The Productivity Show Focus, Flow, and the ADHD Advantage w/ Alan P. Brown (TPS581)
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Oct 6, 2025 Alan P. Brown, a productivity coach and author, shares insights on leveraging ADHD as a strength. He reveals how ADHD can enhance creativity when properly managed and discusses the importance of understanding executive function challenges. Alan emphasizes practical strategies such as brain scaffolding with simple planners, using timers for focus, and prioritizing foundational health habits like nutrition and sleep. He advocates for customizing productivity methods to fit individual needs, turning perceived weaknesses into powerful advantages.
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Fix The Basics Before Productivity Hacks
- Check your foundation first: sleep, protein-rich meals, and regular cardio dramatically improve focus.
- Fixing these basics often reduces ADHD-like symptoms more than fancy hacks or apps.
Executive Dysfunction Distinguishes ADHD
- ADHD shows up when poor executive function consistently blocks you from reaching potential despite effort.
- If peers don't share your degree of struggle in planning, prioritizing, and finishing, consider evaluation.
Real Clients: Late Notes And Stalled Side Hustles
- A Harvard-trained doctor struggled to finish complex patient notes and worked late due to executive-function gaps.
- A TV producer excelled under urgency but couldn't launch side projects that lacked immediate deadlines.
Top 3 Productivity Resources 
The simple litmus test to tell “busy” from true ADHD—and why it matters. 
A late diagnosis that flipped a career trajectory—how Alan made the turn. 
Subtle executive-function signals most people miss until it’s costly. 
The trio that trips up high achievers more than they admit. 
A no-app brain hack that fences off focus (plus when to set the timer). 
Why some systems overwhelm—and the leaner alternative that sticks. 
The upside of ADHD: the edge that appears once you balance the scales.