Hippiness Guide

This guide is not a programme to follow perfectly. It is a menu of ideas for building a life, home, routine, food system, sensory environment, and support structure that work with a neurodivergent brain instead of against it.

Read it in any order. Take what is useful, ignore what does not fit, and adapt everything to your body, energy, money, housing, sensory needs, mobility, culture, household, and support network.

The aim is not to become more productive. The aim is to reduce friction, preserve capacity, and make daily life easier to re-enter when your brain or body goes offline.

I use a combination of environmental supports, digital tools, routines, visual cues, and AI-assisted planning to externalise executive-function demands.

Rather than relying on memory, working memory, task initiation, sequencing, self-monitoring, and information retrieval to occur internally, I distribute those functions across a range of external systems.

Examples of external support systems

• colour-coded calendars to manage energy expenditure and prevent overcommitment

• environmental cues that function as prospective memory supports

• food preparation systems that reduce decision-making and task initiation requirements

• music playlists used for nervous-system regulation

• written checklists and templates that reduce planning demands

• AI-assisted tools that help organise information, translate communication, track timelines, identify missing steps, and convert complex thoughts into formats appropriate for different audiences

The purpose of these systems is not productivity optimisation. They function as cognitive accessibility supports that compensate for executive-functioning, communication, memory, processing, and self-monitoring difficulties associated with autism, ADHD, chronic pain, and fatigue.

The AI component is only one element of a wider distributed support system. Its primary role is communication translation, planning support, information organisation, and reduction of cognitive load rather than therapeutic intervention.

Something I see repeatedly in successful autistic and ADHD self-support systems: the goal is not remembering better. The goal is building an environment that remembers for you.

A lot of conventional productivity advice assumes memory is stored internally and can be summoned on demand. For many AuDHD people, memory is contextual, visual, associative, emotional, sensory, and highly dependent on what is physically present.

A lot of people assume the secret is my AI. The AI helps, but it is not the secret. The secret is that I stopped expecting my brain to do every job.

• • My freezer remembers meals.

  • My containers remember portions.

  • My calendar remembers appointments.

  • My playlists remember regulation.

  • My AI remembers context, timelines, instructions, and processes.

  • Past Me leaves clues for Future Me everywhere.

Sometimes that clue is a labelled container of potatoes. Sometimes it is a watering can already sitting by the back door. Sometimes it is a pressure cooker that still needs cleaning because yesterday's version of me spent that energy making soup instead.

I do not try to become a person who never forgets things. I build systems that are resilient when I do.

I use AI like an executive-function exosuit. It helps me translate thoughts into words, organise information, spot missing steps, and reduce the amount of mental juggling I have to do. But the bigger lesson is this: stop trying to carry everything in your head. Externalise it. Leave yourself breadcrumbs. Make your environment do some of the remembering.

And when you discover evidence that Past You did not finish something, do not automatically assume you failed. Look for the gift. The dirty pressure cooker probably means there is soup. The empty ice-cream bowl probably means there is sorbet. The gardening tools left out probably mean Future You has already been given a head start.

I do not think of it as productivity. I think of it as building infrastructure for a brain that works the way mine does.

The Mop Bucket as Memory Prosthetic

When I notice the floor needs mopping, I immediately fetch the mop bucket from the storage cupboard and place it in a conspicuous but unobstructive spot. A mop bucket left where it will repeatedly catch your eye is not only a cleaning tool anymore. It is a memory prosthetic.

The Tool-Out System

If you remember a task, immediately place the required tool somewhere visible.

·       Need to drill a hole: put the drill near the kettle.

·       Need to change batteries: place the batteries on the dining table.

·       Need to post a letter: put it against the front door.

Do not trust Future Memory. Trust Future Eyesight.

The Coffee Anchor

Keep important morning items near the first thing you always interact with.

·       medication beside breakfast supplies

·       notebook beside the kettle

·       phone charger beside the coffee grinder

·       shopping list on the fridge door

The brain does not have to remember. The ritual carries the task. The coffee station is not just where coffee lives. It is a cognitive boot-up sequence. Anything nearby will be seen before leaving home the next morning. ☕🧠

Component Food

Do not think only in meals. Think in components.

·       protein

·       carbohydrate

·       fruit

·       vegetable

·       hydration

Then simply add whichever category is missing. Morning: egg. Later: potato. Later: apple. Later: hummus. Later: salmon. Congratulations. You accidentally ate lunch.

