Understanding the networks that shape your mornings
A typical morning in the holidays
Picture this: you set your alarm for 7:30am each morning, a reasonable and perfectly respectable time to wake up, but every time it goes off you get up, you turn it off and go back to bed, or even worse, you scroll on your phone. Now it’s 8:30am and you only have half an hour to get ready when you could have had a whole 90 minutes. You’re feeling full of dread, and yet you still browse your phone like a shrimp to an anglerfish’s headlights.
This is how most of my mornings begin. How did I get here? During the school year, I could get up at 6am and be ready for the bus in an hour flat, in a casual daze my mum and I nicknamed ‘Robot Mode’.
“The more you switch between many tasks, or avoid tasks altogether, the more difficult it is to settle into that single-minded focus. ”
The Task-Positive Network: your brain in action
‘Robot Mode’, as it turns out, is better known to scientists as the Task-Positive Network (TPN). It’s the state you enter when you have a strong focus on a single task, whether that’s work, cooking, or in my case, getting ready for school on autopilot. Think of it as your brain’s “doing” mode. When it’s engaged, you’re present, focused, and moving through tasks with purpose.
But here’s the catch: the less you engage the Task-Positive Network, the harder it becomes to engage it at all. The more you switch between many tasks, or avoid tasks altogether, the more difficult it is to settle into that single-minded focus.
“VAST is term applied to those who do not have ADHD but due to the modern world of mobile phones constant distractions appear as if they do have ADHD ”
For individuals with ADHD or something similar that mimics ADHD called Variable Attention Stimulus Trait (VAST) the relationship with the TPN can look quite different. Rather than struggling to enter it, they may find themselves stuck inside it, hyperfocusing on a task and unable to move on until it’s completed, no matter how long it takes or how much else needs their attention.
Note: VAST is term applied to those who do not have ADHD but due to the modern world of mobile phones constant distractions appear as if they do have ADHD.
The Default Mode Network: your wandering mind
On the opposite side of TPN is the Default Mode Network (DMN), which has two parts working together. According to Drs Hallowell and Ratey in their book ‘ADHD 2.0’, the back half of the Default Mode Network (the posterior cingulate) “allows you to think back, draw upon, and pick apart the past”. The front part (the medial prefrontal cortex) “enables you to look forward and to think about, imagine, and plan for the future”.
Combined, the Default Mode Network is where you think creatively, daydream, and make connections between concepts. It’s valuable for problem-solving and innovation.
But like hyperfocusing, people with ADHD or Variable Attention Stimulus Trait (VAST) can find it difficult to leave the DMN. This can become a source of frustration and anger, especially when negative thought spirals take hold.
When both networks complete
Here’s where things get particularly frustrating for those with ADHD: both networks can present at the same time, meaning the DMN and TPN are working against each other.
While many neurotypical people find it challenging to switch from the DMN into the TPN, there is, according to a neuroscientist called Gabrieli, no automatic switch for those with ADHD to move between them. This explains the morning phone scrolling. You’re in the Default Mode Network when you need to be in the Task-Positive Network. Your brain hasn’t made the switch.
Creating your own manual switch
Fortunately, Drs Hallowell and Ratey suggest that creating a manual switch can ease the difficulties that arise from being stuck in either the DMN or TPN for too long.
When your thoughts drift into a negative spiral from being in the DMN too long, engaging in a task external to yourself will activate the TPN and bring you out of the DMN. This could be:
Meditative breathing
Skipping or running
Singing
Doing a crossword
Even screaming
Something, really anything, that forces you to focus on something outside of yourself.
Likewise, when you’re so focused on a task that your relationships with others are pushed to the periphery, doing something that releases oxytocin can help you disengage from the TPN.
This includes:
Giving someone a hug
Playing with a pet
Verbally expressing your gratitude, affection or love for someone
Receiving a massage
“The solution isn’t to force yourself out of bed through willpower alone. It’s about understanding how your brain works.”
What this mean for your mornings.
If you’re scrolling your phone each morning on your days off, you’re slipping into the DMN when you need to be in the TPN. During term time or work weeks, you were firmly within the bounds of the Task-Positive Network, focused on the routine you’d laid out, helped along by preparing the night before.
The solution isn’t to force yourself out of bed through willpower alone. It’s about understanding how your brain works and creating strategies that work with your neurology, not against it. If you set aside a specific time to check your phone during breakfast rather than as soon as you wake up, your morning routine may start to feel as leisurely as it ought to be. The key is engaging the Task-Positive Network first, getting out of bed, starting your morning routine, before allowing yourself to drift into the Default Mode Network.
Raviv Practice London, work with adults and children with ADHD to develop practical strategies that work with their unique brain wiring. Understanding these networks is just the beginning. If you’re struggling with morning routines, focus, or task-switching difficulties, we invite you to book an initial consultation to explore how we can support your brain to work at its best.
This blog was written by my daughter, Nisha Patel, a student at Henrietta Barnett Grammar School.
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