Thoroughly ADHD

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Holidays can overwhelm ADHD brains; here is a practical framework to plan earlier, simplify tasks, and protect energy instead of chasing perfection. Alex describes concrete steps to pick core traditions, delegate with confidence, and keep routines steady so joy comes through.

• drivers of holiday overwhelm for ADHD
• plan early 
• write and keep a usable plan
• protect routines and add flex time
• choose core people, traditions, and activities
• say no to low-value events
• delegate, simplify, and use shortcuts
• share the workload at home
• shift perspective when plans go wrong
• manage ADHD symptoms with sleep, food, movement, and mindfulness 
• key takeaways and next steps in the series

If you found this useful, come back next Tuesday for tips about making the most of those holiday get togethers!

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We lay out how ADHD shows up at work—mismanagement of our time, poor working memory, disappointing performance, irritability, impulsivity—and how falling behind often feels like a personal failing. 

Once you identify which behaviors are ADHD-related, you know what you can change and figure out how to approach it.

• time blindness, time optimism, and missed deadlines

• meeting pitfalls and memory overload

• slow writing, perfectionism and bottlenecks

• environmental barriers 

  secrecy, shame, and burnout

• irritability, impulsivity and reputation risks

• reframing strengths to land as value

• next steps and where to learn more

Have I missed something that is keeping you from doing your best at work?

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You know you have ADHD, but do you know how it shows up in your social life? Your attempts to make and keep friends are affected by ADHD behaviors that once recognized, might be swapped out for actions that help instead of hinder. 

Do you recognize yourself as exhibiting any of the common ADHD traits mentioned in this episode, including:

• forgetting dates, showing up late, not responding
• poor conversation etiquette: tangents, interruptions, and one-upmanship
• ruining game night
• gift stress, overthinking, and last-minute scrambles
• emotional dysregulation
• strengths such as loyalty, openness, and fun

Leave a comment if I missed the ADHD trait that gives you the most trouble or the most help when it comes to making and keeping friends
If you heard something relatable here, please like, follow, subscribe, and come back next Tuesday for more Thoroughly ADHD

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We weigh the tension between masking and authenticity for ADHD brains and share a practical way to read rooms, set limits, and stay true to our values. The goal is not perfection but skill: calibrate behavior to context without erasing yourself.

• when moderation serves care rather than fakery
• how context changes expectations and effort
• using pause, scan, ask to read a room
• setting goals and choosing traits to amplify
• planning breaks to self-regulate and exit well
• observing norms before engaging in new spaces
• running small experiments and reading feedback
• debriefing to refine behaviors and protect values
• knowing when environments don’t deserve you
• staying open to find people who love your spark

If this topic speaks to you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs the reminder, and leave a quick review to help others find these tools. Your story could be the one that helps someone else feel less alone.

 

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Mornings don't have to be a willpower contest. Coach Alex Delmar shares a practical, ADHD-friendly plan to make mornings easier by doing the work at night, priming the brain in bed, and stacking cues that make getting up feel doable. Light, scent, water, music, and tiny rewards replace willpower with a plan you can repeat.

• defining morning by your wake target
• evening prep to cut decisions and reduce overwhelm
• coffee scent and breakfast anticipation as cues
• phone out of reach to prevent time loss
• alarms and light to start the wake cycle
• bedside water, meds, and a visible agenda
• in-bed activation with breath, stretches, and movement
• schedule check to trigger urgency without panic
• playlist, cold shower, and invigorating scents
• sunlight, movement, and social contact to lock in alertness
• rewards that only unlock after following the plan
• self-compassion and seeking coaching or peer support

 If you found this helpful, subscribe, share it with someone who struggles to wake up, and leave a quick review—what’s one cue you’ll try tomorrow?

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Your alarm goes off, your eyes open, and yet… you don’t move. That sticky space between awake and up isn’t laziness—it’s an ADHD friction zone shaped by dopamine dips, time blindness, and decision overload. 

I walk through the long‑term, “set it and mostly forget it” moves that make mornings more reliable: 

• cutting the phone trap—charging outside the bedroom and scheduling blocks—then replace screen‑based alarms with physical clocks to keep attention on what matters. 
•  designing a realistic, timed morning routine anchored with visual prompts and a few small delights that make your brain want to participate. 
• creating playlists that inspire movement.
• leveraging tech like sunrise alarm clocks and programmable thermometers to make your environment conducive to getting up. 
• setting up external accountability—coffee meetups, dog‑walking, carpools—because the ADHD brain moves faster when someone else is counting on us.

