Field Notes
About Dragons & Distractions
A practical fantasy toolkit for executive-function battles, built by someone who needed the map too.
The idea
Dragons & Distractions started from a simple observation: when a stuck feeling has a name, it gets easier to face. Naming the thing turns a vague, shame-soaked “what is wrong with me” into a recognizable pattern you can actually answer with a next move.
So the hard parts of executive function became monsters. The Task Hydra that grows two new tasks for every one you finish. The Dopamine Goblin that keeps outbidding the work you chose. The Temporal Shark that stays invisible until the deadline is already biting. The Burnout Dragon that convinces you the answer is more discipline when the real answer is less fire.
The monsters are not here to make the struggle cute. They are here to make it recognizable, less shame-loaded, and easier to answer with one practical step.
How the toolkit works
Every part of the site points back to the same promise: one monster, one ritual, one workable next step.
- Choose Your Monster — name the stuck feeling and get matched to the pattern that fits today.
- Monsters — the full field guide, with lore, weaknesses, and counter-moves for each.
- The Spellbook — the rituals and scripts in plain language, grouped by monster.
- Tool Cabinet — printable cards and checklists for low-energy days.
- Codex — the grounding promises and framework behind the whole thing.
What it’s built on
The voice is playful on purpose. Humor and metaphor can lower shame and make a hard pattern easier to look at directly. But the rituals underneath are grounded in real support strategies — externalizing, cueing, body doubling, reducing friction, and making the next move visible. The project is rooted in ADHD and executive dysfunction, but the tools can also help with shutdown, burnout, transition friction, rejection sensitivity, or sensory overload. Use what helps. Ignore what does not.
Who made it
Dragons & Distractions was built by Justin Shank — a writer, maker, and self-described pattern-goblin who wanted executive-function support to feel less like a clinical worksheet and more like a map you might actually keep nearby.
You can find more of his work and reach out through the links in the footer, or head straight to the Contact page.
What it is not
This site is a practical companion, not therapy, crisis support, diagnosis, or medical care. Use it for recognition, gentler self-understanding, and one workable next step. If you are in crisis or need urgent mental health support, please use local emergency or crisis resources and qualified care.
Come back when the next beast starts chewing on the furniture.