If you are following my YouTube channel, you know that I am currently writing a book. This project is unique because, in writing my previous books, I had the opportunity to write in a different way that I am writing now. My early books were written by giving myself a word count for each day and writing until I hit my daily word count. My latest books (The Reset ADHD Trilogy of Books) were written using my blog posts. This time, I am trying to write a book while running a business. So, how do I go about this?

At the 2023 International Conference on ADHD, Alan P. Brown of ADD Crusher made a shocking confession. He does not wash his hands after going to the bathroom. Scandalous, I know! However, he further clarified that what he does after using the restroom is go to the kitchen and wash two dishes. By the end of the washing, he has clean hands and two clean dishes. This is silly, and that is why it works.

When dealing with ADHD, the subject of impatience inevitably comes up. Those of us with ADHD are like Veruca Salt from the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. That character sings a song in that movie entitled, “I Want It Now.” Like Veruca, those of us with ADHD want things now. This is especially true when it comes to managing our ADHD. We do not want to wait for improvement to happen slowly. We want to be on top of our ADHD now. However, this is not reasonable. There are no miracle cures or overnight fixes for ADHD. In short, when managing ADHD, we are looking for progress, not perfection.

When in the course of human events it becomes necessary to track all of those things you intend to do, it is commonly recommended to make what is known as a “to-do list.” Yes, it is necessary to create such a list, for those of us with ADHD have trouble remembering all we intend to do. Memory is not our friend. It is fickle, so it becomes imperative to externalize our intentions.

Equally important, however, is the need to make a list of those things you do not want to do or are not worth your time. Therefore, I say to you: Make a not-doing list.

Recently, I had a conversation with Alan P. Brown, Jay Perry, and Ryan Mayer. It was an awesome conversation, and I encourage you to go check out the video replay. One nugget of wisdom that came up was the three ways of motivating someone with ADHD. My mentor Jay Perry dropped this nugget of wisdom, and it blew our minds. The three ways are: Scare, dare, and care. Let’s look at these three rhyming ways of motivation…

When I was in college, I had to interview three entrepreneurs for one of my classes. One of the entrepreneurs I chose to interview was my grandfather. During the course of the interview, he gave me a piece of advice that I’ll never forget. He said, “No matter where you want to go in life, work hard to get there, but also, take the time to play hard along the way.” He went on to tell me that he feels he did not take the time to play enough early in his career and that he was trying to make up for that a bit in his later years.

I have big plans for 2023. Reset ADHD will be moving forward with several projects in the months to come. It is an exciting time for me, but it is also kind of difficult. With so many projects to balance, it can be hard to plan my time and stay moving forward on all of my goals. If you are like me, you have a lot of things you would like to do but are unsure of how it will all get done. I thought I would share what I am doing to stay productive during this busy time in the hopes it will help you to stay productive.

The other day, I told my coach that I was overwhelmed with all the things I wanted to do. He got curious about what I was feeling and started exploring. Through his questions and observations, I came to realize I was not overwhelmed. I was just looking at things incorrectly. I needed to reframe how I was looking at all of the projects I have on my plate right now.

There are many aspects to life – play, work, self-care, etc. We need a balance of all to live a healthy life. It can be hard to balance everything, especially when one has ADHD. The hyperfocus caused by ADHD can cause one to be so preoccupied with one task that nothing else gets done. It can also cause one to forget about taking care of oneself. And, there are many other aspects of ADHD that are troublesome when it comes to balance. I am not here to list every possible way ADHD could get in the way of living a balanced life. I am here to give you one tiny little secret that will help you live a more balanced life.

ADHD is a weird condition. Some people with ADHD need the structure of having a boss, and others need the freedom to be an entrepreneur. I cannot tell you what the best work environment is for you, but I can tell you that I have found what works for me as an entrepreneur with ADHD. If you own your own business or desire to start your own business, read on for some ideas that might help you. (REMINDER: What works for me may not work for you; you need to find what works with your brain.)

Technology is great, but it can also be overwhelming. Emails fly into your inbox at an incredible rate and can get out of control if you are not on top of things. Many ADHDers struggle with their email. It is normal, but it is a problem. So, what can be done? I have four ideas to share with you today.

A word I hear used a lot in the ADHD community is accountability. I am not sure that is something we should be doing. We talk a lot about having an accountability buddy or accountability partner to help us get things done. I think the ADHD community needs to re-examine our use of the word “accountability.” I have used the words “accountability buddy” in a blog post before, so I am not just lecturing others. I am just as guilty as others when it comes to misusing the word accountability.

Each week, I take a half sheet of paper on which I have pre-printed the days of the week. I use this half-sheet of paper to plan out my week. I look at the previous sheet of paper, note any repeating items, and write those down on the appropriate day. I then go through the calendar on my phone and write down any scheduled activities. Then, I give my week a once over to see where I can schedule time for other projects on which I am working. This is how I know what I am doing when. If I write it down, it gets done.

When you have ADHD, it can be hard to have confidence. There is so much that seems hard to do. However, we can do hard things. It is possible. When you find yourself facing a seemingly impossible challenge remember these things.

I have done a fair bit of writing in my time. Has that been a struggle considering I have ADHD? Yes and no. Yes, ADHD does provide some challenges when it comes to writing (task initiation, follow through, etc.), but ADHD also comes with a side of creativity. That creativity can make writing a great hobby or even career. That being said, what can an ADHDer do to improve their writing and become more prolific? Read on to find out!

Why are you waiting to take action? Get started! The time to act is now, not later. I can promise you the ideal time to get started on that thing you are procrastinating is right now. The “perfect” time will never come. Perfection does not exist in this life.

Granted, there are some times where it legitimately makes sense to wait, but those moments are rare. Most often, if we do not act today, it will most likely never happen.

Today’s blog post has to do with scheduling. Don’t run away yet! This blog makes the case for scheduling everything. It is truly helpful, and if you are not scheduling your to-do list items, this blog post will help explain why you should give it a shot.

I have a section on my weekly planning worksheet that says “Misc.” This is where to-do list items go when I do not have a specific day or time to do them. I might as well label this section, “Things I Am Not Going to Do.” Rarely do I do anything in that section. The bottom line is this: If I don’t schedule it, it’s not going to happen.

It is important to identify your needs as an ADHDer. The world will not identify them for you, and even if the world does identify “needs,” they may not be your specific needs. We are all different and have different needs, so what is needed for one person may not be needed for you. You need to identify your specific needs in order to live a fulfilling life.

Ever wonder why you struggle to focus or get started on a project you do not want to do? The explanation behind it is that those of us with ADHD have an interest-based nervous system. This means that our brains are attracted to whatever is interesting to us in the moment. Interest, in this case, is anything that stimulates the brain.

It is important to point out that this stimulation can be positive or negative. So, you can be engaged by a crossword puzzle or rumination.

We all have dragons to slay. By dragons, I mean the big scary tasks that we know we have to do or want to do but have a sense of overwhelm when thinking about doing it. These tasks can seem insurmountable, but they can be done. They might be difficult, but we can do difficult things.

The first thing you need is a plan of attack. Break down what you need or want to do into tiny steps. Figure out where to start and how to best accomplish what you need or want to do.