Overcoming Distractions

This episode is Part 2 of how ADHD is showing up in our lives.

This week we discuss how ADHD shows up in the workplace, our jobs and our careers. Dave is joined again by Dr. Fiona Peters a leading expert in neurodiversity from the UK. Dr. Fiona is back for round 2 with an awesome and engaging discussion.

Are you a busy professional with ADHD that is looking for coaching or mentorship? Contact Dave here. Www.overcomingdistractions.com

First Dave and Fiona discussed the love and loathe list that you were asked to work on the previous episode. They discuss how making the love and the loathe list can help us navigate both our personal lives and our career.

Dr. Fiona talks about in the workplace many of us have challenges with executing tasks and projects as well as time. Some of us go as far as to loathe these parts of our job.

She talks about how we have a conflict sometimes between good versus bad as well as the skills that are required to work in our career.

She also discusses how rejection sensitivity disorder and impostor syndrome can be hard to dislodge when we are in a career that we may not be enjoying. She discusses how when we have these situations we get into resentment and emotional dysregulation.

Dr Fiona Talks about how we can bring some calm into the workplace by working through box breathing, always pause when asked to do certain things that require us to think and even tell people that you will get back to them without making a decision on the fly.

Dave and Fiona discuss how we need to have an inventory of our capacity and as we have discussed before how to test the word no in the workplace. Without of course being reprimanded or fired.

So you are an adult with ADHD. Or maybe you do not have an official ADHD diagnosis but suspect you may have ADHD.

While there are many signs of ADHD such as distractions, lack of focus, difficulty with routines and systems and time management, there are also signs of ADHD that we may not initially recognize.

In this episode of Overcoming Distractions, Dave discusses some of the ways ADHD shows up in our personal lives with Dr Fiona Peters, a UK-based leading expert in neurodiversity.

While there may be days where we are late for work, have a rough morning and the occasional lost car keys, Dr Fiona discusses some other aspects of adult ADHD for us to pay attention to.

Some of those include tension in the household, an imbalanced relationship between partners as well as getting in the last word in discussions and arguments.

Of course we may have challenges paying our bills and cleaning the house and Dr Fiona discusses some of these as well.

This is part one of a two-part discussion about how ADHD shows up in our lives.

Learn more about the work of Dr Fiona Peters here: https://www.drfionapeters.co.uk/

Many adults with ADHD struggle to find a calendar system that works for work and home life. And when you’re running a household with children, sometimes your calendar system can get more complex.

You not only have appointments, meetings and other commitments but every household has chores and other to-do lists. Having them in one place where everyone can see it and use it, is a must-have.

Dave introduces listeners to the Skylight Calendar.

On the podcast today is Anubhav Sarkar, product manager for Skylight Calendar. He walks us through all the Skylight Calendar’s features and how this can be a game changer for individuals with ADHD.

Anubhav discusses how Skylight realized this could be tremendously helpful for people with ADHD. Including the ability to have the skylight calendar in a visible location, how we can manage multiple schedules and to-do lists and help the entire family build good habits and routines.

He also discusses the following features that are ADHD-friendly.

• The Skylight Calendar is similar to a digital photo frame but can be placed on a counter or mounted to the wall.
• He discusses the basic features, including color coding as well as syncing schedules.
• One powerful feature is the chore chart which can be used by kids, families as well as adults with ADHD managing work to-do lists.
• And Anubhav goes through how the mobile app helps everyone have their schedules and to-do lists with them at all times.

If you want to learn more about the Skylight Calendar, you can find out more on their website: skylightcal.com

Use the code DISTRACTIONS for a special offer for Overcoming Distractions podcast listeners.

Did you set goals at the beginning of the year or did you create any New Year’s resolutions?

Have you gotten off track on your New Year’s goals or completely forgotten what you set out to do this year? Many people set goals at the beginning of a new year but oftentimes, we struggle to stay on track.

Back on Overcoming Distractions is Sarah Reiff-Hekking, Ph.D. founder of True Focus Coaching.

Sarah and Dave first discuss whether the new year is really the best time to set goals. Hint, maybe not.

Sarah suggests reframing goals and calling them either a target or a vision and even the label ghost targets and visions to better resonate with yourself.

Sarah says it’s important to find what works when it comes to reminding yourself of your goals. That can include vision boards, all types of visual reminders and regular reminders to keep you on track.

Sarah also reinforces something she has talked about before on the podcast which is making sure your personal goals come before your career goals.

Sarah gives advice for ways you can continue to keep steering toward your targets and goals. She also says it is important to create authentic goals and those that are intrinsic.

Goals should be about you not what other people think you should be doing. You should also make sure that this is a meaningful goal or something you are just chasing.

And Sarah suggests making sure you go through goal setting and ways to stay on track in a nonjudgmental way.

You can learn more about Sarah and the workshops that true focus coaching puts on by going to Sarah’s website. www.TrueFocusCoaching.com

Conventional wisdom would have adults with ADHD believing that we need to follow a certain path to manage and thrive with adult ADHD. But as you may have uncovered by now, following conventional wisdom and accepted and unquestioned principles, is often not the best path to thriving with adult ADHD.

Jeff Copper from DIG Coaching is back to discuss the concept of conventional wisdom and ADHD and how we can challenge certain thinking.

Jeff talks about the book “Breaking the Rules” which can describe the theme of this discussion on the podcast. Oftentimes adults with ADHD need to break the rules and one great example is understanding that we cannot always fix our weaknesses. Accepting this concept can provide an opportunity for growth in our ADHD journey.

Jeff and Dave talked about the importance of placing ourselves in roles that are a great fit. one example is choosing a career or a job that allows us to utilize our strengths.

