Design Spaces That Work With Your Brain
Diagnosed with ADHD at 55, Jel had already built a wildly varied career across engineering, web development, and music production. His biggest insight after diagnosis? Success doesn’t mean fitting in, it means creating a world that fits you.
His key strategy: Design an environment that supports your brain – physically, socially, and emotionally.
“You’ve got to create your own space and defend that space like a castle. And your time like a castle.”
— Jel Legg, ADHDifference
Why This Strategy Works
For many ADHDers, external expectations like rigid schedules, noisy spaces, or constant collaboration, drain energy fast. Jel discovered that his productivity and peace came from doing things at his own pace, in his own space, and on his own terms.
Whether working on a high-stakes satellite project or writing an ADHD-themed album, Jel’s best work happened when he had control over his environment.
Creating supportive environments is not about isolation. It’s about finding conditions where your creativity, focus, and flow can thrive, and defending those boundaries like they matter. Because they do.
The Science Behind It
Environmental design plays a major role in ADHD management. Studies show that ADHD brains are highly sensitive to distractions and emotional stimuli. Environments that are cluttered, noisy, or overstimulating can overwhelm the nervous system and derail executive functioning.1
Conversely, tailored environments can reduce cognitive load, support sustained attention, and lower stress. Autonomy over how, where, and when we work enhances intrinsic motivation especially in ADHD brains, which thrive on interest and relevance.
When to Use This Strategy
This approach is especially helpful if:
- You’re easily distracted by shared or noisy workspaces
- You feel burned out by meetings or structured office life
- You need long focus blocks but struggle to find them
- You perform better when you control the pace and process
- You experience emotional dysregulation in overstimulating settings
Your ideal environment won’t look like everyone else’s… and it shouldn’t have to.
How to Practice It Daily
You don’t need a recording studio or rural hideaway to do this. This strategy starts with noticing where and when your brain works best, and building around that.
Try these ideas:
- Create a “focus zone” in your home, even if it’s just a corner
- Use noise-cancelling headphones or white noise to protect your brain space – or play your favourite music that you know can help you focus
- Build a routine that honours your energy – morning, night, or both
- Block time for uninterrupted work, then protect it fiercely
- Decline environments, schedules, or people that derail your focus (when possible)
As Jel says, it’s not about being antisocial — it’s about being intentional.
💬 Final Thought
Jel’s insight isn’t about escaping the world, it’s about building one that works for you. Whether it’s crafting music in the middle of the night or designing websites on his own schedule, he’s proof that environment matters.
If you’ve been trying to force your brain to operate in environments that deplete you, maybe it’s time to stop apologising and start designing.
“Knowing yourself is probably one of the most incredible things you can do in life. And this is part of that.”
🎧 Listen to the full episode S2E8 here 🎧
REFERENCES
- Barkley, R. A. (2010) – Executive Functions: What They Are, How They Work, and Why They Evolved.