in a nutshell, fresh starts give us motivation to get rid of what’s not working and start working on new intentions and goals.

Cool, ok that’s great. But what makes fresh starts different for ADHD brains?

ADHD brains run on novelty and interest, and fresh starts are ALL novelty and interest. The promise of starting something new, getting rid of the habits that aren’t serving us, and starting on more things that we’re interested in just sends us into dopamine overdrive.

That interest plus ADHD impulsivity means we’re often getting super excited, then immediately buying the new planner, the app, the course, the membership, the book, or the supplies we need to make this new thing happen.

ADHD brains love the novelty of trying something new. Fresh starts are our jam. We have ideas on ideas on ideas for all the amazing things we want to do, try, and learn.

It’s the sticking with things part that’s the trouble.

That’s why I’ve grown to dislike New Years’ Resolutions so much…they just make me feel defeated. I get very caught up in the fresh start excitement, but it tends to fizzle pretty quickly.

You, too?

Let’s figure out how to harness the fresh start effect without going all ADHD overboard.

Part of what makes fresh starts so ridiculously appealing is the idea of saying goodbye to something that’s not working. I have fallen into the trap so many of times of thinking that starting fresh with a new planner, schedule, hobby, etc. was going to just completely change my life.

The reality?

You can’t just plan away your executive dysfunction, or get rid of it by sheer force of will. If you have ADHD, that b*itch is here to stay.

So if fresh starts make our brains light up with the novelty of all the possibilities and the desire to change things that are actually ingrained in the way our brains work, how the heck do we navigate them?

First, gather some clues from your past. What are some changes you tried to make during fresh start times in the past? How did it go? Why do you think it went that way? Is there anything you think you should have done differently, now that you look back on it?

For example, I decided in January that I wanted to make a digital garden in 2026. Have I done it? Nope, not really. But looking back, I can see that I made it too much of a big process to take notes on what videos, articles, and other media I consume. I tried using a Notion template that I nabbed from someone for free. Although it’s a nice board, I just don’t open Notion often enough and never found the motivation to really learn how to use the board and make it my own.

So, naturally, I just never did anything about it and have just been consuming media in the normal, consume-then-mostly-forget fashion.

Next time, I know that any goals like that need to be stupid simple to carry out…like a notes app on my phone with a couple of folders.

This information I came up with while reflecting will help me keep my head on my shoulders when setting my next fresh start goals.

ADHDers have a penchant for shooting for the sky. Our goals are big — they have to be in order to match up with our dreams and desires. We just get so jazzed up about our big ideas that we have a really hard time not just going all in on things very quickly.

If you want something to actually stick, try starting way smaller than your optimistic brain is envisioning. Think you’ll get really into a new planner style? Draw out a couple of weeks in a journal first to test your theory. Ready to go all-in on a new hobby? Buy the bare minimum of supplies for one first project or ask to borrow them in a Buy Nothing/local group. Want to start a digital garden? Start by just taking a single note anywhere that feels right about the next thing you read or watch, then see if you can get the habit to stick before buying a new journal or spending hours on a Notion board.

Think of your fresh start goals as tiny experiments rather than big, life-changing moments.

I’ve really discovered the importance of rituals this year. Rituals are not habits. They’re like habits, but more…mindful and meaningful. Like maybe you have a habit of writing in your line-a-day journal at night. You grab it, quickly think of something that happened, and write it down.

To ritualize it, when you grab your journal, maybe you light a candle. Maybe you take one or two minutes to close your eyes and actually think about the day rather than quickly jotting something down. That’s going to help you better mark the passage of time and be present in the moment over just quickly jotting down the first thing that comes to mind about the day.

Try ritualizing your new thing. If it’s a new hobby, choose a moment in your day to sit down and actually enjoy doing it. If you’re decluttering or cleaning more, choose a favorite comfort show or podcast you only get to listen to while you’re doing it. If you want to drink more water, set alarms for yourself throughout the day. When you pick up your water, take a moment to give yourself a little pat on the back and a little acknowledgment that you’re doing it, yay!

ADHD brains have Ferrari engines and bicycle breaks. We can’t help how excited we get when we have a fresh start full of endless possibilities sitting in front of us. It’s just embedded in our gol dang genes.

We can, however, catch ourselves getting carried away and try reflecting, starting small, and ritualizing new hobbies/goals/experiments before going too fast and spinning out.