Overcoming Distractions

Dave tackled the subject of burnout in this solo podcast episode. Burnout has always been a challenge whether you are a caregiver, parent, or suffering from career burnout, the struggle is nothing new. However as we’ve seen during this past year and our experiences with COVID-19, many more people may be experiencing burnout in many ways.

Dave first shares his personal story of burnout in the restaurant business. It was not only mentally exhausting but took a toll on his body. He talks about some of the things you should ask yourself if you feel like you are burned out.

Dave runs through a series of questions you should ask yourself such as, do you feel disconnected, are you emotionally exhausted, are you cynical, have you set boundaries, and do you have challenges saying no to others and yourself when pressed for time.

He also examines whether you need a vacation or whether your burnout is much more severe.

Dave offers his suggestion based on personal experience and others he has interviewed for an upcoming project on burnout. He talks about ways to make adjustments in your life, how to slow down, how to make sure that you are running your own life and your own schedule, and suggests finding purpose once again in your life.

Dave and others also suggest finding a way to get excited about life again.

In this episode, we discuss how those of us with ADHD can develop better eating habits. Dave is joined by Sarah Stites, the founder of the Wavelength app to discuss eating, nutrition, and proper food choices. And they also talk about cutting yourself some slack every now and then.

Sarah first discusses her own ADHD as well as other challenges that led to substantial weight gain as a young adult. She talks about how she had to learn more about food in the science of food and nutrition.

Dave and Sarah chat about food comfort and that brains love to eat. Food can give us a dopamine shot.

Dave and Sarah also discussed that being hungry is a distraction for anybody and that we need to learn proper habits and routines to not get to that point.

Sarah talks about what contributes to unhealthy eating habits, the discipline when trying to eat healthy and why many with ADHD can struggle with proper meal planning and eating.

Sarah also discusses what foods can help us focus including reducing sugar and yes, increasing fat intake. But she also discusses good and bad fats.

Sarah discusses how self-care is a whole thinking approach and she also discusses how shame, which many with ADHD struggle with, can contribute to unhealthy eating.

Sarah then talks about how the wavelength app can help anyone whether they have ADHD or not, develop sound eating habits.

You can find out more about Wavelength at their website. https://www.joinwavelength.com/

Those of us with ADHD need to take careful consideration into how we structure our workplace as well as the working conditions we surround ourselves with. To feel productive, focused and to minimize the distractions we may encounter, putting ourselves in the ideal working conditions can benefit both of us, our employers and if we are entrepreneurs, our clients.

In this episode, we talk about how to create ideal working conditions for your ADHD and distracted brain. Returning to Overcoming Distractions is Grant Crowell, the author of GRANTASMS: Twisted Creative words for cool people!

Grant also has extensive experience in the profession of workplace training and assisting those with different brains be more productive in the workplace.

Grant and Dave discuss how the past year during COVID-19 has either helped or hurt the productivity of those with ADHD. They talked about some of the common struggles associated with the workplace including focus, distractions, and accountability as well as putting the proper systems in place.

Grant suggests understanding what motivates you to work and keeping a close eye on that wherever your workplace is. He suggests keeping what he calls a 5-minute Journal, laying out what you are grateful for, trying to keep a positive mindset, and at the end of each day Journal about the good things that happened in the workplace.

He talks about how to find your energy and how joining groups of like-minded people, getting coaching as well as joining masterminds can help you work better.

Grant also suggests that there really is no ideal workspace, but you can do your best to find a setup that works for you. That includes where to place your desk, the type of chair, your computer monitors and their locations, and even the color and arrangement of your room.

Create also suggest understanding the goals when setting up your workplace, will you be on constant video conferences or do you tend to use other tasks such as writing.

Grant and Dave always have fun on these podcast episodes, and we are sure you’ll enjoy this one as well!

