Free, self-paced mini course
Energy Budgeting for Busy Brains
A neurodiversity-friendly course for planning around variable cognitive energy.
A clear path, without pressure.
Map different kinds of demand, protect recovery and build plans that work on low-capacity days.
This course is designed for ADHD, autistic and otherwise busy-brained adults who experience variable focus, sensory load or task initiation. Across seven modules, you will build an understanding of the pattern, practise one skill at a time and create a plan that can survive ordinary life. You can complete it in one sitting, but spacing the modules across several days usually creates more opportunity to practise.
The material is psychology-informed education rather than therapy, diagnosis or individual medical advice. Evidence can identify promising approaches; it cannot tell us exactly what one person needs. Keep what is useful, adapt what is not and involve qualified support when the problem is persistent, severe, complex or connected with safety.
Energy is not one battery
separating physical, cognitive, sensory, social and emotional capacity
Open module →Module 2Find hidden energy costs
identifying transitions, uncertainty, masking, noise, decisions and unfinished tasks
Open module →Module 3Plan with ranges
replacing ideal-day schedules with minimum, likely and high-capacity versions
Open module →Module 4Reduce initiation friction
shrinking start steps, externalising cues and using environmental prompts
Open module →Module 5Budget transitions and recovery
placing buffers around travel, meetings, social contact and intense focus
Open module →Module 6Communicate capacity clearly
making specific requests for information, timing, sensory conditions and workload
Open module →Module 7Build a sustainable operating guide
combining signals, supports, minimum plans and review points into a personal manual
Open module →Turn the course into one small plan.
Choose one idea to remember, one practice to repeat and one situation in which to use it. Then name the sign that would tell you to seek more support. A tiny plan you can recall is more useful than a long plan that disappears under pressure.
The clearest idea or skill from the course.
A small repetition you can try within 48 hours.
A person, service or professional you could involve.
Evidence and further reading
These sources informed the course framework and safety boundaries. Findings are described cautiously because study populations, interventions and outcomes vary.
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