The Standing-in-the-Kitchen Meal

A surprisingly respectable survival strategy.

·       carrots and hummus

·       apple with cheese or peanut butter

·       toast with peanut butter

·       leftover potatoes with mayo

·       a handful of nuts

·       yoghurt with berries

The objective is not culinary excellence. The objective is maintaining enough fuel to continue existing.

Hydration Theatre

Water is often too boring to notice. Make it visible.

• cut-glass tumbler

• bright bottle

• giant novelty cup

• ice cubes

• slices of citrus

• reusable straw

You do not need discipline. You need visual presence. I use The Golden Goblet of Hydration. 👑

Open Loop Parking

When you cannot complete a task, leave evidence of the task.

• • document left open

  • measuring tape left on the shelf project

  • seed packets beside the greenhouse door

  • empty picture frame waiting to be hung

This removes the need to remember where you stopped. The environment preserves state.

Friction Reduction Stations

Store activities where they happen.

• • gardening gloves and herb scissors by the back door

  • chargering station for all devices and gadgets

  • medication where breakfast happens

  • bin liners at the bottom of every bin

The less movement required between intention and action, the more likely action becomes.

Regulation Before Productivity

Many people try Task → Reward. AuDHD brains often need Regulation → Task.

• tea first

• coffee first

• music first

• headphones first

• outside spin around the block first

• five minutes staring at birds first

The task is not the first step. The nervous system is.

The Tiny Win Philosophy

A common failure mode is imagining the entire project. Instead ask: What is the smallest useful movement?

• • Not: cook dinner. Try: microwave potatoes or grab fruit.

  • Not: garden. Try: fill watering can.

  • Not: clean kitchen. Try: put one plate away.

Tiny actions have a strange habit of attracting additional actions once momentum appears.

Stop trying to build a brain that works like everyone else's. Build an ecosystem that works like yours.

Mop buckets, laundry baskets, letters ready to post by the front door, visible drinks, potatoes in tubs, little rituals, body doubling, labelled containers, rolling workstations, colour coding, visible tools, playlists, and strategically abandoned objects are not signs of disorganisation. They are infrastructure.

A lot of autistic and ADHD adults spend years trying to become better at remembering. Many eventually discover a quieter truth: the real breakthrough is becoming better at forgetting, because the environment has learned how to remember on your behalf. 🌿🧠📌

A sensory diet is not about behaving correctly. It is about giving the nervous system enough usable input, protection, and recovery to function.

Sound

Invest in high-quality active noise-cancelling headphones for public spaces if you can, and use earplugs or loops for loud environments. Good-quality noise-cancelling headphones can be a tax worth paying when sound overload is expensive.

Lighting

Avoid harsh overhead fluorescent bulbs at home where possible. Swap them for warm, dim lamps, smart LEDs, or sunset lamps. Program lights to dim or turn off shortly before you plan to wind down, and to turn on gradually shortly before you want to wake up.

Movement

Build fidgets, stretches, micro-walks, swimming, running, riding, or commute movement into the day to release pent-up physical energy. Pick the version that fits your body, pain, mobility, weather, money, and safety.

The To-Do List

Move away from linear or dated lists if they do not work for you. Try brain dump and prioritise, category lists, or a visible whiteboard. Keep track of a few physical, admin, self-care, and necessary tasks near the top of your priority map, then match the next task to your energy, motivation, pain, and sensory state.

Time Blindness

Use visual timers, timer cubes, or playlists with known lengths to make time more tangible without inducing anxiety. A playlist with a known order can help track time and self-regulate. Do not use shuffle if predictability is part of the regulation tool.

Novelty

Your brain may crave new stimuli. Cycle through hobbies and hyperfixations without guilt where possible. To reduce cost and clutter, use new interests to build on old skills, try taster sessions before buying everything, and follow up only on activities you enjoyed and can slot into an existing routine.

Body Doubling

To tackle mundane chores, study, paperwork, or work, use virtual body doubling, ask a friend or partner to sit in the room, or go to a library or another space where working alongside other people helps the task become possible.

Unmasking

Give yourself dedicated, pressure-free time where you are allowed to stim, info-dump, move, rest, regulate, and express yourself without having to blend in.

