A specific question, answered specifically.

ADHD burnout — the honest recovery protocol

ADHD burnout is what happens after a hyperfocus stretch ends. Not at the end of a project — somewhere in the middle, when the dopamine novelty wore off and the task is now in execution mode.

It looks like depression. It feels like depression. But the cause is different — the brain isn't out of capacity, it's out of stimulant for that specific task. Treating it like depression makes it worse. Treating it like a vacation also makes it worse (you come back to the same task). The full mechanic of the precursor crash is in ADHD hyperfocus crash.

What actually works

Three weeks of "below-threshold" living. Whatever your normal output is, do 40-50%. Don't replace the work with hobbies. Don't "use the time well." The point is to let the dopamine system reset around the original task.

Sleep. Boring, but the data on ADHD and sleep is unambiguous. 73-78% of ADHD adults meet criteria for delayed sleep phase syndrome (PMID 28239952). If you've been getting 5-6 hours during the burnout-onset weeks, getting 8 for 14 days will move you 60% of the way back. The chronotype detail is in ADHD sleep cycle disruption.

A light therapy lamp at $50-70, used 20 minutes in the morning. Particularly if your burnout started in fall/winter. Real effect, small but real.

What doesn't work

"Push through." This is the move that took you from "tired" to "burned out" in the first place.

Stimulant adjustment. Tempting and sometimes appropriate, but talk to a prescriber. Don't self-titrate.

A new system. You don't need a new system. You need to use the old system at 40% for three weeks. The structured way back is in the re-entry protocol for ADHD.

The Deskrune version

The ADHD Mental Health Tracker was specifically built for tracking the burnout-recovery curve — log mood, energy, work output daily during recovery, and the curve becomes visible. You'll know when you're truly recovered (not just "felt good for one day"). $4.99 through May 31.