How To Master ADHD Goal Setting by Energy Type

Does it ever seem like your energy ebbs and flows unpredictably? In some situations, you’re bursting with focus and creativity, ready to sprint like a thoroughbred… While others have you in that steady workhorse energy that uses a more even balance of work and rest.

In this week’s episode of I’m Busy Being Awesome, we explore how to align your goals with these natural energy rhythms. 

Whether you thrive on consistency, bursts of focus, or a mix of both, you’ll discover practical tools to make progress in a way that feels sustainable and empowering.

From flexible routines to intentional recovery, this episode has something for everyone. Tune in to learn how to harness your strengths, honor your energy, and tackle your goals with confidence.

You can listen to the episode above or stream it on your favorite podcasting app here.

Prefer to read? No problem! Keep scrolling for a summary of the key takeaways.

In Episode 288: ADHD Goal Setting by Energy Type You Will Discover:

• How to align your goals with your natural energy rhythms.
• Practical tools for sustainable goal-setting and recovery.
• Flexible strategies for honoring both workhorse and thoroughbred styles.

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Episode 288: ADHD Goal Setting by Energy Type (Transcript)

Last week, we dove into one of my favorite new frameworks I’ve been exploring often with clients, which is the idea of workhorse vs. thoroughbred energy, and uncovering how our natural energy rhythms influence the way we show up day-to-day. We explored what it means to operate like a workhorse—with steady, persistent effort—or like a thoroughbred, thriving in high-energy bursts followed by intentional recovery periods.

Today, we’re taking that understanding a step further.

We’re looking at how to use these insights to tackle your goals and projects in a way that feels doable and sustainable.

Whether you’re building a habit, working on a creative project, or navigating a busy season of life, this episode is here to help you align your goals with your energy so it’s sustainable.

Now, if you have an ADHD brain like mine, there’s a good chance you lean more toward the thoroughbred side of things—especially when it comes to big projects and goals.

Hyperfocus, intense energy, and bursts of creativity might be your jam. But with that being said, we may also notice the workhorse show up in other areas of our life.

For example, maybe some of you are workhorses when it comes to social things and you do really well with regular, steady interaction with other people rather than needing a lot of recovery time after a big social push. 

So by the end of this episode, you’ll walk away with practical tools to work with your energy, no matter which style you lean toward.

Goal Setting for Work Horses

Workhorses thrive on persistence and steady progress. They excel at showing up day after day, taking small, consistent steps that build momentum over time.

This steady approach is perfect for habits, routines, and goals that benefit from gradual, sustained effort. For workhorses, it’s not about big leaps—it’s about putting one foot in front of the other and trusting that those steps will add up.

Again, you may not see this nature in anything you do, but you may also notice it in some places.

For example, I’m a workhorse when it comes to movement. I’m not someone who wants to train for some super intense marathon or triathlon or anything like that. But I do know I like to move each day—whether that’s just walking Bruno, a strength session, dancing, or a combination of the different activities.

I know that I do best when I show up and do a bit each day.

However, when it comes to projects around the house or building a new offer in my business, that’s a horse of a different color.

One of the biggest strengths a workhorse can lean into is the predictability. You can count on yourself to show up at least 80-85% of the time and make progress, even if it feels slow or incremental in the moment. Over time, these efforts create a powerful compounding effect that moves you closer to your goal.

Tip 1 : structure your goals around daily milestones or routines

For instance, let’s say you’re writing a book. Instead of diving into massive writing sessions that might seem particularly draining for a workhorse, perhaps you do the more traditional method of setting aside 30 minutes most mornings to focus on one small section.

Maybe it’s writing a single page, outlining a chapter, or revising a specific passage. The key is regularly returning to those behaviors so that progress becomes a habit.

Helpful Tools: Habit trackers or progress logs.

They provide a clear visual representation of your efforts, giving you a tangible reminder of how far you’ve come. Checking off a habit tracker each day might seem simple, but it can be incredibly motivating for a workhorse energy style—it’s a visual celebration of your persistence and progress.

Tip 2: Give Yourself Flexibility

Now, I also want to highlight the importance of flexibility for the workhorse, which may seem counterintuitive at first.

Even though a workhorse is traditionally pretty consistent, there will likely be seasons when your energy shifts.

Maybe you’re navigating a particularly busy time at work, or you’ve hit a creative roadblock that requires a fresh burst of energy to push through. During these times, remind your brain that it’s okay to step into a thoroughbred-style sprint to move forward, and you may also need a bit of recovery on the other side—and that’s okay.