Find Grant at the links below.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/grantcrowell

https://www.amazon.com/GRANTASMS-Creative-twisted-words-people-ebook/dp/B07ZY9JDPP

In this podcast, Dave gets to talk with Anjle a multidisciplinary artist and performer (drag, burlesque, illustration, opera, theater, prop-making, set design, stage managing, producing, etc.). Anjle has done it all!

Anjle was officially diagnosed with ADHD just weeks before our podcast recording. Anjle talks about struggles in the past and the tools needed to navigate those challenges. Before even being diagnosed with ADHD, Anjle was already using tools and coping skills to have a thriving career as an artist.

Dave talks with Anjle about a whole host of topics including creating systems, thriving with good strategies, identifying strengths and other ways to grow professionally. Both talk about how using paper instead of electronic organizes work best for both.

Anjle and Dave Talk about the stigmas associated with neurodiversity, navigating the workplace and society in general and how to be better in tune with ourselves.

Anjle gives tips for navigating a neurodiverse life as an adult and an artist.

If you are in the creative or performing arts, this is a great discussion to dig into!

There is one thing all of us need in this world whether we have ADHD or not and that is more kindness. Those of us who have different brains understand that we not only need to be kind to each other, but we need to show ourselves some kindness as well.

This podcast is dedicated to the subject of kindness and how we can show more of it in our daily lives.

David Fryburg is the co-founder of Envision Kindness, an organization that believes shedding light on the positive things that happen in our life is incredibly important.

One of the ways the organization inspires kindness is through imagery and photography and if you visit the website you know exactly what we are talking about. The website is full of images that inspire kindness and show the good in the world.

The two Davids discuss the act of caring for others and experiencing kindness in many areas of our lives.  They talk about how kindness makes us feel connected to others as well as our inner selves.

David Fryburg talks about the psychology of images and how they can instill love, trust, joy, gratitude, and optimism as well as compassion in all of us.

They also discuss how we are all imperfect and have flaws but from kindness, we can accept each other for who we are and what we all have to offer in this world.

And David shares his tips for living in a world full of kindness.

Learn more about the organization Envision Kindness and take some time to view the powerful images on the website.

https://www.envisionkindness.org/

There is never one productivity technique that will work for everyone. That is just a fact. Productivity tips for people with ADHD come in all shapes and sizes as do the tips for everyone else. You may decide pen and paper work best for you, or you may like electronic organizers and note-taking programs.

Everyone is different when it comes to productivity…ADHD or not.

This week we have back Christopher Mitchell, better known as Traveling Mitch, a successful travel blogger, and photographer. Chris is not only a professional writer but an entrepreneur with ADHD who has some great tips from managing time and productivity as someone who is self-employed.

Chris takes us through what he calls the focus and bonus method of productivity and time management that he uses in his business.

But before we get into tactics and strategies, Chris gives us an update on the travel blogging industry during this past year of the pandemic. He talks about strategies he implemented in his operations as well as finding new opportunities.

Chris talks about some of the important tasks that are in front of him on a daily basis running a writing and blogging business such as the actual writing of content, editing, distribution, and even photography.

Chris digs deep into the systems he has put in place and he talks about how he has put that focus and bonus strategy in place to be more productive.

And Chris gives us his tips as an entrepreneur with ADHD try help us be as productive as possible.

Find Traveling Mitch here with tons of great content: https://www.travelingmitch.com/

We can all get better at the habit of saying NO and learning how to say no properly is a long process.

But when we do get good at saying no, we not only free up valuable time and resources but we also begin to lower our stress. Committing to certain things, events, projects, or other longer-term obligations when we do not have the time to invest, increases our anxiety and has the ability to stress out everyone around us.

Back on the podcast is Sarah Reiff-Hekking, Ph.D. from True Focus Coaching. Sarah specializes in productivity and time management training for professionals. She has been on the podcast before and gives us tremendous value on how to preserve our time and get more done.

This time we talk about how to say no… but say yes to the right things.

Sarah and Dave discuss why people say yes when they really mean no. Hint, it may have to do with us not wanting to disappoint others. But Sarah gives us even more insight.

