The Visual Trick That Tames Shiny Object Syndrome (Not Another Productivity Hack)

One priority. Three steps. One boundary. A simple Micro-Map for ADHD brains that won’t stop starting.

My personal breakthrough (the part I didn’t expect)

What surprised me most wasn’t the roadmap image.

It was what the Micro-Map questions revealed underneath my drains.

When I slowed down and actually named the real “Pull,” I found the thing I’ve been hiding from myself:

I’ve been afraid I won’t be good enough, especially because my health season has been hard.

And then the ADHD brain started tossing its greatest hits:

• They think I’m weird because I’m ADHD.

• I forget things.

• I’m not consistent enough.

• I’m too much / not enough.

That rejection-sensitive dysphoria spiral is very real. I later learned in life it’s a massive fear for ADHD brains and honestly… that tracks.

So here’s the deeper truth:

Mapping isn’t “productivity” for me.
It soothes my nerves and keeps me grounded on track.
Grounded = clarity.
Clarity = confidence.

And confidence is the fuel I’ve been lacking not strategy.

I also realized I’m not alone in this. A lot of us do personal growth in real life, then put the armor on the second we sit down to build. This map is my way of bringing the real me into the work, so I stop tightening up and start moving.

This week I’m trying on confidence like a coat… while still taking action.
Because I have a hunch that’s where the breakthrough lives. Try it with me for seven days and see what changes. :)

If you are building in a hard health season, your brain will try to sprint on a body that needs care. Here is my deeper take on business and biology: The Autoimmune-Entrepreneur Connection.

So I built a simple tool to help me and now I'm sharing it with you.

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Shiny object syndrome is not just chasing new ideas.

It’s like having too many open tabs in your mind with no clear priority. 🧠

By the end of this post, you will have one clear priority, three steps, and one boundary that protects your energy. You can sketch it by hand or use the AI prompts to generate a visual roadmap.

Confession: I am not an AI wizard

I’m a coach who loves a good experiment. I wanted to see if an AI prompt could help create a fun one page map fast, especially when our brains are doing the shiny object shuffle. Sketch it or generate it.

My hope is that you’ll leave with a real plan you can actually follow. The map is the part you can set up once, then follow without re-deciding everything all week.

How to use this (2–3 minutes to start)

Pick one priority you want to move forward this week.

Then choose your adventure:

Option 1 — No AI, no problem:
Fill in the Micro-Map blanks below. Then sketch the roadmap using boxes + arrows.
If you can draw a stick figure, you’re ready. Truly.

Option 2 — With AI Prompts:
Fill in the Micro-Map → copy/paste the prompt → generate a one-page visual roadmap you can screenshot, print, or set as your phone wallpaper.

Either way, the goal isn’t “more insight.”
It’s one clear outcome + one tiny next step today.

Why you may feel stuck

If you’re overwhelmed, it’s rarely because you’re lazy. It’s because your brain has 14 tabs open… and none of them are the right tab.

One tab is money. One tab is health. One tab is “I should post.”
One tab is “I should fix my website.” Another tab is “I should be doing something else entirely.”

So you do the adult version of spinning in a desk chair: you work all day… and somehow finish nothing.

This Micro-Map is how we close the extra tabs, choose one focus, and build a path your nervous system can actually follow.

When I did this, I expected the problem to be my schedule. It was not. It was the fear underneath it. My real drain was a lack of confidence, and naming that changed how I moved.

So before you open another tab, take one breath and ask: what is my Pin for the week. The answer is your starting line.

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Why I made this prompt pack

I created this because so many brilliant humans I coach think:
“I can’t draw… so I can’t do a visual plan.”

That belief is… respectfully… total BS.

You don’t need to be an artist. You need to get the energy leak out of your brain and onto something you can see.

I don’t “draw” either, I map.
And when I’m overwhelmed, hyperfocused, or sliding into shiny object syndrome, visuals calm my brain down fast. They help me find my groove again.

So if you love visuals + color… but you don’t want to get stuck in the doodling phase?
This is your tool.

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🗺️ Choose how you want to use this Micro Map

1. Write it by hand: print this section or copy it into a notebook and fill it in.

2. Type it out: copy this Micro Map into your Notes app and fill it in.

3. Use AI: skip the blanks and run Prompt A to generate your Micro Map.

Either way, you end up with the same thing: one clear priority and a path you can follow.

The Micro-Map

PIN (what I’m deciding / building):

• My one priority for this week is: _______________
  (Pick one outcome you’ll feel proud about by Sunday.)

