I'm Busy Being Awesome - Sustainable Productivity for ADHD

Many with ADHD feel overwhelmed by New Year's goals, craving fresh starts but struggling to choose just one focus. The host discusses how selecting a single goal can reduce decision fatigue and prevent burnout. Key reminders include treating your focus as temporary and recognizing it’s not the only thing in your life. Practical tips and questions help listeners find meaningful, achievable goals that offer long-term benefits. The emphasis is on building momentum without burning out, making progress feel like a win.

Explore how ADHD brains process relaxation differently. Discover why traditional rest often feels impossible and how contrast avoidance theory plays a role in this experience. Learn about parallel tasking as a tool for relaxation and why unstructured downtime can lead to chaos. Paula presents five practical steps to redefine rest, from labeling your patterns to creating a personal rest menu. Shift your perspective on rest from a chore to a source of productivity, all while embracing the unique needs of your ADHD brain.

Discover how routine changes can disrupt sleep for those with ADHD. Explore 10 actionable sleep tips, like using mood lighting and calming scents to signal bedtime. Learn about the benefits of weighted blankets and tools to reduce phone scrolling before sleep. Get tips on creating bedtime rituals with apps and sound cues. Paula emphasizes low-friction habits, such as leaving a yoga mat out, and the power of bedtime accountability texts to enhance sleep. Choose one or two strategies to make significant improvements to your nightly routine.

In Episode 332 You Will Discover: Why working memory struggles make information retention harder with ADHD 5 proven strategies to enhance memory retention when learning new things Personalized approaches for each overwhelm type (Lion, Gazelle, Turtle, Chameleon) so you can adapt these strategies to YOUR brain. Work With Me: 👉 Discover Your ADHD Overwhelm Type - Free Quiz! 👉 Enroll in Overwhelm to Action - step by step course for ADHD Brains 👉 Join We're Busy Being Awesome (group coaching) 👉 Learn more about private coaching here 👉 Join us in Overwhelm to Action here Resources From This Episode: Episode 150 - How To Get Started With Something: Use This Time Management Technique Episode 266: Mind Mapping for the ADHD Brain Mike Schmidt PKM Note Taking Approach Tiago Forte Para Method and Note taking More ADHD Resources: Discover my favorite ADHD resources Learn my Top 10 Tips to Work With Your ADHD Brain Access the I'm Busy Being Awesome Planning System Get the I'm Busy Being Awesome Podcast Roadmap Free course: ADHD Routine Revamp This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Disclosure info here. Leave IBBA A Rating & Review! If you enjoy the podcast, would you be a rockstar and leave a review? Doing so helps others find the show and spreads these tools to even more people. Go to Apple Podcasts Click on the I'm Busy Being Awesome podcast Scroll down to the bottom of the page, where you see the reviews. Simply tap five stars; that's it! Bonus points if you're willing to leave a few sentences sharing what you enjoy about the podcast or a key takeaway from the episode you just heard. Thanks, friend! Chapter Outline 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:57 Understanding ADHD and Working Memory 04:31 Five Core Learning Strategies 06:24 Strategy 1: Teach It Back 10:15 Strategy 2: Adding Anchors 15:14 Strategy 3: Using Multiple Senses 16:41 Strategy 4: Active Recall Breaks 19:59 Strategy 5: Distributed Practice 25:32 Applying Strategies Based on Overwhelm Types 34:51 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

In Episode You Will Discover: Why ADHD impatience happens in the brain and body How "trying harder" actually makes impatience worse The mindset shift that helps everything Four ADHD-friendly strategies to build real-world patience Work With Me: 👉 Discover Your ADHD Overwhelm Type - Free Quiz! 👉 Enroll in Overwhelm to Action - step by step course for ADHD Brains 👉 Join We're Busy Being Awesome (group coaching) 👉 Learn more about private coaching here 👉 Join us in Overwhelm to Action here Resources From This Episode: Self Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself by Dr. Neff Fierce Self-Compassion: How to Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Your Power, and Thrive by Dr. Neff More ADHD Resources: Discover my favorite ADHD resources Learn my Top 10 Tips to Work With Your ADHD Brain Access the I'm Busy Being Awesome Planning System Get the I'm Busy Being Awesome Podcast Roadmap Free course: ADHD Routine Revamp This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Disclosure info here. Leave IBBA A Rating & Review! If you enjoy the podcast, would you be a rockstar and leave a review? Doing so helps others find the show and spreads these tools to even more people. Go to Apple Podcasts Click on the I'm Busy Being Awesome podcast Scroll down to the bottom of the page, where you see the reviews. Simply tap five stars; that's it! Bonus points if you're willing to leave a few sentences sharing what you enjoy about the podcast or a key takeaway from the episode you just heard. Thanks, friend! Chapter Outline 00:00 Introduction: The Struggle with Patience 01:03 Understanding ADHD and Impatience 04:05 The Impatience Trap 10:04 The Radical Mindset Shift 21:20 Strategies for Building Patience 28:50 Conclusion and Recap

