The Most Impulsive Thing I’ve Done in Years (And What It Taught Me About ADHD)
I’m about to tell you about one of the most impulsive things I’ve done in years.
And honestly? It taught me more about living with ADHD than any perfectly planned system ever has.
Because here’s the thing—
I am not typically impulsive.
I’m what I call an overcompensating ADHDer.
I plan everything.
Color-coded calendars.
Plan A, Plan B, Plan C (and let’s be honest… probably Plan D).
Because when you live with an ADHD brain, there’s always that quiet fear running in the background:
What if I forget something important?
If you’re a woman juggling work, family, caregiving—and carrying that constant “50 tabs open in your brain” feeling—you already know exactly what I’m talking about.
The YOLO Moment That Changed Everything
Last Friday, something unusual happened.
I saw tickets for the UConn vs. Duke March Madness game—a bucket list experience for us—and instead of researching, planning, or overthinking…
My brain just said: “Do it.”
So I did.
No spreadsheet.
No deep dive.
No contingency plans.
I bought the tickets in about an hour as a birthday gift for my husband.
Pure. Impulse.
And now? I may be completely ruined for every future basketball game because I truly don’t know how anything could top that ending.
But here’s what I didn’t expect—
I wasn’t just watching basketball.
I was watching ADHD in action.
The Problem With Incomplete Information
One moment during the game completely stopped me.
The assistant coaches didn’t tell the head coach that their three-point percentage was terrible.
Think about that.
The person responsible for making real-time decisions—leading, adjusting, responding—was missing critical information that could have changed everything.
And that’s when it hit me:
We do this all the time.
We are constantly making decisions, judging ourselves, and trying to “get it together”… without actually having the full picture.
We say things like:
- Why can’t I keep up?
- Why is this so hard for me?
- Why does everyone else seem to manage and I can’t?
But what if the real issue isn’t you?
What if you’re just missing key information?
The Story We’ve Been Told Is Wrong
So many of us are operating with invisible gaps:
We don’t realize how mentally depleted we are.
We don’t see how much emotional labor we’re carrying.
We don’t recognize that our systems don’t fit our brains.
We don’t notice how our environment is working against us.
And what we call procrastination?
It’s often not procrastination at all.
It’s fear.
Overwhelm.
Perfectionism.
Decision fatigue.
There’s always an emotion underneath.
But instead of being taught that, we’ve been told a different story:
That it’s laziness.
A lack of discipline.
A character flaw.
And that’s what makes living with ADHD so brutal.
We’re not just struggling.
We’re struggling with the wrong story about why we’re struggling.
You Can’t Adjust to Information You Don’t Have
If you don’t know your schedule is unrealistic, you’ll keep blaming yourself for falling behind.
If you don’t know your nervous system is overloaded, you’ll push harder—and burn out faster.
If you don’t know your brain needs visible cues, structure, or recovery time, you’ll keep trying to function in an environment that doesn’t support you.
And then you’ll assume the problem is you.
But it’s not.
Sometimes, the breakthrough isn’t trying harder.
Sometimes, it’s finally having the right information.
The Shot That Changed the Game
And then came the ending.
Mullins made the winning three-point shot…
…thinking he was tying the game.
He didn’t even have the full picture.
And still—he took the shot.
But the part that really stayed with me?
Karaban had the ball with five seconds left.
He could have forced a shot.
He could have gone for the glory.
Instead, he passed.
Because someone else had the better position.
Under pressure, with no time to overthink, he trusted his instincts and made the right call—even though it meant stepping out of the spotlight.
That decision won the game.
The ADHD Lesson No One Talks About
This is how so many of us are living with ADHD:
Making decisions under pressure.
With incomplete information.
With limited bandwidth.
And still—somehow—making it work.
But here’s where we get stuck:
We think we need everything figured out before we act.
The full plan.
The full map.
The perfect routine.
The perfect clarity.
But life doesn’t work that way.
Life doesn’t wait for perfect information.
You Don’t Need the Whole Game
Most of the time, you won’t feel ready.
Most of the time, you won’t have certainty.
Most of the time, your nervous system will be somewhere between “barely functioning” and “please don’t talk to me.”
And still—you move forward.
Because here’s the truth:
You don’t need to see the whole game.
You just need to take the next shot.
When Everything Feels Like Too Much
With ADHD, it’s so easy to freeze when everything feels big:
The whole to-do list.
The whole month.
The whole project.
The whole house.
The whole inbox.
Your whole life.
It’s overwhelming because you’re trying to see the entire court at once.
But what if you didn’t have to?
What if you just focused on the next pass?
Winning Doesn’t Look Like Perfect
Because sometimes, the game isn’t won by the person who sees everything.
It’s won by the person who:
Trusts their instincts.
Takes the shot they have.
Keeps moving forward.
Even without perfect information.
Even with the clock running down.
Even when it feels like everything is on the line.
That’s not just how you win basketball games.
That’s how you win with ADHD.
