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Hey team! No interview today - getting back to some monologue episodes - and completely off topic here, but I just have this negative connotation to the word monologue, like, in my head it sounds like it’s supposed to be something boring? Maybe that’s just me. In today’s episode we’re tackling the complex reality of ADHD management. Forget about finding a silver bullet; it's about piecing together a puzzle of habits, routines, and strategies that work for you. We’ll be exploring the mosaic of strategies that can help us navigate our days more effectively and how we can build our own personalized way to help us manage our ADHD. Sign up for my Newsletter Any and All Distractions Feel free to ask me a question on my Contact Page Find the full show note at HackingYourADHD.com/172 This Episode's Top Tips  Embrace small changes and focus on incremental improvements in your daily routines that can collectively impact managing ADHD. We don’t need that silver bullet that is going to fix everything.Just because our ADHD management is going to rely on a lot of different strategies it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have a plan of action - it’s still important for us to be focusing on those strategies that are going to be giving us our biggest bang for our buck like getting better sleep.Adaptability is key; it’s important to understand that not every strategy will work all the time, and be open to adjusting your approach as needed. We’re not always in control of everything going on in our day and we have to work around that as best we can.

Hey team! Welcome back to the second part of my conversation with Saman Kesh - In part one of the conversation we covered a lot of the ground around Saman’s ketamine treatment and how that influenced his ADHD. And just as a quick reminder, this is not a condemnation nor a defense against ketamine-based treatment, the conversation is simply about what his experience was. And if ketamine treatment is something that has piqued your interest, be sure that you are following up on that under proper medical supervision, this isn’t stuff to play around with. In this second part of the conversation, we switch gears a bit and talk more about our identities with ADHD and the acceptance of our ADHD. We also get into some other therapy techniques like EMDR and other ways that we can work on supporting our ADHD brains. Sign up for my Newsletter Any and All Distractions Feel free to ask me a question on my Contact Page Find the full show note at HackingYourADHD.com/171 This Episode's Top Tips  Recognizing and accepting ADHD as a part of your identity can be a powerful step toward managing everyday challenges. That acceptance is a huge piece in how we are able to navigate problem-solving and finding solutions that work for our brains.Therapy is a great way to help work with our ADHD brains and we there are a lot of options for what we can do - CBT, DBT, EMDR and talk therapy are all ways that we can approach to understand our brains better.There are a lot of ways that we can help ourselves work with our ADHD like physical activity, meditation, and other forms of self-care that can help reduce our ADHD symptoms and increase our overall well-being.

Hey Team! We’ve got a returning guest this week who was a real hit last time, Saman Kesh - Saman is an Iranian-American filmmaker who has worked with artists such as Basement Jaxx, Calvin Harris, Kygo, Placebo, !!! (pronounced Chk Chk Chk) Anyway, we’re not here to discuss any of that today, instead we’re going to be talking about his recent ketamine treatment. A while ago, Saman reached out to me asking if this was something that I’d like to cover on the show, and yeah, this is absolutely something I think would make for a really interesting show. Now, with that said, I do want to emphasize that we are talking about Saman’s treatment here, and this is neither a defense nor a condemnation of ketamine treatments. I also want to emphasize that this is not something that is for treating ADHD but has been proven to be effective as an off-label treatment for a variety of mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and trauma. If ketamine treatment is something of interest to you I also strongly advise that you do so with medical supervision. This isn’t stuff to play around with, and we still have a lot to learn despite the fact that ketamine has over 50 years of clinical use and research behind it. Perhaps at some point, I’ll work on an episode from more of a treatment perspective, but for now, we’re just talking about Saman’s experience. Also to note from this episode is that we talked for quite a long time and so I decided that we could split the episode into two parts. Sign up for my Newsletter Any and All Distractions Feel free to ask me a question on my Contact Page Find the full show note at HackingYourADHD.com/170 This Episode's Top Tips  It’s important for us to understand that the way we treat our ADHD is not one size fits all and that there are a variety of ways that we can treat our ADHD. While medication is an effective step, we also want to be looking at other ways that we can improve our mental functions with things like exercise, diet and stuff like mediation.Recognize and celebrate the strengths and perspectives ADHD adds to your life, rather than focusing solely on its challenges. And while there is no question that there are challenges if we can recognize the unique way ADHD brains navigate the world we can celebrate the strengths and perspectives ADHD adds to our life and work.Understand the importance of allowing flexibility in routines to accommodate the ADHD brain's need for variation and stimulation.

