Overcoming Distractions

So many of us with ADHD have real challenges with motivation. That comes in many forms and we see it in all areas of our lives. Motivation challenges us from simple tasks at work, getting up enough energy to go to the gym or complete large projects. And motivation even challenges us when we need to do basic things such as clean the house.

Jandra Sutton is back on the podcast, founder of the Wildest Company a full-service creative agency. Jandra also offers various coaching services and has been featured in many major publications. She was officially diagnosed with ADHD right before the pandemic and has some perspective on what it takes to create meaningful and effective motivation.

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One of the top ways that Jandra has looked at motivation is the focus on the process rather than getting excited about an entire project. Sometimes it takes just a little bit to get us off the mark.

Jandra talks about what prompted her to write an article for the Metro UK about motivation. She has learned about what it takes to get motivated as a person with ADHD running a business and she shared some of her advice in that article.

Dave and Jandra also talk about whether many with ADHD take a look at motivation incorrectly and whether we look at the mountain we cannot climb or whether we are better at picking away at small parts of a larger project.

Dave and Jandra also talked about how the ADHD brain responds to motivation differently as we may require different types of prompts to get started.

Jandra talks about what works for her and she has her tips for motivating herself as an entrepreneur with ADHD running a business. As you’ll find out, some may surprise you but they work for her.

And the bottom line of this conversation is that you need to find what works for you because every person is different when it comes to motivating factors.

Connect with Jandra on her website: https://jandralee.com/

Find Jandra’s article for Metro UK here: https://metro.co.uk/2021/12/05/why-waiting-for-motivation-to-strike-doesnt-work-15675469/

Don’t be afraid of this goal-setting discussion because we are going to discuss setting goals in a way that supports both our professional and personal desires.

Ask yourself this question when setting goals. Who do I want to be?

If you’re like many people, you set some New Year’s resolutions, and then by February, you fell off track pretty quickly with meeting your goals or even getting started on them. On this episode of Overcoming Distractions, we are going to discuss how to stay consistent on the progress needed to achieve our goals.

We have back on the podcast, Sarah Reiff-Hekking, Ph.D. of True Focus Coaching.

First, we discuss whether setting New Year’s resolutions is a bad idea or if there might be a better time of the year to set them as well as implementing goal setting on a more frequent schedule.

Sarah says that we have to understand who we want to be in order to set and achieve goals. This means finding a way to align both professional and personal goals so they are harmonious. Your professional goals should help support your personal and family goals and the way you want to live.

Sarah also says that setting and achieving goals helps us with our self-esteem and gives us purpose as well as meaning in life. It also facilitates engaging with others which can help with the process.

Dave and Sarah also discuss why good habits and routines are some of the keys to making progress with our goals. With behavior change, small moments can help you in the long term.

And as always Sarah gives us some quick tips to get back on track. She says always keep restarting and a good rule of thumb is to revisit your goals every three months. She also says if you’re struggling, just focus on today. You can work up to revisiting your goals weekly, make sure you’re taking your whole life into consideration, and renew your goals when needed.

If you want to connect with Sarah Reiff-Hekking, Ph.D at True Focus Coaching, you can reach out to her here: https://www.truefocuscoaching.com/apply/

This week we tackle a common question that many adults with ADHD have.

Should I use a therapist or an ADHD coach?

Back on the podcast is Diann Wingert, former therapist and now mindset coach working with adults that have ADHD. Diann is uniquely qualified to answer this question and talk about when you would want to work with a therapist and when an ADHD coach might be able to provide you with the tools you need.

Diann first discusses the differences between a therapist and an ADHD coach. She talks about what each can provide and the skills that each discipline might possess. She says sometimes it comes down to a therapist looking at past experiences you have. An ADHD coach would work with you to build a thriving future with tools, skills, and accountability. However, she cautions you that that is not always the case when working with both.

Diann also cautions listeners to recognize that most of these working relationships, especially with a therapist should not be long-term. For example, if you’re seeing a therapist for 10 years, you have to ask yourself why. And do you really need it at this point?

When choosing a therapist or an ADHD coach, the first and most important factor is to make sure it is a good fit. Does this professional get you and do they respect you? And of course, very important, do you feel they can help you and are they confident they can help you as well?

Diann also cautions listeners to understand that there are many therapists that have not been formally trained in ADHD. You don’t want to be in a position where you’re teaching your therapist about ADHD so ask them for some examples of how they have assisted other clients with ADHD.

