Navigating the Struggles of Hyperfocus in Productivity

Welcome to episode #38 We’re thrilled to be joined by Jesse J Anderson today. JESSE J. ANDERSON is a writer, speaker, coach, ADHD advocate, and maker of things. Diagnosed at 36, Jesse writes about his insights and experiences living with ADHD in the weekly newsletter, Extra Focus, helping over sixty thousand readers navigate their own ADHD journeys or better understand their loved ones. He is known for his humorous, relatable, and insightful posts about ADHD under the handle @adhdjesse, and has been featured in publications including Today and Huff Post.. Welcome to the show Jesse!

Questions

1. Can you tell us about your experience with neurodiversity? When did you realize that you weren’t neurotypical? What challenges did you face? What is it like now?
   1. Always felt a bit different. Thought it was a family quirk
   2. Did well at tests but didn’t do homework
   3. Moved jobs a lot after high school: 30+ jobs
      1. Pizza delivery - 7 different jobs
   4. Best friend diagnosed with ADHD
      1. Symptoms started to resonate: hyperfocus, sensory issues
      2. Not much info at that point
      3. Hard to find a psychologist to diagnose
2. What "work" projects are you concentrating on?
   1. Day job: designer and frontend developer
      1. Loves the job (been there for 9 years)
   2. Writing hard to prioritize
      1. Had to say No to other projects (podcast and Polar Habits)
3. How about the rest of the time? What do you enjoy doing in your off time?
   1. Video games: dopamine factories (Fallout, Elder Scrolls, Starfield, etc.) - escape into another world
4. What does your morning routine look like and how has it evolved over time?
   1. Delayed sleep phase syndrome (75% of ADHD): used to stay up until 2 am
   2. Shower, Coffee and get into work
5. What do you do to optimize productivity during your working hours?
   1. Get inspiration:
      1. Watch movie trailers to get inspiration from a medium that isn’t his own
   2. 4 Cs of motivation (Dr William Dodson)
      1. Neurotypicals motivated by:
         1. Importance of task
         2. Rewards
         3. Consequences
      2. ADHDers interest based motivation:
         1. Captivate: things you’re interested in
         2. Create: Novelty
         3. Compete: optimization, the right level of difficulty
         4. Complete: deadlines, due dates, and urgency
6. COMMERCIAL BREAK
7. What is one habit you'd like to remove from your life (either a bad habit or one that takes up too much time)?
   1. Difficulty going to bed on time - part medical and part habit
8. How do you switch off at night?
   1. Thunder sounds/ASMR 
9. What resources (books, philosophies, apps, sensory toys) do you find most helpful for productivity and habit formation?
   1. Books:
      1. “Driven to distraction”
      2. Danny Donovan: “The Anti Planner”
   2. “How to ADHD” YouTube channel
   3. Apps: 
      1. Polar Habits
      2. Brain.fm
10. Where can people connect with you or find your work?
    1. Extrafocus.com - newsletter
    2. Extrafocusbook.com - book
    3. adhdjesse across social media
11. Do you have any final words or asks for our audience?
    1. Get the book: Extrafocusbook.com

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