Hey Team!This week we’re joined by Ying Deng, known as ADHD Asian Girl across social media. I was able to get to know Ying a bit at the recent International ADHD Conference and thought she’d be a great guest for the show. Meditation is something that I’ve wanted to discuss on the show for quite a while now, but it also isn’t something I’m super knowledgeable about so it was great to have a chance for this discussion.In our conversation today we get into what mindfulness and mediation actually is - and some about what it isn’t, since meditation isn’t exactly something we get an accurate picture of from popular media. We talk about some of the reasons that mediation can be beneficial for ADHD as well as some of the strategies to help bring meditation into our lives because ADHD can also make it a hard habit to start. Be sure to check out all of Ying's Mindfulness Course or checkout where she's on the web with her Linktree Feel free to ask me a question on my Contact Page Find the full show note at HackingYourADHD.com/169 This Episode's Top Tips  We can engage in mindfulness during daily activities like putting on socks or brewing coffee. By focusing on the sensations we can work on being present in the moment.ADHD can make it hard for us to build our practice so we can mix up our routine with guided and unguided meditations, sit outside to connect with nature or engage in mindful movements to cater to how we’re feeling on any given day.We don’t need to meditate for long periods and if we find that challenging, start with shorter, more manageable sessions and gradually increase the duration as we build the habit.Body doubling can be a great way for us to get into a meditation practice. Partner up with someone or join a community for meditation sessions to make the practice more engaging and accountable.

Hey team! This week, we have the return of Skye Rapson of Unconventional Organization to discuss an innovative tool she developed, the Planning Funnel, which is designed to help us break down our goals into manageable steps. This was a really fun conversation, and the planning funnel looks awesome - now, as a note, the planning funnel is part of Unconventional Organisation’s ADHD Academy - but they do have a promotion going now that includes the Planning Funnel and 15% off your first month. So if that’s something you’re interested in be sure to go check out https://www.unconventionalorganisation.com/the-adhd-academy  In our conversation today, we talk about the importance of goals and planning, how to break down those goals, and ways that we can use ADHD-friendly strategies to make executing on those goals easier. Feel free to ask me a question on my Contact Page Find the full show note at HackingYourADHD.com/168 This Episode's Top Tips  Recognize that planning your goals is crucial, especially for individuals with ADHD, as it helps in managing time blindness and setting realistic expectations.Focus on a few select goals or themes to avoid feeling overwhelmed. This approach allows for more in-depth planning and a higher success rate.Break your goals into subtasks to make them feel more achievable and to clearly see the progression towards your larger goal.Planning can be more emotional than we tend to think of it. We need to be mindful of self-criticism and negative internal dialogues that can arise during the planning process and give ourselves the time it deserves.

Hey Team! Today we’ve got a real treat, I’m talking to one of my favorite people, Brendan Mahan of the ADHD Essentials Podcast. I last had Brendan on to talk about the Wall of Awful, his model of how everything that we do can be made harder from repeated failure. It’s a great episode and I’ll link that in the show notes if you want to get caught up on that. I asked Brendan back on the show because while we were at the International ADHD Conference I got talking to him about a different model of his and that’s the 9 parts of a transition. Now I understand that the idea of 9 parts of a transition can seem a bit daunting, but what I think the most salient point of this episode is, is that transitions are far more than what we initially think they are. Because of this we often underestimate what goes into making those transitions. But I’m getting ahead of myself here, in our conversation today, Brendan breaks down this model and we also explore strategies for managing distractions and understanding our emotional states. Checkout Brendan's podcast ADHD Essentials Feel free to ask me a question on my Contact Page Find the full show note at HackingYourADHD.com/167 This Episode's Top Tips  Understand that each transition includes multiple components, not just the physical move from one task to another. We need to consider not just the stopping, moving, and starting components of a transition, but also the physical, cognitive, and emotional aspects as well.And just to hammer this piece home, we need to recognize and address the emotional aspects of transitions, as they play a significant role in the process. This is especially important when we’re switching contexts, like going from work to family stuff.It’s also important for us to understand that sometimes not all the parts of a transition are going to be all that impactful - some parts of the transition are going to be easy. But when we do struggle with moving onto the next thing it is important that we can step back and try and identify what’s going on and where we’re finding that resistance.

Hey team! I’ve got a fun episode for you this week - I’m talking with Jesse J. Anderson about his new book, Extra Focus: The Quick Start Guide to Adult ADHD. I actually got to meet Jesse in person last November at the International ADHD conference (and I got to be on a panel with him as well) although we recorded this before then. And if you don’t immediately recognize the name, I’m sure you’ve seen some of his stuff online where he posts as ADHD Jesse. In our conversation today we delve into his experiences with ADHD, his journey as an author, discussing practical coping strategies, challenges with memory and motivation, and the importance of adapting to individual mental processes. Be sure to check out Jesse's book Extra Focus: The Quick Start Guide to Adult ADHD Feel free to ask me a question on my Contact Page Find the full show note at HackingYourADHD.com/165 This Episode's Top Tips  Avoid relying solely on urgency as a motivation source, as it can lead to negatively reinforcing cycles and increased anxiety. We can embrace a variety of strategies for coping with ADHD, while acknowledging that what works may change over time or depending on the situation.Prospective memory is our ability to remember to remember - and so with our ADHD it can be struggle not only to remember what we need to remember, but even that there is something that needs to be remembered. There are a variety of solutions we can try to help with this such as physical reminders, our calendars, and alarms on our phones.It’s important that we acknowledge and address the shame often associated with ADHD. ADHD is hard and having difficulties with ADHD is not your fault. However, we still need to take responsibility for finding and implementing coping strategies.

