Impulse Purchase
Checklist

ADHD Executive Function Tools

A 24-hour pause between impulse and purchase —
four questions that replace the automatic yes.

Friction as a Financial Tool

Impulse buying is one of the more costly ADHD patterns — and one of the least discussed in executive coaching. The dopamine hit of a new purchase is immediate; the regret is delayed. The ADHD brain finds that trade compelling, especially under stress or when the item is conveniently available.

The antidote is not willpower. It is friction. This tool inserts a structured pause between the impulse and the purchase. The four questions are not designed to talk you out of buying — they are designed to surface whether the purchase is actually worth what it costs, including what it costs in hours of your own time to earn.

That last frame — hours earned — tends to land differently than a dollar figure. A $200 item that took four hours to earn looks different than a $200 item that took thirty minutes.

The steps below are simple because the hard part is remembering to use the tool before buying, not after.

How to Use This Checklist

  1. When you want something, write it down before you buy it. The act of writing it creates the pause.
  2. Answer all four questions honestly. If you cannot confidently answer yes to all four, wait the full 24 hours.
  3. Calculate the hours-to-earn cost. Take the price, divide by your approximate hourly rate. That is what this item actually costs in time.
  4. Use the shopping list sidebar for planned purchases. Items you have decided to buy after the 24-hour pause go here — they are no longer impulse purchases.
  5. Review the list at the end of the period. Look at the pattern. The items you talked yourself out of are as instructive as the ones you bought.
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Impulse Purchase Checklist

Period
Shopping List
Planned purchases — decided after 24-hr pause
Product Do I
Need This?		 Worth
the Cost?		 Enhances
My Life?		 Yes or No
Hours-to-Earn Reframe

Divide the price by your approximate hourly rate. A purchase that feels easy at $150 may look different when it represents three hours of work.

If you answered YES to all four questions — the purchase is yours to make.

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Before Your Next Session

Look at the items you paused on. How many do you still want 24 hours later? What does the pattern tell you about when impulse buying tends to spike?

Is there a category of spending — equipment, clothing, apps, food — where the pattern is most consistent? What is driving it in those moments?

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