PULL (what’s draining / complicating it):

• The tabs stealing my focus are:

  _______________

  _______________

  _______________

• The sneaky pressure underneath is: _______________
  (approval, money fear, perfectionism, “shoulds,” etc.)

PRIORITIZE (what matters most):

• If I only did one thing that made everything else easier, it would be: _______________

• The real win this week is: _______________
  (momentum, revenue, rest, clarity, completion—choose one)

PATH (3 steps):

1. Define the finish line: “Done” looks like ____________.”

2. Make it small enough to start: Break it into 3 micro-chunks:

   • Chunk 1: ____________

   • Chunk 2: ____________

   • Chunk 3: ____________

3. Schedule it like it matters: Pick 2 time blocks:

   • Block A: Day/Time ____________

   • Block B: Day/Time ____________

PROTECT (nervous system + boundaries):

• One boundary that protects my energy this week: _______________

• Optional: What I will let be simple this week: _______________

• Optional: When I get overwhelmed, reset: 10 deep breaths + one tiny action

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✨ How to use my prompt pack (cut/paste)

Paste Prompt A first. Answer the questions. Then paste Prompt B to build your plan.

Prompt A — Context Loader

Act as my strategic coach. Ask me up to 7 clarifying questions, then build a one-page Micro-Map using: Pin / Pull / Prioritize / Path / Protect. Keep it simple, actionable, and kind.

Prompt B — Map Builder

Using my answers, create:

• a 1-sentence focus statement

• a 3-step plan for the next 7 days

• the smallest next action (5 minutes)

• one boundary that protects my energy

Optional (only if you want extra):

• Prompt C — Reality Check: Now challenge the plan: list the top 5 failure points and a prevention tactic for each.

• Prompt D — Output (for checklist people): If I ask for it, convert the plan into a checklist + a calendar-style plan + a text-to-self for tomorrow morning.

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My example (for anyone new to prompts like me)

Here’s what mine looks like this week:

PIN: Build a repeatable AI-assisted Substack writing system that produces 2 publish-ready articles + supports a 5am wake-up rhythm.
PULL: money pressure • task overload • future worry • protection mode
PRIORITIZE: confidence (by publishing, not perfecting)
PATH:

1. Build my “Prompt-to-Post Recipe”

2. Write + publish Article #1

3. Clone the system + publish Article #2
   PROTECT: no personal calls until after 6:30pm • lights out 10:00pm • “early sleep / early work week”

*If you don’t use AI at all, you can still do this: write those five sections in a notes app, then draw 5 boxes and connect them with arrows. Done.

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✨ Visual Roadmap Prompt (copy/paste)

This is the magic part: it turns your Micro-Map into a one-page hand-drawn infographic so your brain can see the plan.

If your AI can generate images, use this:

Prompt: Micro-Map → Hand-Drawn Roadmap (image version)
Create a clean, hand-drawn visual roadmap on a white background that turns my Micro-Map into a one-page infographic.

Style:

• minimalist hand-drawn marker look

• thick black outlines, lots of whitespace

• simple shapes + a few doodle icons

• flat accent colors: teal/green + one warm accent

• BIG readable text (short labels only)

Layout sections:

1. TITLE at top

2. PIN (one box)

3. PULL (3–4 small bubbles)

4. PRIORITIZE (one bold center box)

5. PATH (three stepping stones with arrows 1→2→3)

6. PROTECT (boundary box + bedtime)

7. ONE ACTION (5 MIN) stamp at bottom-right

Use this exact content:
[PASTE MY MICRO-MAP HERE]

If your AI does NOT generate images, use this:

Turn my Micro-Map into a one-page visual layout described in words using boxes, arrows, and short labels (no paragraphs). End with a checklist + a Mon–Sun plan.

Let the map hold the week:

Now you have a tool you can come back to all week. Print your map, screenshot it, make it your phone wallpaper.

Then stop re-deciding everything. Breathe. Let the plan settle into your body.

Awareness catches up when you give it a simple path to follow.

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The One Action (5 minutes)

Do ONE of these right now (if you want to get going right away):

• Open a doc titled “My Prompt-to-Post Recipe” and write 5 bullets

• Choose your Article #1 topic

• Send one message that creates momentum

• Delete one obligation that is stealing your week

Tiny action. Real movement.

You don’t need more pressure. Your map will help regulate your nervous system.

If this helped you, reply and tell me your Pin for the week. I read every comment.

And if you know someone who is juggling ADHD, overwhelm, or nervous system burnout, would you hit the Share button and send this to them?

One good map can change a whole week. 🙏🏻 Kate

👉🏻 Want to go deeper? Take the Business Health Reset Quiz (free). It will point to your next best focus.

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