Screen Time
Triggers Worksheet

ADHD Executive Function Tools

Identify the specific moments, emotions, and patterns
that pull you toward screens.

Why Triggers Matter

Most people know they spend too much time on screens. Far fewer know exactly when it starts, or why. There is usually a trigger - an emotion, a situation, a time of day - that makes a screen feel necessary rather than chosen. For people with ADHD, those triggers are often linked to the same moments that are already difficult: transitions, stress, boredom, the open space between tasks.

The important distinction is between screens as distraction and screens as regulation. Stress reaches a certain level and the brain wants relief. Boredom creates a low-stimulation environment that ADHD does not tolerate well. Loneliness raises the appeal of connection, even shallow connection. None of this is a character failure - it is a brain responding to real discomfort with the fastest available option. The three questions in this worksheet are not asking you to judge that response. They are asking you to see it clearly enough to decide whether it is working.

How to Use This Worksheet

  1. Read the common triggers list first. Not to check boxes, but to see which descriptions feel familiar. The ones that land are usually pointing at something real.
  2. Answer each question for your actual patterns, not your ideal patterns. What you actually do is the data - not what you wish you did.
  3. Be specific. "When I'm stressed" is a start. "Right after a difficult meeting, before I've had a chance to decompress" is actionable. The more specific the trigger, the easier it is to plan around.
  4. Keep this worksheet. Triggers shift over time. What you identify today may look different in six months. It is worth revisiting when patterns seem to have changed.
1

Your Screen Time Triggers

Common Triggers for Excessive Screen Time
Trigger Description
Stress When feeling overwhelmed or anxious, screens offer fast distraction
Boredom Low-stimulation gaps get filled by whatever is fastest and easiest
Loneliness Social media and messaging offer a sense of connection
Procrastination Screens provide an exit from tasks you are avoiding
Habit Some screen use is not triggered by anything - it is simply automatic
FOMO Fear of missing news, updates, or social interactions drives constant checking

When do you most often reach for your phone or a screen?

What emotions or situations are usually present when you are pulled toward screens?

2

Patterns and Next Steps

Are there specific times of day or places where screen use becomes automatic?

Before Your Next Session

Look at what you wrote. Pick the one trigger that accounts for the most screen time - not the most frequent one, the most costly one. What would it look like to address that trigger at its source rather than managing the screen use that follows from it? What would need to change?

3

Tandem Coaching Partners

Credentialed coaches with real-world leadership experience,
partnering with executives and organizations
to unlock sustainable growth.

Consultation

tandemcoach.co/
contact-us

Email

info@tandemcoach.co

Phone

855 51 COACH

Challenge your thinking.
Discover your capabilities.
Act on them.

Dallas, TX  |  Houston, TX  |  Worldwide Virtual