Hey Team

I was recently thinking about kids being picky eaters and how there is a movement where we’re not supposed to say picky anymore; we’re supposed to say they’re selective eaters.

And you know what, I get that. I grew up as a picky kid, and… let’s be honest, I’m a fairly picky adult as well. Scratch that, selective adult.

And I know it’s semantics, but I often find semantics are important. Because if we’re reframing this idea of being picky into being selective, it loses a lot of that negative connotation, and it gives a lot more power to the idea that what we’re doing is we’re making choices. In this case, making choices about food, but I think this is something we should keep in mind as we’re moving into the new year because a lot of us are going to find that we’re going to need to be more selective with our goals, especially in regard to New Year’s Resolutions. 

And this is the idea that we’re going to be exploring in this episode - what are the things that we really want to focus on doing - what are the things that we want to commit ourselves to, and then what are the things that we should be letting go of.

If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at HackingYourADHD.com/208

This Episode's Top Tips

1. 1. You can do anything, but you can’t do everything. If something feels draining, unaligned, or no longer serves you, it’s okay to move on.
   2. Work on reframing quitting as a positive. We’re redirecting our energy toward something more meaningful and prioritizing those things that we really want.
   3. Focus on sustainability. If a goal feels overwhelming, reassess and try to find a more manageable way to approach it.

Hey team!

Well, it’s 2025…. It doesn’t quite feel real yet; I mean, we’re a quarter of the way into the 21st century, but it feels like we got here fast. I’m not quite sure I’m ready, but regardless, time marches on.

I know a lot of you are working on making plans for the year, so we’re going to be starting this year with Chris Wang, CEO and co-founder of Shimmer, an ADHD coaching platform designed to meet people where they are. I had a lot of fun in this conversation, where we covered a bunch of stuff about goal setting and how to make sure you’re doing the important stuff in your life. Along the way, we discuss the power of community, process-oriented goal setting, and what it means to live in alignment with your values.

Of course we also discuss Chris’s coaching platform, Shimmer, but Chris does a great job bringing a lot of actionable advice to this conversation, so whether you’re looking for coaching or just want some extra tips to help with planning this episode’s got you covered.

If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at HackingYourADHD.com/207

This Episode's Top Tips

1. 1. Work on setting process-oriented goals where your focus is on the actions you can control, like “exercise 3 times a week,” rather than outcome-based goals like “lose 10 pounds.”
   2. Make sure you are specific and write your to-do lists with clear, actionable steps to avoid overwhelm and decision paralysis. You want to know exactly what your next step is when looking at your to-do list.
   3. Leverage your support systems. You can use community and coaching to provide accountability, remove roadblocks, and refine your systems. Remember there is no gold star for toughing it out by yourself and it’s okay to get help.

This is the second part of the series on how to better manage your smartphone with your ADHD - you don't have to have listened to part 1 to listen to this episode, but if you like this episode I'd definitely recommend going back and listening to last week's episode as well. In that episode, we covered how we can limit the distractions that our smartphone can present and also how to make it easier on our ADHD brains when we're setting up our smartphone.

This week we're going in a bit of a different direction - while smartphones can be easily distracting and endless entertaining, they also provide us with some great tools to help us manage our ADHD. In this episode I'm going to be discussing a number of the apps I use to help me navigate my day - since I use the iPhone that means most of the apps I specifically discuss are going to be iPhone apps; however, I do try and provide alternatives for Android. 

Find the Full Show Notes at: HackingYourADHD.com/ADHDPhone2 Today's Top Tips 1. Make use of reminder apps on your phone - make sure to use lots of different sounds and to create recurring reminders for things that you need to be reminded of frequently. 2. Use your calendar as a reminder app as well - for important events make sure to have reminders well in advance so that you can plan for them ahead of time. 3. Get a good note-taking app for your phone and create a reminder to also look at the notes that you take throughout the day or week. 4. Take advantage of shortcuts on your phone so that you can do complicated tasks without getting distracted.

