Hey a,
You're 20 minutes into your session, working on a new loop.
But something feels off in the low-end.
"It's probably just the kick and bass that need a bit of mixing", you tell yourself, and remember that tutorial you saw the other day.
So you start tweaking compressor settings, try out that new saturation plugin you just crack… *cough* bought, and off you go on a massive tangent.
90 minutes later, you've created a massive effects chain.
Your loop doesn't sound much better, your ears get tired, and you don't even know how you ended up here.
So you call it a day, take a break, and start reflecting on what just happened.
Sound familiar?
First, you're not alone with this problem I like to call "Producer ADHD".
In our coaching program, I'd say about 40% of our students have clinically diagnosed ADHD.
But honestly? Almost every producer I know struggles with this to some degree.
Here's what's actually happening in your brain:
Your creative mind is constantly generating new possibilities. That's feature, not a bug.
The problem is that without clear decision-making frameworks, every new idea feels equally important and urgent.
You don't have a reliable way to evaluate what's worth pursuing right now versus what should wait.
So when you're 20 minutes into a session and your brain serves up a "better" idea, you chase it. I might not be actually better, but that's the trick your brain is playing on you.
Three hours later, you've got multiple unfinished loops, watched a bunch of tutorials, got hooked into your Instagram or TikTok feed, and you get this nagging feeling that you're just spinning your wheels.
Here's what most producers try to do: Fight their creative nature.
"I just need to focus better. I need more discipline. I need to ignore distractions."
But that's like trying to dam a river instead of channeling it.
Your creative brain will always generate ideas. Trying to suppress that is exhausting and ultimately counterproductive.
What you need instead are creative guardrails.
Think about it this way: The most creative and distractible your brain is, the more it needs systematic guardrails.
This sounds backwards to most producers. They think systems will kill their creativity.
But here's the truth: A reliable, step-by-step process is what actually nurtures your creativity more than anything.
When you know exactly what step comes next, your brain can stop constantly evaluating options and start creating.
Instead of "What should I do now?" (which triggers analysis paralysis), you follow a clear step-by-step path that moves projects forward.
The creative energy that used to scatter in all directions gets channeled into finishing tracks.
This is exactly what happened with Jake, one of our coaching students who used to struggle a lot with this. I'm not using his real name but he allowed me to share his very personal story
Jake came to us after spending almost two years starting tracks but never finishing anything. He's got diagnosed ADHD, super creative, but couldn't stay focused on one project for longer than maybe 30 minutes.
His project folder? 134 unfinished ideas.
But here's what happened after he started working with our Creative Funnel™ system:
Within about six weeks, he'd finished three tracks that he actually wanted to release. This eventually turned into a whole album he managed to put out later that year.
What changed wasn't his brain or his ability to focus.
He learned that instead of fighting his creative ADHD, he needed to give it structure.
The Creative Funnel™ provided exactly that structure:
Phase 1: Create Strong Core Ideas
Phase 2: Strategic selection and rough arrangements
Phase 3: Finalization with sonic storytelling
Phase 4: High-leverage mixing and mastering
Each phase has specific actions and clear criteria for moving to the next step.
Jake's ADHD brain still generates tons of ideas.
The difference is that now those ideas get funneled into a process that actually produces finished tracks instead of just adding to the pile.
He described it to me as "finally having a GPS for my creativity."
The bottom line: You can't "fix" your ADHD brain, and you shouldn't want to.
Your tendency to see possibilities everywhere and generate multiple ideas is actually a creative superpower.
You just need to channel it through a system that works with how your mind operates, not against it.
Stop trying to force yourself to focus like someone else. Start building guardrails that let your creativity run wild, but in the right direction.
Your music matters. Let's make it count.
Philip
PS: The Creative Funnel™ system we teach in our coaching program was specifically designed to work with creative ADHD, not against it. A lot of our most successful students are producers who struggled with focus before learning to harness their creative energy systematically. If you want to see if this approach could work for you, book a free discovery call here and we can talk about it.
|