Sleep quality still sets the stage, so I point you to deep dives on getting to bed on time and waking up more consistently. Even with solid sleep, the ADHD hurdles remain, which is why environmental design, simple choreography, and tech‑assisted cues matter. Consider this an infrastructure approach: fewer choices, clearer signals, and repeated rhythms that carry you from eyes‑open to out‑the‑door with less effort and fewer stalls. Next week, we’ll tackle night‑before prep and first‑wake strategies you can use without even leaving bed.

If these tools help, subscribe, share with a friend who battles the snooze spiral, and leave a quick review so more ADHD folks can find practical morning fixes.

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Ever end the day feeling like your to-do list won? Let’s change that. We explore the done list—a simple, ADHD-friendly system that spotlights what you actually completed, improves self-concept, and builds real momentum toward bigger goals. Instead of chasing perfection, we focus on repeatable actions that set success in motion and the positive outcomes that follow.

Here you'll find how to start and maintain a daily done list using any method that fits your brain—scribbles, photos, voice notes, or apps—and why logging in the evening promotes sleep. You’ll learn the ABC method (Action, Behavior, Consequence) to connect setup actions you control with the behaviors you want and the rewards that keep motivation alive. 

You’ll also learn the many benefits of keeping a done list, to review your lists to mark highlights, consolidate small items into big themes, and spot patterns you can reuse across life and work. We talk practical upgrades: shifting routine chores to a checklist, keeping your done list focused on meaningful progress, and using your archive as proof against negative self-talk. By the end, you’ll have a clear, low-friction way to build resilience, increase focus, and feel in control of your life.

If this resonates, subscribe, share with a friend who could use a win, and leave a quick review. Your support helps us reach more ADHD minds looking for tools that actually work.

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Managing ADHD effectively requires consistent systems, but sometimes even our best strategies collapse. Sometimes we mistakenly believe our success means we no longer need all our strategies. More often, external disruptions—from minor interruptions to major life changes require us to recalibrate our approach. During this adjustment period, chaos can reign. When this happens, we need to identify what's changed and shore up our foundations.

• Sleep about 8 hours nightly and get morning sunlight to reset circadian rhythms
• Prioritize nutritious eating with fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and lean proteins
• Incorporate daily physical activity, starting small if needed
• Practice mindfulness, yoga, or journaling to stay present
• Use pause-scan-ask technique during transitions to prevent losing items
• Maintain a reliable system for tracking appointments and responsibilities
• Review your schedule each night and prepare tomorrow's to-do list
• Establish designated places for belongings to minimize searching
• Track behaviors to quickly notice when you're neglecting something
• Set non-negotiable self-care and essential responsibilities
• Use the scientific method to identify and solve specific ADHD challenges

If you found this useful, please like, follow, subscribe, and come back next Tuesday.

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With ADHD, the words we use significantly impact our productivity. I explain four powerful language strategies that can transform how effectively we complete tasks.

• Name tasks from the perspective of the final step (e.g., "send newsletter" instead of "write newsletter"), so you know when you're really done.
• List specific components of complex activities to set yourself up for success.
• Reframe boring tasks using gratitude language to shift your attitude and increase energy
• Use verbal rewards to leverage the ADHD brain's love of reinforcement and increase motivation
• Replace negative self-talk with reminders of your capabilities and past successes to increase your confidence to attempt tasks and stick with them.

If you want support using strategies like these, contact me or another ADHD coach or check out an ADHD support group. Your time is valuable, so I hope you found this useful and that you'll like, follow, subscribe, let us know how you're doing in the comments and come back next Tuesday. In the meantime, go get some stuff done!

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Healthy relationships benefit our mental and physical well-being, but ADHD can make us susceptible to toxic relationships. We need to consciously seek supportive companions who raise the bar for us while avoiding people who take advantage or drag us down.

• People with ADHD tend to trust too quickly and rush into relationships with the wrong people
• Avoid black and white thinking by recognizing there are many points between "not a friend" and "best friend"
• Curb the impulse to invest all energy in one person by making multiple connections
• Take time to really get to know someone before declaring yourselves best friends
• Develop personal guidelines for making friends by recognizing past relationship patterns
• Increase chances of meeting like-minded people by joining groups around your interests
• Channel your "inner six-year-old" by approaching people, introducing yourself, and asking relevant questions
• Seek out familiar faces at recurring events and greet people by name
• Suggest related activities to deepen connections organically
• Most people will remain acquaintances or activity-specific friends, which is valuable too

For more strategies, consult a therapist specializing in ADHD, an ADHD coach, or join an ADHD support group. Like, follow, subscribe, and come back next Tuesday!