For example, let’s go back to the book-writing goal. If you’ve been regularly writing most mornings but suddenly have a tight deadline to hit, you might shift into thoroughbred mode for a few days. You could dedicate an entire afternoon or weekend to making major progress, knowing that this sprint is a temporary shift to meet the moment.

I think it’s a helpful perspective for the workhorse to remind yourself you can return to your steady rhythm once the sprint is over. 

Essentially, if you identify with workhorse tendencies, I encourage you to lean into your strength of persistence. Use tools and routines to keep yourself on track and celebrate the progress you’re making, even when it feels small.

And remember, it’s okay to practice flexibility when you need it – as long as you give yourself the rest you need on the other side.

Goal Setting for Thoroughbreds

Thoroughbreds thrive in bursts of focused energy. They’re the sprinters of the energy world, capable of tackling a lot in a short amount of time when they’re in the zone.

This intense focus is a powerful strength, especially for big, high-impact tasks or creative projects.

But here’s the catch: thoroughbreds need intentional recovery time to recharge. Without it, the sprint can quickly lead to burnout or the dreaded crash—something many of us with ADHD are all too familiar with.

Tip 1: Work with this Rhythm – Not Against It

For thoroughbreds, structuring goals to work with this rhythm rather than against it, is key. A great way to do this is by intentionally building “sprint days” into your schedule.

These are the days when you fully lean into your focused energy and tackle the big-ticket items that require your undivided attention. Pair those sprint days with lighter, low-energy recovery days to sustain your momentum. 

This is what I do with podcast day on Monday, followed by what I call “CEO Day” on Tuesday, which combines coaching with my coach alongside lower-demand activities like creating Instagram reels, scheduling my newsletters, responding to emails, etc. All the administrative things for the business.

Maybe you’re planning an event. You could…

• Dedicate two high-energy sprint days to mapping out the vision, confirming major details, and tackling the big-ticket items like booking a venue or creating a guest list.
• Then, you follow those up with recovery days, where you review the smaller details, catch up on admin work, or do lighter tasks like running errands to get the decorations and stuff.

This ebb and flow allows you to harness your bursts of energy without exhausting yourself.

One of my clients recently leaned into this idea by creating a “two days on, two days off” structure. She used her sprint days to dive deep into high-energy tasks and then built in two intentional recovery days to focus on lighter, low-energy activities. By planning her time this way, she avoided burnout and found balance in her workload.

Tip 2: Plan for recovery

For many of us with ADHD, this thoroughbred energy style feels familiar—especially when it comes to big projects or creative work. That hyperfocused energy we tap into can be an incredible strength, allowing us to make rather quick progress.

But here’s where it gets tricky: if we don’t plan for recovery, the pendulum can swing too far, leaving us in a slump that’s hard to climb out of.

To avoid this, we want to be intentional—not accidental—about our recovery time.

Think of it as part of the process, not a sign of weakness or failure. Schedule it in.

For example, after two days of intense focus on your project, plan an afternoon for lighter activities, like organizing your workspace, doing some reading, or even just relaxing. By giving yourself permission to rest, you’re setting yourself up for your next sprint.

If you resonate with the thoroughbred energy style, remember this: your bursts of focused energy are an incredible strength. The key is to balance those bursts with recovery, so you’re not running on empty. By structuring your goals around this natural rhythm, you can achieve amazing results without sacrificing your well-being.

Next, we’ll look at how to create flexible structures that honor both workhorse and thoroughbred styles, giving you the tools to adapt based on your energy and your goals.

Create a Flexible Structure for Workhorses & Thoroughbred Styles

One of the most effective strategies for working with your natural energy patterns—whether you’re a workhorse, a thoroughbred, or somewhere in between—is creating a menu or list of tasks tailored to different energy levels. 

Now, I find this tool especially helpful for thoroughbred brains because it allows you to offload some decision-making and unnecessary demands on your executive functions. It gives you a clear plan for low-energy days when focus feels elusive and ensures you’re making the most of your high-energy days when you’re ready to dive into big, impactful tasks.

Here’s how it works:

Create Personalized Menus/Lists for Low-Energy and High-Energy Days

Now, whether you’re a workhorse or a thoroughbred will inform when you turn to the different lists. The workhorse likely has a more steady routine throughout the day with a balance of both low-energy and high-energy tasks. The thoroughbred, on the other hand, likely has longer stretches of both.

