ADHD Essentials

ADHD, Flexible Thinking, and Living Constitutionally with AJ Jacobs

Jul 29, 2024

AJ Jacobs, a New York Times Best-Selling author and editor at large for Esquire, dives into his latest book, exploring what it means to live like a colonial American. He shares how this lifestyle experiment positively influenced his mental health. The conversation highlights the importance of flexible thinking and the historical lessons from figures like Benjamin Franklin. Plus, AJ introduces a fun community initiative centered around election cakes to uplift the voting experience and combat negativity.

37:40

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Episode guests

AJ Jacobs

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Establishing structured routines, like those inspired by historical guidelines, can significantly enhance focus and productivity for individuals with ADHD.

Integrating reflective practices into daily life, such as Benjamin Franklin's daily purpose question, can foster a sense of fulfillment and mental well-being.

Deep dives

The Value of Structure in Daily Life

Establishing structures and rules can significantly benefit individuals, especially those with ADHD. The host discusses how experiments like living according to historical guidelines provided a framework that helped maintain focus and productivity. For example, A.J. Jacobs carried a pocket watch to manage his time, emphasizing the mixed blessing of alarms that interrupt concentration while also keeping schedules. This structure simplifies decision-making, illustrating that having fewer choices can lead to greater happiness and efficiency.

Intro

2min

Navigating Historical Complexity and Modern Distractions

21min

Historical Voting Practices and Modern Perspectives on the Constitution

3min

Navigating ADHD with Perspective

5min

Reflecting on Historical Progress and Hope

3min

Reviving Tradition: Baking Cakes for Democracy

4min

In today’s episode, we talk to friend-of-the-pod, and New York Times Best-Selling author AJ Jacobs. AJ is an editor at large for Esquire, as well as a journalist, author, and lecturer best known for writing about his lifestyle experiments. He’s also a fellow ADHDer.

AJ talks to us about his latest book, The Year of Living Constitutionally. We discuss:

How his year of living like a colonial American affected AJ’s mental health (mostly in good ways)
Why flexible thinking matters and how to support it
Lifestyle lessons from Benjamin Franklin
And election cakes

Guest Links:

Learn more about AJ Jacobs and his work here: