Support & Stories

“Spontaneity Is the Most Rewarding ADHD Trait”

“I spontaneously moved to a new city without a job or knowing anyone. I now have wonderful friendships, a new career switch, and a more authentic life.”

By ADDitude Editors Updated on September 30, 2024
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Admittedly, ADHD brains do not typically excel at making — and following through with — plans. But they can expertly pivot and devise ingenious solutions on the fly when setbacks arise. Sometimes, these new, spontaneous plans result in opportunities and rewards that would have otherwise remained unfulfilled.

So, when a last-ditch effort to score a ticket to your favorite band’s show lands you backstage, or a late entry into a neighborhood Super Bowl pool means winning $750, you can thank your ADHD propensity for spontaneity.

Here, ADDitude readers share more stories of when they reaped the rewards of spontaneity.

Have you ever benefited from spontaneous decision-making or a failure to plan? Share your story in the comments.

Rewards of ADHD Spontaneity

“On a vacation with my husband a few years ago, I got rewarded for failing to plan. Upon arriving at the Mammoth Cave National Park, I realized that I needed to order tickets to tour the caves weeks in advance. As a result, we could only enter the public park areas. Once the initial ‘Oh no, we drove here and can’t go in’ feeling solidified into reality, it allowed for total spontaneity. We explored on our own and enjoyed a nice lunch. Instead of the trip being about the destination, it was about the journey. To this day, we still use the expression ‘It’s a Mammoth Cave day’ to describe how a failure to plan resulted in a good outcome.” — Lisa, Wisconsin

[Get This Free Download: 25 Things to Love About ADHD]

“I was given the task of planning the family vacation. I kept putting it off, paralyzed by the thought of wading through travel brochures and finding a deal within our budget. Three days before the holidays, I saw a local travel agency advertise a reduced-price trip to Florida for two weeks that was a cancellation. It turned out to be the holiday of a lifetime. My grown children still talk about it being the best trip ever!” —Jacinta, Lancashire, England

“When my kids were little, I took them on midnight runs to IHOP on their birthdays.” —An ADDitude Reader

“I forgot to submit my entry to a neighborhood Super Bowl pool and had to take the last block available. I ended up winning $750!” — Kate, Pennsylvania

“I wrote a poem for my parents’ 25th wedding anniversary in the bathroom of the banquet hall 20 minutes before the toast. It was so well received that my parents still gush about it 30 years later!” — Beth, Colorado

[Self-Test: Do I Have Hyperactive-Impulsive ADHD?

“After I finished an aerobics class at my health club, I asked for a job — and got it!” —Terri, Colorado

“Any sort of travel is always fun with a touch of spontaneity! I traveled alone in Thailand once, and I came across so many experiences and people just by winging it and wandering around!” — Kayla

“During COVID, I spontaneously moved to a new city without a job or knowing a single soul. In the three years since, this new place has offered me wonderful friendships, a career switch, and a more authentic life.” — An ADDitude Reader, Netherlands

“Despite being a huge fan of the band Wilco, I never followed through and bought a concert ticket when they came to town, and it sold out. On the day of the show, I went to the venue to search for a ticket. I started watching the soundcheck when a guy asked me what I was doing. When I told him I was trying to find a ticket, he said he was the show’s opener, and I could be his ‘roadie’ to get into the show. Afterward, he invited me and others, including Wilco members, for drinks. As I’m leaving, another guy asks me if he can catch a ride — and it turns out to be Leroy Bach, the multi-instrumentalist for Wilco at the time. Leroy invited me to Wilco’s Seattle show the next night. All of this happened because I failed to plan!” — Josh, Utah

“I met my husband on a blind date, and we got engaged two weeks later. We’ve been together 20 years.” — Vanessa, Australia

“One time at work, I did not sufficiently study the plan for a large project and could not contribute to the discussion. However, my ADHD brain spontaneously proposed a different and better solution that we used instead of the original plan.” — Allen, Michigan

“I randomly stopped at a neighborhood estate sale and bought a bag of costume jewelry for $1. After it was sitting in my drawer for three years, I finally took four or five gold pieces to a pawn shop. I made $300.” —Lisa, Virginia

“Being the mom of a 10-year-old, I can be rigid with plans to get everything done. But when I go off the list or veer from what we have planned, my daughter loves the spontaneity. An unplanned trip on our way home to get ice cream in a never-visited town recently was a lot of fun.” — Christine, Michigan

“During a deeply unhappy time at work, a recruiter called me out of the blue and offered me a job. Despite giving up a well-paid permanent position at a time when I struggled to make ends meet as a single parent, I took the position. It became one of the best moves I ever made.” — John, Yorkshire, U.K.

 “I convinced my husband to move us and our four young children to Greece. It wasn’t easy, but what a year or so we had!” —Julia

ADHD Spontaneity: Next Steps

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