In Episode 330 You Will Discover: How to run a quick "pre-holiday audit" to spot energy drainers before the season starts Practical scripts to help you pause before saying yes The "Good Enough Manifesto" that quiets perfectionism How to build a personal recharge plan for social or sensory overload Simple, kind ways to say no—or a balanced "yes-if"—that honor your capacity Work With Me: 👉 Enroll in Overwhelm to Action - step by step course for ADHD Brains 👉 Join We're Busy Being Awesome (group coaching) 👉 Learn more about private coaching here Resources From This Episode: Discover your Overwhelm Type (Free Quiz!) Holiday Season Blueprint More ADHD Resources: Discover my favorite ADHD resources Learn my Top 10 Tips to Work With Your ADHD Brain Access the I'm Busy Being Awesome Planning System Get the I'm Busy Being Awesome Podcast Roadmap Free course: ADHD Routine Revamp This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Disclosure info here. Leave IBBA A Rating & Review! If you enjoy the podcast, would you be a rockstar and leave a review? Doing so helps others find the show and spreads these tools to even more people. Go to Apple Podcasts Click on the I'm Busy Being Awesome podcast Scroll down to the bottom of the page, where you see the reviews. Simply tap five stars; that's it! Bonus points if you're willing to leave a few sentences sharing what you enjoy about the podcast or a key takeaway from the episode you just heard. Thanks, friend! Chapter Outline 00:00 Introduction: People Pleasing, ADHD, and the Holidays 01:37 Reflecting on People Pleasing Patterns 03:14 Step 1: Pre-Holiday Audit and Intention Setting 07:15 Step 2: Practicing the Pause 11:24 Step 3: The Good Enough Manifesto 13:36 Step 4: Recharge Strategies for Sensory Overload 17:03 Step 5: The Kind No and Yes If Compromise 21:16 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Dive into the complexities of holiday people-pleasing, especially for those with ADHD. Discover the emotional triggers and impulsive yeses that create anticipatory dread with every invitation. Explore rejection sensitivity and how it fuels the need to please others. Learn about a people-pleasing inventory to recognize patterns and understand your emotions. This insightful discussion reframes people-pleasing as a survival strategy, offering a nonjudgmental approach to breaking the cycle.

Explore the holiday stress curve specifically for ADHD brains. Discover practical strategies to soften stress buildup and learn about the Good, Better, Best framework for managing expectations. Simplify tasks by asking what makes things easier and plan ahead with if-then strategies for predictable challenges. Understand how to complete the stress cycle during peak times and practice self-compassion post-holidays. Equip yourself with tools for a calmer, more meaningful season.

Discover the unique fluctuations of energy in ADHD and why understanding them is crucial. Explore the push–pull dilemma, where fatigue can feel like resistance, and learn how to differentiate between the two. Gain insights on assessing your energy levels with practical check-in questions. A guiding question about kindness helps clarify whether to rest or engage. Paula even shares a personal decision-making moment that illustrates this approach, encouraging listeners to embrace self-kindness in their choices.

Explore how ADHD brains can swing between under-activation and overdrive, influenced by dopamine differences. Discover the Yerkes–Dodson Law, illustrating optimal performance at moderate activation. Learn how urgent behaviors can push you past your limits and why hyperfocus might signal burnout rather than productivity. Paula shares strategies for balancing activation, from energizing music to calming exercises. Track your moments on the curve to find steady, sustainable effort and avoid the pitfalls of constant overdrive.