I've been carrying around a smartphone in my pocket for more than 10 years - I started off with the first iPhone and have since gone over to Android, dabbled with the Windows Phones for a few years and then ended back up with an iPhone again. Through my years with my phone I've learned that it can be a great asset and help me with a number of my ADHD difficulties; however, I've also felt the dark side of the phone as well. Games, social media, email and all those notifications. 

ADHD makes it really easy for us to get off track so we want to be making sure that we're not letting our phones dictate our next actions. Through trial and error phone designers have been making it harder and harder for us to put down our phone. Since we have ADHD this means that it is almost too easy for us to get distracted when we pop open our phone to just check the time. The screen lights up and suddenly we're hit with a hundred different ways our attention should go. 

This week we'll be focusing on ways to set up your phone to be less distracting and we're going to work on setting up our phones intentionally to make sure that we're paying attention to what apps we have on our phone and where those apps are located. We'll also be looking at other ways to reduce the constant stream of distractions that our phones can produce. Find the full show notes at: HackingYourADHD.com/ADHDPhone This Episode's Top Tips 1. Purge any apps that you don't need on your phone - both unused apps and also apps that pull you in too much. 2. Organize your apps so that your most useful apps are easy to open and your distracting apps are hidden. 3. Turn off most of your notifications and make use of your Do Not Disturb feature. 4. Check out your phone's screentime feature and set some sensible restrictions on how much time you are spending on your phone.

Last week was all about getting there and this week we're focusing on what to do when you get back. Travel disrupts our routines and habits - and we should take those disruptions seriously. One thing that I've had to learn over and over again is that ADHD makes transitions hard - and coming back from a trip is a big transition.

This Episode's Top Tips

1. Identify your routines and habits before your trip so that when you get back you know where to pick things back up. Make sure you are paying special attention to your 
2. While you are traveling try and keep up as many of your habits and routines. If you need to, you can make small tweaks to them to make them easier while you are away.
3. Make sure you are planning your days and regularly checking that plan once you get back. You can use a habit tracker to make sure you are follow through with all of your intentions.

Find all the show notes at HackingYourADHD.com/podcast/RefocusedVacation

Hey Team!

This week we’ve got Skye Waterson of Unconventional Organization back on the show to talk about the book she’s working on, Focused, Balanced Days with ADHD. Skye is an academic and ADHD coach with over seven years of experience in adult education. She has studied various fields, including Psychology, Sociology, and Public Health, and is currently a Doctoral Candidate in Population Health. Skye also hosts "The ADHD Skills Lab" podcast, where she discusses research-backed tips and advice to help individuals navigate life with ADHD.

Today, as I mentioned, we’re going to be getting into her serialized book that she’s releasing chapter by chapter as she works through them on Substack. Our discussion today focuses on what’s already been released, regarding Skye’s ADHD story and executive function but we also get into a whole host of other things from systems and calendars to burnout.

If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at http://hackingyouradhd.com/206

If you’d like to checkout Unconventional Organization or sign up for that newsletter go check out

https://www.unconventionalorganisation.com/

This Episode's Top Tips

1. 1. Avoid overcomplicating your organizational tools, and try to rely more on basic principles, such as having a capture space, a prioritization system, and a scheduling system.
   2. Aim for 80% consistency with your systems and give yourself grace to bounce back after setbacks. No one will ever follow any system perfectly, so work on choosing tools and systems that can adapt to missed days without derailing your progress entirely.
   3. Don’t forget to prioritize at least a little fun in your planning. Building dopamine into your day through enjoyable activities can help you stay consistent and avoid burnout.

Hey team!

Feels like it’s been a while for me but hopefully I was able to prepare enough material ahead of time so that you didn’t have to notice. And the reason it’s been a bit for me is because of the 2024 International Conference on ADHD which is a collaborative event put on my CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), ADDA (Attention Deficit Disorder Association), and ACO (ADHD Coaches Organization).

The conference caters to adults with ADHD, educators, coaches, organizers, clinicians, therapists - really anyone who is effect by ADHD either directly on indirectly. There are all kinds of presentations at the conference - workshops, peer-to-peer discussion groups, networking opportunities, and there’s also an exhibit hall.