Hey Team! We’re kicking off 2024 with the incredible Jessica McCabe - creator, writer, and host of the award-winning YouTube channel How to ADHD. I’m sure a lot of you are already familiar with Jessica’s work as her YouTube channel has more than a million subscribers, but for those of you who haven’t, her channel contains a wealth of knowledge about ADHD and is one of the things that kicked me in the pants to start taking my ADHD more seriously. And now she’s coming out with a book: How to ADHD: An Insider's Guide to Working with Your Brain (Not Against It) - which is coming out on January 2nd - so tomorrow if you’re listening to this when this episode comes out. In our conversation today, Jessica and I discussed how we want to go from surviving our ADHD to thriving with it, to get past some of our issues with executive function and universal design. We also get into a lot of stuff about her book and how she was able to use a lot of the strategies that she wrote about in the book to also help her write that same book. Honestly, this episode was a blast to record and I hope you enjoy as much as I did putting it together. Be sure to check out howtoadhdbook.com to find Jessica's book Feel free to ask me a question on my Contact Page Find the full show note at HackingYourADHD.com/164 This Episode's Top Tips  When we want to move from surviving to thriving we want to start looking at not just how we can get more things done, but what’s worth doing.Even projects we’re interested in can be difficult for us to work on, so it's important for us to keep them exciting with variety.When planning out those big projects, work backward from where you want to be to figure out all the steps in between so that we can see that path to done.Effort for us is not the problem, so trying harder is not the answer.

 In today’s episode, I’m going to be talking about what’s going on with Hacking Your ADHD over this last year and what’s coming up next year. No real show notes for this episode but feel free to ask me a question on my Contact Page

Hey team! This week I’m talking with, Jesse Mecham, the founder of the hit budgeting software, You Need A Budget - or as it’s more commonly abbreviated YNAB - now I understand, that the term, “hit budgeting software” does come off as a little strange, but it is honestly something that has quite the cult following. And I know that the idea of budgeting can seem a bit overwhelming so don’t worry we get into that. Also while the software is called You Need A Budget, that isn’t quite the focus of what’s going on. And while this software wasn’t designed for people with ADHD, the underlying tenents have really resonated with a lot of ADHDers. In our conversation today, Jesse and I discuss YNAB's four key habits for money management, including giving money "jobs", planning for future expenses, building flexibility, and aging money to create financial breathing room. We also talk specifically about how these methods can aid those with ADHD by promoting intentionality and creating helpful friction in spending and saving. Support me on Patreon Feel free to ask me a question on my Contact Page Find the full show note at HackingYourADHD.com/162 This Episode's Top Tips  Give every dollar a "job" - Assign your money to different spending categories and priorities when budgeting.Plan for irregular and future expenses - Don't just budget for fixed monthly bills. Save for things like car repairs. We need to be flexible with our budgeting to allow for when things come up.Add friction before purchases - Don't save card info in browsers. Figure out where the money is going to be coming from before purchasing to make spending more thoughtful.

Hey team! In today’s episode we are talking with Terry Bartley, the author of Tyranny of the Fey, host of the podcast Most Writers Are Fans, and a full-time English teacher. In our conversation today, Terry shares his journey as a writer, revealing how he channels his creativity while managing ADHD. We also get into Terry’s diagnosis and how learning about the symptoms led to his self-recognition of the condition. We discuss some the misunderstandings of ADHD and how that can lead to some of the stigmas associated with ADHD. We also go into some of the many tool that Terry uses to help keep himself of track when writing and teaching. Support me on Patreon Feel free to ask me a question on my Contact Page Find the full show note at HackingYourADHD.com/161 This Episode's Top Tips  Deadlines are great tools to help keep you motivated and keep you on track - espesially in regards to righting. These deadlines are incredibly helpful for those things that don’t have a well defined done state (like writing).Accountability can be incredibly helpful for keeping us on task and can come from many sources. In Terry’s case, working with an editor helped keep him on track when he needed to follow through with those intentions of writing.The importance of grace and understanding is an critical building block in our ADHD journey - whether it is with ourselves or others we need to allow for room to make mistakes and grow with our ADHD.

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.