Holiday To-Do List vs. One ADHD Brain: A Completely Unfair Fight

Hey friends — welcome back to A Solo Person’s Guide to ADHD!I’m Christine Dunning, Master Certified Life Coach and founder of Two Cats Coaching. Today we’re breaking down the real reason the holidays feel overwhelming when you’re both ADHD and solo: the entire holiday workload defaults to you. No partner, no backup brain, no shared executive functioning.This episode focuses on the practical, physical, cognitive demands of the season — not emotions or sensory overload (that’s coming in Episode 25!). We’ll look at the invisible, underestimated tasks that drain your executive functioning and why “dropping balls” doesn’t mean you’re disorganized — it means you’re doing the work of two adults with one brain.In this episode, we cover:The holiday timeline: Halloween → New Year’s → January 2 collapseWhy solo adults carry every task by defaultADHD + decision fatigue (gifts, meals, travel, RSVPs)The invisible holiday workload no one talks aboutThe emotional load you're carrying — even when this isn’t the “feelings episode”Four simple micro-solutions that make the season lighter right nowQuick Relief Tools Mentioned:One-page Holiday Dashboard ( I use my phone calendar!)Reduce decisions with the Power of One (one kind of gift, only one store etc.)A decompression routineSaying noUpcoming Episodes:🎧 Holiday Hacks Episode (Episode 24) — ADHD-friendly, solo-friendly tips you can use immediately🎧 Ep 25 – Holiday Emotions, Sensory Overload & Why You Feel “Too Much”Work With ChristineIf this episode took even one thing off your mental load, hit subscribe so Future You doesn’t miss an episode.And if you want coaching that actually fits a solo ADHD life, I offer 1:1 support.👉 Book a free consult using this link.Looking for free stuff? Click here