'Inattentive' ADHD and Untapped Potential

I used to think I just had bad habits — that my inconsistency was a discipline issue I needed to brute-force my way through. But then I discovered something that changed everything:

It wasn’t a lack of drive — it was a different kind of brain chemistry.

I've since stopped fighting the way I’m wired and started working with it.

And the difference? Night and day.

Focus, flow, consistency — once I understood the system, I could finally build something that works.

Years of bouncing between hyperfocus and total inertia wasn't a character flaw. I wasn't just 'lazy' - it was something neurochemical.

That something is called Inattentive ADHD.

If you or someone you know has it, this short clip will feel uncomfortably accurate:

The gap between potential and performance is often filled with misunderstood neurochemistry."

For much of my life, I didn’t think I had ADHD. I wasn’t hyperactive. I wasn’t loud or disruptive in school. In fact, as a child:

• I was physically active

• skinny from running around nonstop

• Scoring at the top of my class (primary school)

But somewhere around adolescence, something changed:

• The activity stopped

• Energy turned inward

• Schoolwork and long-term planning became a struggle

• Video games, YouTube, (even alcohol) filled the motivational void

I chalked it all up to personal failure - laziness, lack of discipline. Why couldn’t I just get on with things? Why did I only seem to perform well under tight deadlines, panic, or in systems that gave me instant feedback, like games or trading? Why was initiating a simple conversation or replying to a message so exhausting?

When I started researching dopamine — and more specifically, the role of dopamine in communication, motivation, and executive function — my eyes opened.

What is Inattentive ADHD?

Inattentive ADHD is a subtype that doesn’t come with visible hyperactivity. Instead, it shows up as:

• Distraction

• Procrastination

• Mental fog

• An inability to act even when you want to

It’s the version that often gets missed. It’s internal. Quiet. And for people with high cognitive capacity, it’s devastating — because the gap between potential and performance becomes a constant, painful presence. Parents of kids with inattentive ADHD note a "frustrating gap between potential and actual output." (Hi mom 👋).

Teachers rarely flag it as a problem, because these kids seem capable in areas that interest them - often even excelling in specific subjects.

"Inattentive ADHD doesn’t shout. It whispers — and often goes unheard."

In short: inattentive ADHD is marked by low dopaminergic tone — especially in the parts of the brain responsible for attention, motivation, and executive function.

The data say that about 4% of the population likely have ADHD (not specifically inattentive). In Britain, less than 1% of adults are diagnosed. In kids with regular hyperactive ADHD, this usually becomes more inattentive during transition to adulthood.

The Role of Dopamine

A brain with low dopamine tone (baseline dopamine) doesn’t register importance the same way. That means:

• Tasks don’t feel worth doing, even if they are

• Conversations don’t feel urgent to reply to

• Goals feel flat, even if we care deeply about them

It’s not a lack of intelligence or care. It’s a lack of signal.

Dopamine as a Communicator

Dopamine doesn’t just drive pleasure — it acts as a communicator. It signals what’s important, what deserves attention, and what’s worth acting on. In a dopamine-deficient brain, this signal is faint or inconsistent. The result?

• Things that matter don’t feel urgent

• Conversations feel like effort, not connection

• Starting tasks feels heavy, even when the will is there

In communication, dopamine fuels:

"When dopamine is low, nothing feels worth doing. Not because it isn’t — but because the brain never gets the memo."

In my experience, understanding dopamine not just as a reward molecule, but as a messenger — a filter for meaning — has been transformative. (I'll be exploring this further in a dedicated post: [Dopamine as a Communicator]).

But to sum this section up in a word: dopamine.

Low baseline dopamine could be the invisible thread running through so many traits you’ve internalized as personal failings —

• Not listening in conversations

• Interrupting because your brain is racing ahead

• Avoiding social situations

• Overeating, overdrinking

• Chronic procrastination

• Escaping into video games or YouTube for hours

It’s not a lack of willpower. It’s that your brain isn’t getting the right signal to engage.

What Helps?

When the right signal is present — through things like:

• Regular movement or exercise (lots of it)

• Clean, steady stimulation (low-dose nicotine pouches have helped me)

• Good sleep

• Structured routines (might be difficult)

• Supplementation (high dose fish oils, lions mane, ginko biloba)

• In some cases, medication (look into Amphetamines, Viloxazine, GLP-1 agonists)

...things start to click. Flow returns. Focus reappears. Engagement happens. And all that latent potential finally gets a channel.

A Reframing, Not a Redemption Arc

The tragedy is how many people are walking around thinking they’re failures — when really, they just:

• Haven’t been given the right model of their own mind

• Are navigating the wrong environments

• Are stuck in shame rather than being shown strategies

"You're not lazy. You're not broken. You're a signal away from showing up as yourself."

This isn’t about excuses — it’s about understanding. If you can disappear into video games for 8 hours but can’t manage 30 minutes of admin, it might not be your fault. It might be your brain’s dopamine system calling out for the right kind of input.

Final Thoughts

I’m not saying we’re never lazy, or that video games and TikTok can’t just be fun for their own sake.

I am saying, however, that if you want to be more focused — to feel driven, to drop into that elusive flow state — and you just can’t seem to, it’s worth considering that the barrier might not be character… it might be chemistry.

If any of this hits home, know this: You’re not broken. You’re just wired differently. And the moment you start understanding that wiring, things begin to shift. Find the inputs your brain responds to — and watch what happens when the signal finally gets through.