Hacking Your ADHD

Terry Bartley, author of Tyranny of the Fey and a full-time English teacher, discusses his journey as a writer with ADHD. He shares tools he uses to stay on track, the importance of deadlines, accountability, and understanding. Topics also include world-building, recognizing ADHD symptoms, struggling with ADHD, conducting interviews, energy management, and productivity.

Hey team! This week I’m talking with ADHD coach Shane Thrapp - but specifically, today we’re going to be diving into the service Focus101 - which is a free body-doubling site designed to help you get the most of your work time. Now, funny story, I’m actually working on this while body-doubling through Focus101 right now. Now in this episode, we’ll be getting into exactly what body-doubling is and how it can be incredibly helpful for completing those tasks that are hard for us to follow through on on our own. We also talk about a number of other tools that can be used in conjunction with body doubling, such as the Pomodoro technique, alarms, using our calendars, and ways to break our tasks into smaller pieces. Check out Shane's Coaching - Creating Order From Chaos and The Men's ADHD Support Group Support me on Patreon Feel free to ask me a question on my Contact Page Find the full show note at HackingYourADHD.com/160 This Episode's Top Tips  Body doubling is a technique where we work in the presence of another person, even virtually, to help provide accountability. I can be effective at keeping us on track, reduce distractions and helps provide the motivation to stay on task. We can make body doubling even more effective when we use tools like Pomodoros, alarms, reminders, and breaking our tasks down into smaller pieces. I also personally find the aspect of scheduling a particular time to do a task to be an especially important aspect of body-doubling. As we discussed in the episode, Focus 101 is a free online tool for ADHD productivity combining features like body doubling, Pomodoro, and accountability groups.

Strengths-Based Learning Expert Caitlin Meister discusses fostering belonging and engagement in education, reframing behaviors, collaborating with teachers, and embracing neurodiversity. They explore the power of strength-based learning, nurturing curiosity, meeting needs and expectations, addressing challenges, and redefining ADHD.

Registered Dietitian Jackie Silver discusses strategies for making nutrition and wellness more accessible to neurodivergent individuals. Topics include challenges with irregular eating and meal planning, dangers of diet culture, and the importance of tailored approaches. They explore intuitive eating, mechanical eating, easy and accessible meals, and developing skills like calendar management. Tips for managing ADHD-related food challenges include mindful eating and self-compassion.

Neha, a first-generation Indian immigrant and advocate for undiagnosed ADHD in South Asians, shares her journey of childhood trauma, PTSD, and ADHD. They discuss the impact of trauma on ADHD development, the significance of the ACE test, lasting effects of childhood trauma, navigating gaslighting and seeking validation, and the importance of self-healing and self-belief. A powerful episode emphasizing self-compassion and healing.

Chuck Wisner, an expert in effective communication and author of The Art of Conscious Conversations, introduces the four archetypal conversations that underlie all our interactions. He shares practical tips on navigating these conversations with mindfulness, highlighting the power of questions and the importance of understanding standards in our interactions. Although not ADHD-specific, this episode provides valuable insights into communication, something many of us with ADHD struggle with.

Cynthia Hammer, founder of the Inattentive ADHD Coalition and author of Living with Inattentive ADHD, discusses her journey with a late diagnosis of ADHD. They dispel myths, emphasize early diagnosis, and tackle the hidden struggles of inattentive ADHD. Cynthia also shares insights on self-publishing her memoir and the importance of self-compassion in managing ADHD. Tips include prioritizing one thing at a time for improvement and using social media platforms wisely for ADHD information and support.

This week, Antonia Bowring, an ICF-certified coach, discusses the challenges and strengths of ADHD, the importance of self-acceptance, mindfulness practices, strategic collaboration, and late diagnoses in executives. They also explore the COIN framework for navigating challenging conversations, the effectiveness of body doubling to increase productivity, and leveraging the strengths of ADHD in capital raises and raising money.

Dr. Scott Kollins, from Akili, discusses their innovative video game as a treatment for ADHD. Topics include the benefits of multiple treatments, consistency in usage, and recognizing the game as a medical product.

Stand-up comedian and actress, Rachel Scanlon, shares her journey with ADHD and the intersection between ADHD and queer identity. They discuss the challenges of stereotypes, the importance of embracing neurodivergent traits, and finding creative outlets for self-expression. They also explore topics such as understanding and treating ADHD, the significance of being good listeners in close relationships, reading challenges related to ADHD, and their fun and silly podcast on queer culture.