What Is an ADHD Dopamine Menu? How to Make Your Own

Ever picked up your phone because you wanted something, then found yourself scrolling without actually enjoying it? Sometimes the hard part is working out what you want to do instead.

A dopamine menu is a list of activities you make while you can think of ideas, ready for the moments when you cannot. It is organised like a food menu: Appetisers, Mains, Sides and Dessert. You choose from it based on the time and energy you have.

The name is playful. The menu does not measure or “top up” your dopamine. It is a way to make enjoyable options easier to remember and choose. That can be helpful for people with ADHD, particularly when getting started or deciding what to do feels difficult.

Make your menu in four parts

Open a note on your phone or grab a piece of paper. Add the four headings below and write down one or two things you genuinely enjoy under each. You are making a menu for yourself, so skip any idea that sounds like another chore.

Appetisers: a quick boost (1–10 minutes)

These are small things you can start straight away when you want a little change of pace. Think: playing one favourite song, stepping outside, stretching, changing the lighting in your room or sending a voice note.

For your menu: What could you do in the next ten minutes that might feel good? Write down something specific, like “play my favourite song”, rather than “take a break”.

Mains: something to get into (15 minutes or more)

Mains give you more time to settle into an activity. You might bake, call a friend, go for a walk, play a game or pick up a hobby. A main does not need to be productive or end with something finished.

For your menu: What do you enjoy once you get started, but often forget is an option? Include something you can do at home as well as something that gets you out, if both appeal to you.

Sides: add something enjoyable to a boring task

A side goes with something you need to do. You could play music while doing admin, listen to a podcast while folding laundry, take your laptop to a café or do chores while chatting to a friend.

For your menu: Name a task you tend to put off. What could you pair it with to make it a little more pleasant? The task stays the same; the experience of doing it changes.

Dessert: fun, but easy to lose time in

Dessert is for things you enjoy that can stretch longer than you intended, such as watching short videos, scrolling social media or gaming. They are not “bad” choices, and you do not have to earn them. Putting them on your menu helps you notice when you are choosing them and whether they give you what you were looking for.

For your menu: What do you tend to reach for automatically? Do you enjoy it, or would something else feel better right now? If stopping is tricky, you might decide beforehand when you want to pause.

Put it where you will use it

Keep your menu in your phone notes, on the fridge or somewhere else you will see it. Next time you feel restless or catch yourself scrolling without enjoying it, take a look and ask: What sounds good and doable right now?

You might choose an Appetiser, make time for a Main, add a Side to a task or have Dessert on purpose. You might also realise you need food, rest or a break. There is no right order and no requirement to choose anything at all.

Start small and change the menu as you go. Cross off things you keep skipping. Add new things when you find them. The best menu is one you would actually want to order from.

Note - The dopamine menu idea was popularised by Jessica McCabe of How to ADHD and ADHD coach Eric Tivers.