Sarah gets into why we struggle with saying no and why we continue to be challenged with this simple word.

Sarah talks about why saying yes all the time will increase our stress and ultimately lower our productivity.

And she gives us her expert advice and walks us through the process of saying no as well as how to analyze opportunities that come our way.

Sarah also discusses ways we can hit the pause button before committing to anything and how to get into that habit in our lives.

We also discuss how we can feel less guilty when saying no and how in most cases it is a relief for everyone.

You can find Sarah Reiff-Hekking at: www.TrueFocusCoaching.com

We talk a lot on this podcast about how to have a positive mindset when you have ADHD. And we’re going to discuss the topic again this week, taking a different angle and a different approach. We look at mindset through the lens of the beginning stages of entrepreneurship and career development.

Our guest this week is Tom Bergeron, co-founder of Inventive Labs based in Massachusetts. The organization helps different learners and those of us with different brains with career prep, making use of a gap year as well as helping young people develop an entrepreneur mindset.

Tom is a lifelong entrepreneur and brings incredible experience to the organization including a strong emphasis on acceptance.

Tom introduces us to Inventive labs and just how important these programs can be for different learners.

We discuss how important it is for the organization to help those that come to it create a positive mindset and how they do that through a positive environment. He talks about what happens when individuals come to the organization with negative thinking and how they work together to turn that around into a growth mindset.

Tom also talks about how fostering positivity is one of the foundations of Inventive Labs and why it is so important to focus on growth. He talks about accommodations and acceptance, how to build an environment of positive energy, the importance of that, and why it is important to be who you are.

As always on Overcoming Distractions, we like you to walk away with tips and advice you can use in your own life and Tom helps us through that.

Learn more about Inventive Labs on their website.

https://www.inventivelabs.org/

How can I have a positive mindset when I have ADHD? That is a question we hear all the time, and we are going to do our best to answer it and offer some expert advice on the subject in this episode. Some people call it a growth mindset in the world of ADHD and other areas of personal success, but whatever it is you call it, we are going to talk about staying away from negative thoughts.

Back on the podcast is Dr. Sharon Saline. She is the author of the book What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew. Dr. Saline has been on Overcoming Distractions a few times and always offers some great advice and expert knowledge of ADHD in both adults and children.

First, Dr. Sharon defines a positive and growth mindset. She discusses how the ADHD brain can sometimes automatically lean toward a negative mindset and why this happens. And we of course talk about how many have slipped more heavily into negative thinking during this past year of the coronavirus.

Sharon gives us clear examples of both a growth mindset and negative thinking and she also discusses how a positive mindset helps us, particularly people with ADHD to be more resilient.

Dave asks the question of whether adults with ADHD let their minds take over with negativity more than we should and sharing gives her tips for how we can continue to make the year 2021 better and focus more heavily on a growth and positive mindset.

Make sure you visit her website for more information as well as links to her books and blog posts.

https://drsharonsaline.com/

If you have ADHD and you want to set some goals for the coming year, we’re going to take a fun approach in this episode. Back on the podcast is Dr. Lara Honos Webb, a clinical psychologist specializing in ADHD.

Dr. Lara is also the author of several books on ADHD including Brain Hacks, life-changing strategies to improve executive functioning.

Dr. Lara takes ADHD goal setting through the past, present, and future model. She talks about how you need to look at your past successes in order to build confidence as well as challenge that self-doubt in your head.

She talks about practicing being present in the moment and how to create fun for yourself and not worry about the past or the future in this part of your goal setting. She talks about the power of now.

And, Doctor Lara talks about how we look to the future when it comes to ADHD goal setting. She suggests that you imagine talking to your future self, looking at a year and even five years down the road. What advice would you give your future self, right now?

Dave and Dr. Lara also talk about the importance of practicing optimism, practicing gratitude and being proud of your accomplishments in life. Staying positive goes a long way in setting and achieving goals for yourself.

Want to find out more about Dr. Lara Honos-Webb? Find her at:  https://www.addisagift.com/