# Put a pause before checkout

Published by Pawel Jozefiak. [About this project](https://adhd100.jock.pl/about/), [How we check sources](https://adhd100.jock.pl/methodology/)

- Canonical: https://adhd100.jock.pl/add-shopping-friction/
- Language: en
- First published: 2026-09-29
- Evidence checked: 2026-09-29, using AI-assisted source verification
- Clinical review: Not clinically reviewed
- Number 82 of 100 in the list: https://adhd100.jock.pl/#add-shopping-friction

Add an extra step to unplanned shopping, so you get a moment to check what you meant to buy.

**The number:** Use shopping lists and disable one-click buying ([BYTES Primary Care Network, NHS, 2026](https://www.bytespcn.nhs.uk/autism-and-adhd/))

## The evidence

- How sure: Certainty of evidence: Not rated. Measured in people with ADHD.
- Evidence grade: C. Grade C: small or mixed studies, expert consensus or clinical practice. Worth knowing, not worth betting on.
- Basis: ADHD-specific NHS self-help guidance plus an ADHD population cohort on financial distress; no isolated trial of purchase friction.
- Benefit: 41/100. The benefit score is an editorial prioritization for the general list, weighted by certainty. It is not a prediction of what will happen for you.

## Why it matters

NHS adult ADHD self-help advice suggests a shopping list, switching off one-click purchases and removing shopping apps. A Swedish population study found default rates in adults with ADHD climb in middle age, but it didn't test these tactics. The aim is a pause long enough to decide, not a proven cut in debt, and not a ban on buying things you enjoy.

## How to do it

1. Write down what you mean to buy before you open the shop or app.
2. Turn off one-click checkout, or remove an optional shopping app if it leads to unplanned buys.
3. Put an unplanned item on a wish list instead of buying it straight away.
4. Go back to the list when you can check the price against money already committed to essentials.

## Putting it into practice

### Start now

- 1 minute: Name one shopping shortcut you'd like to make less automatic.
- 5 minutes: Disable one optional shopping shortcut or notification.
- 15 minutes: Make a list for your next purchase and check it against money already committed to bills.

### What it looks like

- Go into a shop with the items you intended to buy already listed.
- Remove a shopping shortcut that you open whenever a task feels difficult.

### Common mistakes

- The system bans every purchase you'd enjoy. Leave room for planned choices within your budget.
- A saved wish list turns into another shopping feed. Look at it only when you're checking planned spending.

### A structured start

**Create a useful checkout pause**

1. Identify one route into unplanned spending.
2. Add a small barrier and use a purchase list.
3. Keep the barrier only if it helps you make the choices you wanted.

### Trusted how-to guides

- [Autism and ADHD](https://www.bytespcn.nhs.uk/autism-and-adhd/), BYTES Primary Care Network, NHS

## Sources

- [Autism and ADHD](https://www.bytespcn.nhs.uk/autism-and-adhd/), BYTES Primary Care Network, NHS, 2026 (Tier 1 guideline)
- [ADHD, financial distress, and suicide in adulthood: A population study](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32998893/), Science Advances, 2020 (Tier 2 study)

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General information about ADHD, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan. Tailoring changes the order of suggestions; it does not assess you. Medication decisions belong with you and a qualified clinician.

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Reuse: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/