Jeff also indicates that the more clarity we have in our lives and in our daily habits, the more motivation we can experience.

Managing our ADHD can be challenging at certain times in our lives but Jeff and Dave caution everyone to not fall into what Jeff calls a sea of strategies. We must stop drowning in the latest greatest strategy or technique to manage our adult ADHD.

Do you want to learn more about challenging conventional wisdom and ADHD? This is a great discussion with Jeff and Dave.

Find Jeff and Attention Talk Radio on his website. www.digcoaching.com

Adults with ADHD seem to have a love/hate relationship regarding scheduling and using calendars. Are you one of these people?

Sure, it sounds like a simple concept but for many of us with adult ADHD, we tend to struggle to engage more effectively with schedules and calendars.

Back on Overcoming Distractions is Eric Tivers of ADHD reWired.

Eric and Dave discussed the following and a lot more.

• Why a schedule and using a calendar can be challenging for adults with ADHD.
• Understanding that without a workable type of schedule, getting through the week and getting “stuff” done can also be challenging.
• Eric discusses how scheduling, distractions, prioritization and time management are all connected and the calendar can help us.
• Eric also discusses time tracking which he feels is one of the most important ways to understand how long tasks and projects take us.
• Dave and Eric discuss time blocking but making sure that we are using that concept effectively.

And Eric gives tips for getting started and getting more comfortable using a calendar to manage our work and personal lives. Those include understanding this is going to be a process, you’ll need to try different methods, making sure you relax and be patient, the importance of engaging with your calendar and understanding in many cases, there is a setup and a cleanup which you’ll hear his thoughts on the podcast.

Find ADHD reWired here and all Eric’s offerings including group sessions and the popular podcast. https://www.adhdrewired.com/

Do you want to work with Dave one-on-one? Go to https://calendly.com/davidgreenwood1/15min

As individuals with ADHD, by the time we are adults, we have experienced and internalized hundreds of thousands of negative inputs about who we are and how we are.  This can create defensiveness, people-pleasing, perfectionism, social anxiety, oppositional behavior, and other defense mechanisms.

But one thing we need to recognize and talk about openly is shame.

Our guest Diann Wingert, therapist turned coach says it is the elephant in the room when it comes to adults with ADHD.

Diann gives us a general definition of what shame is and explains the difference between guilt and shame.

She also gives people a few basic examples of shame then you may be able to relate to.

Diann also explains why she has called shame and ADHD, the elephant in the room.

She discusses why for people with ADHD, making mistakes can equal shame and the habits we can build to get ourselves out of this pattern.

And Diann gives us a road map for tackling shame in our lives including understanding self-awareness, forgiveness, understanding that shame is a spectrum and understanding how to take an honest look at situations in our lives that we can avoid.

Diann Wingert is a Business Strategist, Coach & Mentor and Host of The Driven Woman Podcast. Connect with Diann on her website: www.diannwingertcoaching.com

If you are an adult with ADHD and find yourself in a leadership position, you’ll want to pay attention to what our guest Brendan Mahan says this week.

Brendan from ADHD essentials is back on overcoming distractions and we talk about the essential elements of being a leader, while being an adult with ADHD.

Maybe you find yourself as a shift supervisor in the hospitality industry, leading a major project at your company or wanting to learn more about how to parent through leadership, Brendan has some awesome advice.

Brendan and Dave discussed the following.

The difference between being a leader and being a boss.

What the general role of someone in leadership should be.

What would we as adults with ADHD expect from our leaders?

The challenges of being an adult with ADHD and assuming a leadership position.

Tips for navigating a leadership role while having adult ADHD. Those include delegating diplomatically, understanding that you are supporting character as a leader, and taking time to own your ADHD and manage it properly.

Find Brandan Mahan and his offerings on his website; www.adhdessential.com

Want to work with Dave? www.OvercomingDistractions.com

How does a creative digital nomad manage her ADHD on the road?

On Overcoming Distractions this time is Nikki May, owner of Nikki D May Art and Design. Nikki sold her house, purchased a bus and now runs her art and design business on the road.

In her business, she does everything from drawing, and designing accessories and apparel as well as web design.

As a newly diagnosed adult with ADHD, she has had to build the skills necessary to run a business on the road including carving time out for work, meeting deadlines and getting it all done.

Nikki admits that her brain doesn’t always switch into working mode so it’s important for her to have implemented several ways to be productive. Those include:

Time blocking

Planning

Hiring and delegating

Having a business manager

Using contractors.

She hired somebody to set up systems for her

And one big thing, not saying yes to everything.

Find Nikki D. May Art and Design here: https://www.nikkimay.com/

Many adults with ADHD can also experience imposter syndrome.

Some even say it is much more common in adults with ADHD than others.

That is the focus of this podcast with Matthew Zakreski a licensed clinical psychologist.

Dr. Matt as many address him, gives an overview of imposter syndrome and what it might feel like. He says one thing that sticks out is when somebody gives us praise, we either feel relief or celebrate the success.

He discusses why it may affect people with ADHD more.

Dr. Matt Give several examples of imposter syndrome and discusses how we can become more self-aware, including reflecting on situations when we feel our best and our worst and how to find context in every situation that doubts us.

He discusses how we can move forward with intention.

And he gives listeners advice on how to begin limiting imposter syndrome in our lives and possibly overcoming imposter syndrome. He talks about how to build confidence, better habits around doubtful situations and even some quick tips if you’re considering a career change that may doubt you.

You can find Matthew Zakreski PsyD here: https://www.theneurodiversitycollective.com/