Kick Some ADHD

Did you know that motivation is essentially a matter of dopamine in the brain? In this encore presentation, we nerd out over the most important neurotransmitter in the ADHD brain and how it affects us!

With ADHD, we tend to really enjoy starting things but then struggle to finish them—especially things that don't have deadlines attached. This is extra painful when it's something important to us personally. Here's an approach you can use to finish those things (and many other types of things!) when you have ADHD.

With ADHD, is there a way for you to engage with something—even if it's boring—and then see it through to the end? Not because there's an impending deadline or you've tricked yourself into hyperfocusing on it, but just because it's worthwhile to do?

Thanks in part to our ADHD time distortion, it's often very difficult for us to estimate how long something will take. This can become a significant problem at work when we're called upon to predict project schedules or craft proposals based upon labor hours, but it can also create difficulties at home and in our personal relationships.

In this shorter holiday-week episode (Happy Thanksgiving if you're listening in the US!), David walks us through a simple technique you can easily adapt to help you estimate time.

Using T-Shirt Sizes to Estimate the Inestimable

Step 1: Break the item into chunks, write them down (Pro tip: use sticky notes!)

Step 2: Sort the items into categories, then label them with this useful acronym: MoSCoW

Must have this (also Minimal Usable SubseT)Should haveCould be nice to haveWon’t have this – maybe later

Step 3: Assign a t-shirt size to each chunk

Listen in (we estimate it will take about 15 minutes of your time) and then let us know: How can you adapt this to your work? What tricks do you have to help you estimate time? Email us at: hello [at] kicksomeadhd [dot] com!

Want to spend some time learning more? Check out:

Episode 120: ADHD’s Warped Vision of TimeEpisode 121: Cultivating a Clearer Vision of TimeDana’s blog: Your ADHD Relationship with TimeDana’s blog: Watch Out For the ADHD Time Warp!

In part 3 of our ADHD time series, Dana shows us a simple and incredibly useful way to game the system so that we take action earlier and reduce the stress and propensity for failure that comes with waiting until the last minute!

Following last episode's discussion of how ADHD warps our view of time, we're now looking practical ways to "unwarp" our perceptions of time to get more done, be more reliable, accomplish our goals, and live our values!

In our first-ever "BONUS Kick" episode, David calls Dana to talk about the Adderall shortage in the US. Even if you're aren't one of the many people with ADHD who is having a hard time getting your prescription filled right now, knowing what to do when you can't get your ADHD medication could be a big help!

Many of the struggles we face with ADHD are related in some way to how we experience time. But what's behind our warped view of time? And why does it affect everything from friendships and marriages to job performance and finances?

ADHD brain fog: what it is it? What causes it? Is there anything we can do to fix it? All that and more in this episode!

Some things absolutely destroy our productivity. For you, it could be an activity, an object, or a task—your list is probably unique. But chances are there's something that you have to protect yourself from. And that's why Dana is introducing ADHD Kryptonite defense systems!