And Diann wraps up her conversation with Dave about choosing an ADHD coach and some of the things to look out for.

You can learn more about Diann Wingert and the Driven Woman Podcast on her website. https://www.diannwingertcoaching.com/

To kick off the year 2022, we have ADHD coach Jeff Copper back. Jeff is with DIG Coaching and always has a wealth of information and tools for adults with ADHD.

This week we are talking about goals but, activating the necessary steps to achieve your goals and even specific tasks. Most of us have goals we want to achieve or projects we want to embark on but for those of us with adult ADHD, we need an activation plan. Sometimes it’s as simple as getting the house clean or more involved such as embarking on a project for work. But for most of us who tend to be distracted, a plan is necessary.

How do we activate a plan when we have ADHD?

First as Coach Jeff Copper explains we need to understand how our executive functions work as well as possibly get in the way when it comes to getting things done. That involves some substantial self-awareness in understanding the way our brain works. Also as Jeff explains, we need to own our ADHD.

We need to understand what distractions do when it comes to being challenged with activating plans of all types and we need to get a firm grip on how uncertainty and lack of clarity delay tasks and projects.

Jeff talks about some simple steps to get better at activating plans, projects and other tasks.

He suggests asking yourself what is hard about getting started on a particular project or simple task and to bring that further, acknowledge what is difficult about getting started.

He also recommends understanding what is easy about getting started and analyze both.

Learn more about working with ADHD coach Jeff Copper here: www.digcoaching.com

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ADHD and entrepreneurship do go together quite well, most of the time. Many people with adult ADHD end up working for themselves for a whole host of reasons. And while this might be a great option, there comes an immense amount of time management strategy involved in any entrepreneurial journey.

In this episode, we talk with Roxanne Jarrett from Swellhead Coaching and Support Services about entrepreneurship, ADHD, and managing your time effectively. Roxanne loves to work side by side with entrepreneurs that just happen to have ADHD and she offers a number of great tips for maximizing your time and staying focused.

You don’t have to be an entrepreneur to get a ton of value from Roxanne’s tips.

Roxanne talks about some of the advantages that an entrepreneur with ADHD has. And she also discusses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, whether entrepreneurship is still a great path for people with ADHD.

She talks about many of the common time management challenges that adults with ADHD encounter when it comes to entrepreneurship, and she offers her advice for tackling those issues.

Roxanne says that as entrepreneurs with ADHD, we need to cut ourselves some slack sometimes, give ourselves the validation that we deserve as well as the credit needed to stay focused on our entrepreneurial journey. Some days we will accomplish much and others not so much.

And Roxanne talks about the must-haves for managing time and staying focused as an entrepreneur with ADHD. Those include having a passion for the work you do, having a road map to grow and continue to thrive, and put the systems in place that work for your brain.

Freebie Link Roxane talked about:

https://www.swellhead.com/freeroadmap

Find Roxanne Jarrett, MA, CPC from Swellhead Coaching & Support Services on her websites.

www.swellhead.com

www.roxannejarrett.com

There are a number of important ways to manage your adult ADHD. One critical factor and thriving with adult ADHD is to ensure you have proper sleep habits. Not only getting enough sleep but getting quality sleep is just as important.

In this episode we speak with Kelly Myerson is an author and a sleep expert as well as an occupational therapist. Kelly walks us through strategies for proper sleep, tackling mindset the environments as well as healthy habits for sleep.

Kelly first discusses is what happens during sleep that can help us perform better the next day. She talks about how sleep restores certain cells in the brain and how getting enough sleep helps us with both our physical and mental health.

She also talks about what happens when we don’t get the adequate sleep that the ADHD brain needs. That includes a decrease in executive functions at the overall lack of focus. She also discusses why the ADHD brain actually requires healthy sleep habits.

Kelly gives us strategies for creating the best sleep environment how to create better sleep habits. She gives us tips for how to slow our brain down before sleep time and she also provides advice for people with ADHD who historically do not sleep well.

She says you need to develop good habits as well as a devotion to getting a good night’s sleep.

And if all else fails, it’s time to call a sleep specialist or your doctor.

Find Sleep Expert and Occupational Therapist Kelly Myerson here at her website.

https://www.beingwellwithkelly.com

There comes a time where everyone regardless of ADHD needs a great mentor or coach. How do you find the right ADHD coach and when is it time to get ADHD coaching? Those are some of the topics discussed in this podcast.

Dave’s guest is Evan Kirstein of Progressive Growth Coaching. Evan coaches entrepreneurs, executives, and adults with ADHD.

