Translating ADHD

  As adults with ADHD we often have a black or white view of hyperfocus. On one hand we see it as a powerful elixir or superpower that allows us incredible focus and productivity. On the other, we know that hyperfocus can distract us from what is important by dragging us down Alice in Wonderland style rabbit holes. In today's episode, Shelly and Cam discuss how to create awareness around hyperfocus by distinguishing when we are hyperfocusing on tasks that are timely and relevant from tasks that are not. We bring in examples from our own experience, discuss popular examples of hyperfocus portrayal, and discuss how hyperfocus differs from flow state.   Episode links + resources:   Tim Urban: Wait but Why Cal Newport: Deep Work Our Process: Understand, Own, Translate. About Cam and Shelly   For more Translating ADHD:   Visit our website: TranslatingADHD.com Follow us on Twitter: @TranslatingADHD  

As adults with ADHD we often view time as the enemy, because many of the effects of ADHD look like poor time management. Today, Shelly discusses her experience working with neurotypical adults and adults with ADHD in the areas of time management and breaks the differences in experiences. Shelly and Cam then distinguish time management challenges from ADHD challenges. We also discuss how effects of our ADHD challenges are often mistakenly believed to have cause in time management issues, both by ourselves and the neurotypicals around us. Episode links + resources: Our Process: Understand, Own, Translate. About Cam and Shelly For more Translating ADHD: Visit our website: TranslatingADHD.com Follow us on Twitter: @TranslatingADHD

Transitions are difficult for those of us with ADHD. Often we can become stuck in one of two gears: the neutral gear of "the planner" or the 5th gear of "the doer" with little access to the gears between the two. This inability to access other gears tends to keep us stuck in either a pre-action or reaction mode. In today's episode Cam and Shelly discuss how to identify which gear you tend to be stuck in, and how those of us with ADHD can begin to access the gears between neutral and 5th. "Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare. -Japanese Proverb Episode links + resources: The Stages of Change Model (Prochaska and DiClemente) Our Process: Understand, Own, Translate. About Cam and Shelly For more Translating ADHD: Visit our website: TranslatingADHD.com Follow us on Twitter: @TranslatingADHD

Those of us with ADHD experience time differently. To complicate matters, our perception of time can vary based on individual ADHD manifestation and a number of outside factors. Today Cam and Shelly discuss some of the ways in which they and their clients experience time differently. We also discuss how to begin developing awareness of your own experience of time as an adult with ADHD so that you develop strategies to get what matters to you while managing the amount of time that is given to or taken by others. Cam's Seven Factors to Action: Take the item or goal on your list that has not budged and rank each of these areas from 1-10. The areas that fall below a 7 are the ones that speak to why this item is not moving forward. Level of interest Level of ease Level of urgency Level of fun Level of accountability Level of relevance or importance Level of emotional load Episode links + resources: Our Process: Understand, Own, Translate. About Cam and Shelly For more Translating ADHD: Visit our website: TranslatingADHD.com Follow us on Twitter: @TranslatingADHD

As adults with ADHD we respond well to urgency, but not necessarily to importance. This often leads to us failing to act on the things that are important to us but will never be urgent; items such as career and business goals, self care goals, and self improvement goals. Today, Cam and Shelly discuss why these items are so difficult for us to get to action on as adults with ADHD, and how we can objectively evaluate what has us stuck here. Cam's Six Factors to Action: Take the item or goal on your list that has not budged and rank each of these areas from 1-10. The areas that fall below a 7 are the ones that speak to why this item is not moving forward. Level of interest Level of ease Level of urgency Level of fun Level of accountability Level of relevance or importance Episode links + resources: Our Process: Understand, Own, Translate. About Cam and Shelly For more Translating ADHD: Visit our website: TranslatingADHD.com Follow us on Twitter: @TranslatingADHD

This week Cam and Shelly continue the conversation around ADHD and negative self talk by exploring how we have each shifted in this area over time. We each discuss a recent scenario in which ADHD caught us off guard, what the consequences were, and how we were able to manage both the situation at hand and our ADHD tendencies. We then reflect on what might have gone differently prior to having done the understand, own, and translate work we advocate for on the podcast and with our clients. Reflecting Questions for Listeners: As we hit episode #13 (and counting!) Cam also pointed out that now is a great time as a listener to pause and reflect on your experience with the podcast so far. Here are the four questions he posed: What are you aware of? What are you learning? What is resonating? What is your practice? Episode links + resources: Our Process: Understand, Own, Translate. About Cam and Shelly For more Translating ADHD: Visit our website: TranslatingADHD.com Follow us on Twitter: @TranslatingADHD

  As adults with ADHD we can be our own harshest critics. In today's episode, Cam and Shelly explore negative self talk in the context of our cause and effect metaphor. Using examples from our own experiences, we discuss the causes behind our negative self talk, the impact negative self talk has, and how to start shifting the signal to a more balanced and realistic view of ourselves and our experiences.   Mt. Rainier Metaphor Illustration:     Episode links + resources:   Our Process: Understand, Own, Translate. About Cam and Shelly   For more Translating ADHD:   Visit our website: TranslatingADHD.com Follow us on Twitter: @TranslatingADHD  

In this continuation of last week's episode, Cam and Shelly use examples from their own experiences as adults with ADHD to further illustrate both the difficulty and the importance of getting to cause with ADHD. We also offer alternatives to the metaphor we've been using to illustrate the relationship between cause and effect and the impact of ADHD, and we expand on our existing metaphor to set up for next week's episode where we bring the metaphor together. Mt. Rainier Metaphor Illustration: Cam's illustration of our cause + effect metaphor. Episode links + resources: The Brown Model of ADD/ADHD Strengths and Challenges Reframe Chart Our Process: Understand, Own, Translate. About Cam and Shelly For more Translating ADHD: Visit our website: TranslatingADHD.com Follow us on Twitter: @TranslatingADHD

  Why do I not do what I know I ought to do? This is the universal ADHD question and the question that Cam and Shelly hope to help you answer throughout this podcast. In today's episode, Shelly and Cam use metaphor to discuss the first barrier to answering this question: getting to effect. As adults with ADHD we are often acutely aware of the symptoms of our ADHD, however, we mistake these symptoms as cause when they really live at effect.   Mt. Rainier Metaphor Illustration:    Cam's illustration of our cause + effect metaphor.   Episode links + resources:   The Brown Model of ADD/ADHD Strengths and Challenges Reframe Chart Our Process: Understand, Own, Translate. About Cam and Shelly   For more Translating ADHD:   Visit our website: TranslatingADHD.com Follow us on Twitter: @TranslatingADHD  

Those of us with ADHD are often prone to problem based thinking, believing that if we could just solve the problem then everything would fall into place. In today's episode, Cam and Shelly offer an alternative approach of journey based thinking. Based on their work with clients and their own experiences, Cam and Shelly discuss two major components of journey based thinking. The first is defining your big agenda as an adult with ADHD which allows you to connect the work you are doing to manage your ADHD to the positive impact you are trying to create. The second is learning to go narrow before you go wide, which allows us as adults with ADHD to take the first step without letting the potential outcomes of the bigger agenda prevent us from taking action at all. Episode links + resources: Book: Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned: The Myth of the Objective Our Process: Understand, Own, Translate. About Cam and Shelly For more Translating ADHD: Visit our website: TranslatingADHD.com Follow us on Twitter: @TranslatingADHD