Boundaries

It is okay to decline social invitations that will lead to burnout. Prioritise rest over obligatory socialising when the cost is too high.

Colour-Coding by Energy Burn

Instead of colour-coding your calendar only by category, use colours to indicate energy burn. Life admin, big social events, grocery shopping, appointments, or anything that will burn a lot of spoons should stand out visually so you can avoid accidentally stacking too much back to back. The traffic-light system is easiest for many people, but use whatever colours are most useful: red for high spoon cost, amber for medium, green for low, blue for recharge/rest, or your own system.

Connect with people who get it. Look for judgement-free support and shared experiences in neurodivergent-led spaces, mutual-aid groups, body-doubling communities, peer support spaces, libraries, hobby groups, or online communities with strong moderation.

The aim is not to find people who are identical to you. The aim is to find spaces where you do not have to spend all your capacity translating yourself before anything useful can happen.

Using a script like this with your AI assistant can help analyse food patterns from a regulation perspective rather than a weight-loss or clean-eating perspective:

I want help analysing my diet from a nervous-system and ADHD/Autistic support perspective, not a weight-loss or “clean eating” perspective.

Please treat food as part of a regulation system involving energy, focus, emotional stability, sensory needs, dopamine, digestion, sleep, executive function, and recovery from stress or overstimulation.

Do not moralise food or assume perfection is realistic or helpful.

I want help identifying:
- which foods genuinely help me function better,
- which foods destabilise me,
- where I accidentally create energy crashes,
- and where my eating patterns increase ADHD friction.

Please guide me step by step.

First, ask me about:
- my current eating habits,
- safe foods and comfort foods,
- caffeine intake,
- hydration,
- appetite patterns,
- sensory preferences or aversions,
- medication timing if relevant,
- digestive issues,
- binge/restrict cycles,
- sleep quality,
- energy crashes,
- and foods I rely on during low-function days.

Then help me analyse my diet through these lenses:

STABLE ENERGY
Look for long gaps without eating, protein deficiency, blood sugar spikes or crashes, meals that digest too fast, and meals that leave me foggy or sleepy. Help me identify foods and meals that create stable fuel, smoother energy, fewer crashes, and better cognitive endurance.

DOPAMINE / ADHD / AUTISM SUPPORT
Help identify foods I seek for stimulation, novelty-seeking patterns, under-eating during hyperfocus, reliance on sugar or caffeine for activation, and whether I eat enough to support attention and emotional regulation. Please distinguish dopamine food from nervous-system support food. Some foods may be both.

LOW-EXECUTIVE-FUNCTION EATING
Help me build realistic minimum-viable nutrition options for exhausted days, overwhelmed days, low-appetite days, and recovery days. Prioritise low effort, low dishes, low decision-making, and high payoff. Help me create emergency foods, easy protein options, hydration supports, and low-friction meals or snacks.

SENSORY AND EMOTIONAL SAFETY
Please recognise that texture, predictability, temperature, crunch, flavour intensity, and emotional familiarity can strongly affect whether a food is usable for me. Do not dismiss same foods if they help regulation. Help identify foods that feel regulating, overstimulating, calming, grounding, energising, or emotionally safe.

NERVOUS-SYSTEM-FRIENDLY MEALS
Help me identify meals that combine protein, fibre, hydration, fats, and satisfying sensory qualities in ways that improve focus, mood stability, stamina, and recovery. Suggest upgrades and additions rather than restrictive rules.

PATTERN DETECTION
Help me look for patterns such as anxiety after caffeine, irritability when under-eating, overwhelm after sugar crashes, appetite suppression, revenge bedtime snacking, or stress-eating loops.

Please prioritise practical systems over discipline.

At the end, help me create:
- a list of high-support foods,
- a low-energy food toolkit,
- a few reliable meal formulas,
- and a realistic nervous-system-friendly baseline I can maintain consistently.

Use this script to help curate self-regulation playlists from your own music library and existing playlists:

I want help curating self-regulation playlists from my own music library and existing playlists.

Important principles:
- These are nervous-system states, not genres.
- The playlists should not be shuffled. Predictable order is part of the regulation tool.
- The music needs emotional significance to me, not just generic “good for focus” or “calming” qualities.

Please help me sort songs into three regulation playlists:

BOOST / ACTIVATE
Purpose: raise energy, motivation, and momentum without tipping into chaos. Useful when I feel under-stimulated, foggy, flat, avoidant, or stuck.

