ADHD friendly journaling: The cursed garden of roses and thorns

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The cursed garden of roses and thorns: ADHD friendly journaling

Shrinivas Vithal Kulkarni<br>Feb 04, 2026

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On Hacker News, someone captured this perfectly:

“I have ADHD. I think. Pretty sure. I have thoughts, ideas, projects, concepts, links, things to read… fired at my brain all day every day. I can go deep on a topic for hours, but then be hit by a barrage of micro ideas. I really struggle to stay on track and focus.”

You might relate to this if you have ADHD or VAST (Variable Attention Stimulus Trait).

Externalizing through journaling, to-do lists, and timers helps, but not always. Often, the act of journaling itself becomes a challenge. Prioritizing, assigning timelines, and maintaining structure overwhelms you. The guilt from incomplete journals compounds the stress of unfinished tasks.

That’s where journaling with the Garden of Roses and Thorns mindset helps. It gives you a lightweight structure, flexible enough for your novelty-seeking mind, but intentional enough to prevent the chaos.<br>Who this is for

This concept is designed for anyone navigating ADHD, VAST, executive dysfunction – or feeling overwhelmed by stress and procrastination; and for creative minds who feel they aren’t meeting their own potential.<br>Note : This method complements professional support; it does not replace it. If symptoms significantly disrupt your life, consider speaking with a healthcare provider about diagnosis and treatment options.

The concept – Roses, Thorns and a Curse

Your brain is a cursed garden –<br>of roses and thorns

Rose plants are meaningful tasks that bloom with sustained care.

Thorns are unfinished work, guilt, negative thoughts, and regretful distractions that prick you constantly. These further fuel avoidance and instant gratification.

The curse: new plants constantly emerge, and your brain gravitates toward them. These sprouts demand attention. You must either weed them out or nurture them into roses – otherwise, they transform into thorns that hurt you.

The gardener’s challenge

You, the gardener, must tend to a few critical rose plants such as your job, academics, and your health.<br>But as you start working – or even before you begin – the curse unfolds: a new attractive sprout appears. You chase it instead. Then another emerges. You chase that too. Your critical roses never receive the sustained attention they need to bloom.<br>Roses that never bloom don’t simply disappear – they transform into thorns. These thorns of unfinished work hurt you, deepening self-doubt and fueling the very avoidance that created them.

The core issue

Every plant requires sustained effort to flower. Your garden is overcrowded, but most plants are irrelevant distractions, not true roses. Jumping between them yields nothing. Meanwhile, your critical roses wither and become thorns.

The solution

You must forcefully weed out constantly appearing thoughts or let them die by starving them of attention.

A gardener’s work requires a special set of tools.

This Roses & Thorns method provides the lightweight, intentional framework you need to tend your mental garden.

Tools for this journaling method

Your journal – for reflection, planning, and assessment.<br>A companion page – for managing thoughts while you work

Your journal

Before you start

This method doesn’t follow a rigid structure. Your brain is a unique garden, not a factory. You can make changes according to your needs and preferences.

Avoid perfectionism from day one, or you’ll quickly grow to hate it.

This isn’t about ticking boxes and building streaks. It’s a space to relax and spend time with yourself. The aim is to write through a process that suits you so you’ll enjoy the process itself.

You don’t need to journal daily from the start.

You don’t need to label, group or categorize every item.

Remember: Thorns drive pleasure seeking behavior and distraction. Eliminate them quickly.<br>How to journal

1. Brain dump

Don’t estimate timelines at this stage.<br>Write all the rose plants and thorns that need your attention: pending tasks and negative emotions that are hurting you.<br>Write about -<br>Action items: both Professional and personal. Don’t forget to mention even the small tasks such as scheduling a call and replying to emails or seemingly unimportant activities such as cleaning.

Hyper-fixations and Obsessions: there are many seemingly small and specific topics that occupy that your brain your brain is currently locked onto. You want to buy a new diary to journal. It becomes your priority and you abandon your tasks to dive deep into finding the perfect journal. But some obsessions are good for you. Find time for them.

Fears: afraid of missing an important deadline?

Regrets: spent endless hours on something not so useful and regret it?

Your mental state: How...