Evan talks about the types of things an ADHD coach can help you with. Those include prioritizing tasks, projects, and other commitments you have in your personal and professional life. He says that a major emphasis can be placed on executive functions and how to improve those for better performance.

Evan says a great ADHD coach can help you be honest with yourself and take ownership of responsibilities and can give you a foundation for transformation.

He says working with an ADHD coach can help you with work habits, meeting deadlines, and overall effectiveness in your professional life. And one important thing. An ADHD coach can help you pick yourself back up.

Evan covers other items in the podcast including when the appropriate time to consider working with the coaches. He covers what you should be looking for when partnering with a coach and trying to find the right fit.

He talks about whether you need an ADHD coach or just a professional coach that is a good fit and matches your values.

And he discusses is what you should do if you are resisting the idea of partnering with the coach.

Learn more about working with Evan here: www.ProgressiveGrowthCoaching.com

How do you go from being broke, getting a divorce, and then creating a thriving successful life with adult ADHD? The answer is in this podcast episode. If you want to engineer a successful life and consistent habits, make sure you listen to this conversation.

This week Dave has a conversation with Aron Croft. Aron has turned his past experiences into a successful coaching and consulting practice. While we joke about crashing and burning on this segment, there are some valuable lessons to be had.

Aron discusses his story of been diagnosed with ADD, earning minimum wage, being broke, getting a divorce as well as how he got through Harvard. While he always achieved good grades in school, he went through numerous job changes and other struggles until he realized that he should try to get an official diagnosis.

Aron has implemented many systems in his life to achieve success and he coaches others to do the same. He discusses ways to manage and thrive with adult ADHD, and the ways we can implement motivation in our lives.

He talks about engineering progress as well as engineering consistency to get the things we want in life. He also discusses how the brain processes information when we have ADHD and the strategies to get things done.

And he discusses must-haves to thrive with adult ADHD.

Those include celebrating quick wins, stopping the self-blame, finding meaningful goals that are self-generated as well as self-education on adult ADHD. He thinks it is very important to find the support you need and most importantly, never give yourself problems you do not need.

You can find Aron Croft on his website here. https://hiddenadhd.com/

For many with adult ADHD, the right technology can be a game-changer. Whether that is applications that help us run our business or something as simple as maintaining and sharing a grocery shopping list. We can’t escape technology anymore in our lives and we must embrace what helps us thrive.

Helping us navigate the many apps that are available to us is Brittany Smith, from Devise & Conquer Coaching. Brittany offers exclusive coaching when it comes to helping adults with ADHD find just the right apps and technology for their lives.

Britney discusses whether ADHD responds better to apps and technology or whether we prefer pen and paper. Or does ADHD respond to both methods?

Britney discusses how entrepreneurs and business professionals with ADHD can consider the several types of apps including time management, mindfulness, and other crucial pieces of technology to help us with our professional lives

And she walks us through the process of finding the right apps that work for us as individuals with ADHD. Britney has a number of recommendations for apps to help us organize our lives and she shares a few of her favorites.

Brittany also recommends a series of automation tools to help us write our lives in our business.

And she recommends monitoring what we use for technology and using it to better our lives, not complicate it.

Brittany also recommends when you’re starting the use of a new app to make sure you utilize it for a few weeks to see if it works for you. You must give it time in order to effectively evaluate whether it’s a good fit for your life or business.

Find Brittany Smith here: https://conquer.consulting/

In this podcast, we are going to laugh at, and about our ADHD. And we’re going to learn how to find the humor with our adult ADHD.

On Overcoming Distractions this week is Pasha Marlowe, a therapeutic comedy coach. Pasha is going to walk us through how to find humor in our day-to-day activities in the ADHD world and how to use laughter as a tool to manage and thrive with adult ADHD.

Pasha and Dave talk about not only humorous things that have happened during the pandemic but what they have learned through this era of COVID-19. And Pasha discusses her own challenges.

Pasha discusses why many people find it difficult to laugh about their challenges and struggles including ADHD and she also discusses why it is important for the mind and body to be able to find humor in everyday situations.

Dave and Pasha have a discussion about how we can begin to find more humor and other things to laugh at in our daily lives and why it is so critical for our mental health to be able to lighten up throughout the day.

And Pasha talks about her therapeutic comedy coaching sessions and programs. Make sure you check out her comedy coaching.

Learn more about Pasha Marlowe and her coaching programs on her website. https://pashamarlowe.com/