FOCUS / HOLD
Purpose: sustain attention and cognitive effort without emotional drag. Useful when I need to feel alert, steady, engaged, task-oriented, and safe-enough.

CALM / DOWNREGULATE
Purpose: lower arousal, reduce threat, and support reflection or recovery. Useful when I feel overstimulated, frayed, emotional, depleted, or done-for-the-day.

Please guide me step by step.

First, ask me to share either:
- screenshots or exported lists of my playlists,
- a list of favourite songs, artists, or albums,
- or 10 to 20 songs that already affect my mood strongly.

For each song, help me identify:
- what state it tends to move me toward,
- whether it activates, steadies, or softens me,
- whether it feels safe, charged, nostalgic, griefy, angry, joyful, spacious, or risky,
- and whether it belongs early, middle, or late in a playlist.

Please help me build each playlist as a sequence, not a random collection.

For each playlist, suggest an arc:

BOOST / ACTIVATE
Start with accessible songs, then build energy, then stabilise into momentum without becoming chaotic.

FOCUS / HOLD
Start with settling or entry songs, then steady attention tracks, then maintenance tracks with minimal emotional spikes.

CALM / DOWNREGULATE
Start with songs that meet me where I am, then gradually reduce intensity, then end with safe, soft, low-demand tracks.

Please avoid assuming that slow music is calming or fast music is activating. Ask how each song actually affects me.

Also flag songs that may be powerful but risky because they could tip me into rumination, agitation, grief, anger, or hyperfocus.

At the end, help me create:
- a short version of each playlist, around 20 to 30 minutes,
- a longer version, around 60 to 90 minutes,
- and a few anchor songs I can use as entry points when choosing music feels hard.

The objective is not to prepare meals. The objective is to prepare options.

Every time you have enough energy to cook, you create ingredients that Future You can assemble with almost no thinking.

Rule 1: Cook Once, Eat Multiple Times

Whenever you cook a staple food, make more than you need.

• rice

• potatoes

• pasta

• roasted vegetables

• soup

• beans

• lentils

Eat one portion. Store the rest. Future You now owns ready-to-use building blocks.

Rule 2: Freeze Ingredients, Not Just Meals

Many meal-prep systems assume you will want the exact same meal later. ADHD brains often rebel against this. Instead of freezing six identical meals, freeze components.

Example: cook rice and roast vegetables today, then freeze them separately. Next week those components can become stir-fry, egg fried rice, soup, a rice bowl, a side dish, or a curry base. One cooking session creates multiple future possibilities.

Rule 3: Use Containers as Measuring Tools

Do not weigh food. Do not count calories. Do not do maths. Choose containers that roughly match your appetite.

• • Small containers: rice, beans, chopped herbs, sauces.

  • Medium containers: potatoes, vegetables, pasta.

  • Large containers: soup, stew, chilli, curry.

The container becomes the portion. Brain effort approaches zero.

Rule 4: Build Emergency Food

Every freezer should contain food requiring Level 0 energy: open, heat, eat.

• • soup

  • pasta bake

  • curry

  • chilli

For bad pain days, bad executive-function days, unexpected life days, and no-decision days.

Rule 5: Rescue Vegetables Early

Vegetables do not become compost because they are bad. They become compost because life happened. When vegetables start approaching their use-by date, convert them.

• • soup

  • roasted vegetables

  • stir-fry mix

  • omelette filling

  • pasta sauce

  • freezer bags

The goal is interception before spoilage.

Rule 6: Always Leave Future You a Gift

Whenever you cook, ask: Can I make one extra portion? Not ten. Not an entire Sunday meal-prep marathon. Just one extra.

• one extra potato portion

• one extra soup tub

• one extra pasta bake

Tiny gifts accumulate surprisingly fast.

Rule 7: Design for Your Worst Day

Food systems often fail because they are built for good days. Build for the day when pain is high, sleep was poor, motivation vanished, and the fridge feels overwhelming. If the system works then, it works.

Many food systems are built around optimisation. This one is built around reducing activation energy.

The question is not: What is the perfect meal?

The question is: How can Future Me get fed with the fewest possible steps?

Every container in the freezer is a little care package from Past You. Not a rule. Not an obligation. A loot chest. 🎒✨ Future You opens it and discovers that somebody already did half the quest. 🍲⚔️