Either way, let’s talk about some examples of what you might find on these lists. However, please keep in mind that one person’s low-energy tasks may very well be someone else’s high-energy tasks. 

Let’s start with potential low-energy days

These are the times when you’re not feeling particularly motivated or focused, but you still want to keep moving forward without overtaxing yourself.

Tasks for these days might include:

• Responding to emails.
• Organizing files or your workspace.
• Updating your calendar or to-do list.
• Light planning or brainstorming ideas without diving too deep.

High-Energy Days

On the flip side, your high-energy menu is for those days when you’re fully in the zone, ready to tackle big, impactful tasks that require focus and effort.

These tasks might include:

• Fully mapping out the steps for your new  project.
• Diving into deep work, like writing a chapter of your book or creating a presentation.
• Tackling major project milestones, like finalizing a proposal or launching an offer.

Example of a Task Menu in Action

Another one of my clients created a menu of low-energy and high-energy tasks that really supported her thoroughbred energy style. She’s an artist.

On her recovery days, she focuses on:

• Cleaning her workspace
• Sketching out ideas
• Responding to inquiries
• Updating new pieces on her website or on social media

These were all low-effort tasks that she wants to get done, but they’re not how she wants to use her best time. 

On her sprint days, she focused on:

• One main high-energy task – getting into the studio and creating. 

This approach allowed her to continue creating and producing her art without burning out, no matter how her energy shifted.

For those of you who align much more with the workhorse energy when it comes to goals and projects, you may find it helpful to think of your lists more like a roadmap than a menu.

In this situation, you might organize and map out your steady progress and essentially break that big goal or project into smaller tasks and spread them across several days or weeks. 

Again, this is more of the traditional goal-setting framework – which can be incredible for the brains who find it supportive. So if that’s you, amazing! Go all in.

And for the thoroughbreds out there, please know there are supportive approaches for your brain, too. And creating a menu that includes recovery support, where you focus =on lighter tasks during downtime is an important component. 

Note: These Tasks Are Not Set In Stone

Now, whether you’re primarily a workhorse or a thoroughbred, it’s always important to remember that your menu or tasks or your project roadmap isn’t set in stone.

• As you use it, note what works and what doesn’t.
• Are there tasks you consistently avoid on low-energy days?
• Swap them out for something more manageable.
• Do you find that a particular high-energy task seems much harder to dive into than expected? Break it into smaller steps or move it to a different time.

By experimenting and refining your task menu, you’ll create a system that’s natural and supportive for you, allowing you to show up persistently without forcing yourself into a model that doesn’t fit.

Final Thoughts & Recap

Whether you’re a thoroughbred, a workhorse, or a mix of both in different areas of your life, this approach allows you to honor your energy while doing what matters most to you.

By tailoring your menu of tasks to fit your unique situation, you’re building a framework that supports you in any season, on any kind of day.

As a quick recap, this week, we…

• Took the concept of workhorse vs. thoroughbred energy and applied it directly to our goals, projects, and daily tasks.
• Explored how workhorses can lean into persistence and predictability, using steady, incremental progress to build momentum over time.
• Dove into how thoroughbreds can harness their bursts of focused energy while planning intentional recovery to sustain their efforts.

Whether you resonate more with the steady rhythm of a workhorse, the dynamic sprints of a thoroughbred, or see yourself as a mix of both depending on the context, the key takeaway is this: your energy style is your strength.

By working with your natural rhythm—through tools like personalized task menus or structured routines—you can align your approach to goals in a way that feels supportive and sustainable.

Next Steps

This week, try creating your own task menus based on what we discussed. Build one for low-energy tasks and one for high-energy tasks, and experiment with using them in a way that feels natural for you.

If you lean more toward workhorse energy, you might use these menus to map out your steady progress across the week. And if you’re more thoroughbred in your approach, let those menus guide your recovery days and sprints.

• As you work with these menus, notice what’s clicking and what could use adjustment.
• Treat this as an experiment and give yourself permission to tweak and refine as you go.

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All right, my friends, that’s going to do it for us this week.

⭐ If you’re ready to take these concepts and apply them to your life and support your ADHD in a way that’s best for you, you can learn more about how we can work together in both my small group coaching program, We’re Busy Being Awesome, and through one on one coaching.

👉 Want to learn my simple step-by-step approach to locking in a routine and making it stick, be sure to check out my free course, the ADHD Routine Revamp.

I’ll talk with you soon.