Jessica McCabe, creator of How to ADHD, discusses strategies for thriving with ADHD, the importance of universal design, and her new book. They explore overcoming challenges, completing a writing project, and the value of pre-orders. Top tips include focusing on what's worth doing and being kind to oneself.
Adopting a coaching mindset and being kind to oneself can help overcome self-doubt and handle mistakes or setbacks effectively.
Planning projects by working backward and breaking down steps helps visualize the path to completion and prevent procrastination, increasing the likelihood of success.
Deep dives
Coach A vs. Coach B
In the book, Jessica shares Patrick's story about Coach A and Coach B. Coach A berates a young girl after she makes a mistake during a soccer game, while Coach B offers support and guidance. Jessica encourages readers to ask themselves, 'What would Coach B say?' and adopt a coaching mindset rather than criticizing themselves. This shift can help in overcoming self-doubt and promoting a positive approach to handling mistakes or setbacks.
Planning Backward
Jessica emphasizes the importance of planning projects by working backward. Starting with the end goal in mind, break down the necessary steps to reach that goal. This approach helps visualize the path to completion and prevent procrastination. By setting realistic milestones and incorporating necessary breaks, the likelihood of successfully following through increases.
Variety and Accountability
To maintain interest and momentum in long-term projects, Jessica advises incorporating variety and accountability. She shares her experience of organizing writer retreats in different locations, which added excitement and breaks monotony. Additionally, she established accountability by setting regular meetings with her editor, ensuring continuous progress. These strategies can combat boredom and keep motivation high.
Effort is Not the Answer
Jessica emphasizes that trying harder is not the solution for individuals with ADHD. Instead, she encourages trying different approaches and strategies. Recognizing that effort alone may not yield the desired results, Jessica highlights the importance of finding personalized techniques that work effectively with ADHD tendencies and brain function.
We’re kicking off 2024 with the incredible Jessica McCabe - creator, writer, and host of the award-winning YouTube channel How to ADHD. I’m sure a lot of you are already familiar with Jessica’s work as her YouTube channel has more than a million subscribers, but for those of you who haven’t, her channel contains a wealth of knowledge about ADHD and is one of the things that kicked me in the pants to start taking my ADHD more seriously.
And now she’s coming out with a book: How to ADHD: An Insider's Guide to Working with Your Brain (Not Against It) - which is coming out on January 2nd - so tomorrow if you’re listening to this when this episode comes out.
In our conversation today, Jessica and I discussed how we want to go from surviving our ADHD to thriving with it, to get past some of our issues with executive function and universal design. We also get into a lot of stuff about her book and how she was able to use a lot of the strategies that she wrote about in the book to also help her write that same book.
Honestly, this episode was a blast to record and I hope you enjoy as much as I did putting it together. Be sure to check out howtoadhdbook.com to find Jessica's book Feel free to ask me a question on my Contact Page Find the full show note at HackingYourADHD.com/164This Episode's Top Tips
When we want to move from surviving to thriving we want to start looking at not just how we can get more things done, but what’s worth doing.
Even projects we’re interested in can be difficult for us to work on, so it's important for us to keep them exciting with variety.
When planning out those big projects, work backward from where you want to be to figure out all the steps in between so that we can see that path to done.
Effort for us is not the problem, so trying harder is not the answer.
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode