A Method for Brains That Get Bored Easily

Some days you look at your to do list and feel nothing. You might have a perfectly structured schedule, with tasks blocked out for every hour. But when you look at the 9 AM task, your brain refuses to engage. It’s not that you are lazy. It’s that your brain is bored.

This is a common experience, especially for people whose minds thrive on novelty and curiosity. The standard advice on productivity is often built for a type of brain that is steady and predictable. It assumes that the person who planned the week on Sunday is the same person who has to execute the plan on Wednesday morning. For many of us, this is not true.

The Problem with Rigid Plans

A rigid schedule can feel like a cage. When your brain is asked to do something it has no interest in, it will rebel. This rebellion isn’t a conscious choice. It shows up as procrastination, distraction, or a sudden urge to clean the entire house instead of writing that report.

Forcing yourself to follow a rigid plan when your brain is resisting is like trying to push a car with the brakes on. You might move it a few inches, but you will exhaust yourself in the process. The mistake is not in your work ethic, but in the system you are trying to use. You are trying to run software that is incompatible with your hardware.

Work With Your Brain

The solution is not to find more discipline to force the old system to work. It is to find a new system that aligns with how your brain actually operates. You need to stop fighting your nature and start using it as an advantage. A brain that gets bored easily is also a brain that is highly creative, curious, and quick to make new connections. The right system can harness this energy.

Instead of a rigid schedule, think of your day’s work as a menu.

The Menu Method

When you go to a restaurant, you are given a menu. You know you are there to eat, but you have a choice about what you will have. The menu provides structure without being a prison. This is the model you can use for your work.

Each morning, decide on the three or four most important things you need to accomplish that day. Write them down. This is your menu. It's crucial that the list is short. A long list is just another source of overwhelm. A short list of three items feels manageable. It gives you clarity.

When it is time to work, look at your menu. Then ask yourself one question. Which of these tasks am I most interested in working on right now? Sometimes the answer will be obvious. Sometimes you might have to ask which one feels the least painful. The specific question doesn’t matter as much as the act of choosing.

By choosing, you give your brain the autonomy it craves. You are not being told what to do by your past self. You are making an active choice in the present moment. This simple shift can be enough to overcome the initial resistance to starting.

How to Use the Menu

Once you’ve chosen a task, commit to working on it for a short period. Twenty five minutes is a good starting point. Anyone can do almost anything for twenty five minutes. This lowers the barrier to entry. At the end of that period, you can take a short break. Then you have another choice. You can continue with the same task, or you can switch to another item on your menu.

The goal is not to perfectly execute a plan. The goal is to make consistent progress on the things that matter. Momentum is more important than optimization. The Menu Method is designed to create momentum by continually giving you small wins and a sense of control.

Thinking Out Loud

How do you decide what goes on the menu? This is where talking to yourself can be surprisingly effective. At the start of the day, you can simply speak about the things you need to do. As you talk through the tasks, you will notice a change in your own energy.

Hearing yourself describe a project can reveal your true level of interest. Your voice might become more animated when you talk about one task, or you might find yourself stumbling over your words when describing another. This is valuable data. It is your mind telling you where the energy is.

Speaking your thoughts is often faster and more fluid than writing, especially when your mind feels scattered. It helps you untangle your priorities and commit to a few key goals for the day. A quick spoken reflection at the end of the day can also be useful. What did you choose to work on? How did it feel? This self awareness is how you refine the system to work even better for you over time.

This approach is about creating a framework, not a set of rules. It respects the fact that your energy and interests will fluctuate. For a brain that gets bored easily, this flexibility is not a weakness. It is the key to staying engaged and productive in the long term.

Try thinking through your own menu by answering the prompt below.