Banishing Boredom: How to Curate Your Own Dopamine Menu

Boost Your Mood and Motivation with a Personalized Menu of Dopamine-Enhancing Activities

Curate a menu of dopamine-boosting activities tailored to keep you energized, motivated, and balanced. Say goodbye to boredom and hello to a fulfilling ADHD-friendly routine

If you're anything like me, managing ADHD—or even ADHD-ish tendencies—can often feel like a never-ending juggling act. From trying to stay focused on critical projects to managing relationships and maintaining good mental health, it can all get pretty overwhelming. That's precisely why this episode's topic is so crucial. The dopamine menu isn't just a clever hack; it's genuinely life-altering when implemented correctly.

The Magic Pill Myth

First off, let's get something straight. There's a big myth out there suggesting that all it takes to manage ADHD is a prescription for stimulant medication like Adderall, Ritalin, or Vyvanse. I call this myth the "magic pill." While these medications excel at reducing distractibility and helping us to stay focused longer, they don't stabilize our mood, energy, or motivation.

To truly manage these three essential components—mood, energy, and motivation—we need more than just medication. We need self-awareness, self-acceptance, and a few handy skills. That's where the dopamine menu comes in.

Introducing the Dopamine Menu

The dopamine menu categorizes dopamine-stimulating activities into sections like you'd find on a restaurant menu—starters, mains, sides, and desserts. By thoughtfully selecting the right combination of activities, we can ensure a steady, healthy "dopamine diet," giving ourselves the mental pick-me-up we need when we need it most.

Jessica McCabe of How to ADHD and coach Eric Tivers of ADHD Rewired first introduced this concept in May of 2020. The idea quickly took off, and for a good reason: it works.

Why Female Entrepreneurs Need a Dopamine Menu

Being a female entrepreneur comes with its own unique set of challenges. We're often wearing multiple hats—mother, partner, businesswoman—all while striving to maintain some semblance of work-life balance. When you throw ADHD into the mix, it's no wonder so many of us feel like we're barely keeping our heads above water. Here's why a dopamine menu can be a game-changer:

We require constant stimulation

Our brains crave dopamine. Without adequate stimulation, we risk falling into unhealthy habits like social media scrolling, online shopping, or even problematic behaviors.

Traditional strategies don’t work

The productivity hacks that work for neurotypicals often fall flat for us. We need solutions tailored to our unique brains, and the dopamine menu is precisely that.

Avoiding bad habits

Without a dopamine menu, we default to whatever habits we have in place. Often, these are not productive or healthy.

Creating Your Dopamine Menu

So, how do we get started? Creating a dopamine menu involves four straightforward steps: Design, Omit, Prep, and Advertise (DOPA for short).

Step 1: Design

In this phase, let yourself go wild and brainstorm all the activities that give you a squirt of joy juice. Jessica McCabe divides these into starters, mains, sides, and desserts:

Starters: Quick activities that help get you started or serve as a short break. For instance, having a dance party in your living room, playing with your pet, or making a quick call to a loved one.

Mains: More engaging activities requiring a bit more time and effort. Examples might be working on an art project, playing a game like Rummikub, or browsing a bookstore.

Sides: Activities that enhance the mains. If you're playing a game with a neighbor, perhaps playing some music in the background or lighting candles.

Desserts: Quick hits of dopamine used as rewards. This could be watching a single episode of a bingeable TV series, engaging in a quick chat, or playing a phone game.

Step 2: Omit

The next stage involves editing your list. Use your critical thinking skills to categorize items into starters, mains, sides, and desserts. Remove anything that isn't feasible due to time, cost, or other constraints.

Step 3: Prep

To make your dopamine menu effective, you need to be able to execute these activities easily. Ensure that everything you need for your chosen activities is readily accessible. Whether it's art supplies, your bicycle, or a rock climbing gym membership, make sure it's all within easy reach.

Step 4: Advertise

Finally, advertise your dopamine menu to yourself. Make it visible and attractive. The more you see it, the more likely you are to use it. Perhaps post it on your refrigerator, your home office wall, or even your phone's lock screen. Remind yourself and those you live with why it's essential you engage in these activities for your mental well-being.

Practical Tips for Implementation

It’s essential to make your dopamine menu accessible. For example, if exercising gives you dopamine, you might want to put your yoga mat right where you can see it or leave your bike near the front door. If crafting brings you joy but you don’t have space for a craft room, maybe dedicate a corner of your garage or a small table in your living room for it.

Engage with your living space, and make those dopamine-inducing items as accessible as possible. Convenience is critical because, let's face it, if it's too much effort, we're more likely to go for the low-hanging fruit like social media or Netflix.

Final Thoughts

Having a dopamine menu is not a cure-all, but it’s a fantastic tool that can make balancing the unique challenges of being a female entrepreneur a lot more manageable. Remember, this menu is yours to tailor and reconfigure as your priorities and circumstances change. If you ever feel stuck or uninspired, remember you can always come back to this guide for a reminder on how to manage your mood, energy, and motivation better.

If you decide to create your own dopamine menu, I would love to see it! Share it on social media and tag me @coachDiannWingert on Instagram or DiannWingertCoaching on LinkedIn.Feel free to DM me on LinkedIn or Instagram @coachdiannwingert or send me an email at diann@diannwingertcoaching.com. I'd love to hear your thoughts! If you'd like to hear the full episode on ADHD-ish Podcast, you can do that here.