And this year was my first year presenting at the conference.

So in this episode I’m going to go into some of my reflections of attending this years conference - things I did, things I learned and of course some stuff about my presentation.

If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at HackingYourADHD.com/205

Hey Team!

This week I’m joined by Madeline O’Reilly and Jonathan Hassall to talk about their new online program called Decoding Doing that is based on a book they wrote with the same title. And that’s fair, Decoding Doing is a great title when we’re talking about procrastination.

And just a little background, Madeline is a clinical psychologist with a Masters in Clinical Psychology. Additionally, Madeline is a member of the Australian Clinical Psychology Association along with the Australian Professional ADHD Association and the Australian Association for CBT. Jonathan is an ADHD and Executive Function coach and also is a board member of the ADD Association (ADDA USA).

In our conversation today we go through the their five-stage model for working through procrastination. We’ll explore how our perception of motivation can often hold us back, and more importantly, how understanding our emotional and cognitive needs can help us break free from the procrastination cycle.

If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at HackingYourADHD.com/204

You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel

This Episode's Top Tips

1. 1. When planning a task visualize the steps. Don’t just think about the goal, picture the process of how you’ll get there. And be prepared for interruptions or barriers. When they come up, pause, analyze the problem, and choose your next step.
   2. Don’t just rely on time management—factor in your energy and emotional capacity when planning your day. While time plays a factor in what you can get done, your energy levels are an equally important factor to consider.
   3. Often when you’re procrastinating, it’s a signal that something else—like rest, food, or movement—is needed. When you find yourself in a cycle of procrastination try slowing down and seeing what else might need to be addressed.

Hey Team!

We’ve got another exciting guest teed up for this week. I’m talking with Sean Brock, a neurofeedback expert and the owner of Neuro Colorado. Now I’ll be honest that I had a lot to learn in this interview because I wasn’t terribly well versed on the science behind neurofeedback. In the interview, Sean shares the fascinating history behind neurofeedback and how it’s evolved from training cats to helping humans regulate their brain waves. We get into how neurofeedback works and its longer-term benefits.

Also, we end the interview by taking a turn and talking about EMDR therapy and how it is somewhat similar but distinct from neurofeedback. Then, we get into Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS), which I think is just a fascinating form of psychotherapy.

Now, as I just mentioned, I didn’t have a lot of knowledge on neurofeedback going into the interview, and a lot of that stemmed from some of the controversy surrounding its effectiveness in treating ADHD. As Sean is the owner of a neurofeedback facility, it is quite understandable that he is very bullish on the research showing its effectiveness. And based on my conversation with him it seems well warranted, especially with the caveat he gave in the interview that neurofeedback is not a magic process but requires guidance from a qualified practitioner. 

That said, while I think the science of neurofeedback looks very promising at this point, take the interview with a grain of salt and be aware that not everyone is convinced of its level of effectiveness. While promising neurofeedback isn’t for everyone and it’s general accessibility still has a ways to go.

Also, this isn’t a case of doing one thing or the other; neurofeedback can work alongside medication and other therapies as well.

https://www.neurocolorado.com

If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at HackingYourADHD.com/203

This Episode's Top Tips

1. 1. Neurofeedback works by teaching you how to regulate your brainwaves, which can help you build focus when you need it.
   2. Over time, it appears that neurofeedback can lead to long-term changes in brainwave activity, reducing ADHD symptoms and potentially decreasing the need for further interventions.
   3. It’s important to find the right neurofeedback practitioner who actively engages with you during sessions for the best results. Also, remember that a multi-modal approach is key, combining neurofeedback with medication or therapy to optimize your treatment.

Hey Team!

This week, we’ve got an incredible guest, Dr. Stephen Faraone, one of the world's foremost experts on ADHD.

Let me just give you a quick rundown of just how influential Dr. Faraone is:

• He has authored over 700 journal articles, editorials, chapters, and books
• Listed as the eighth-highest producer of High Impact Papers in Psychiatry from 1990 to 1999 as determined by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI).
• In 2005, the ISI listed him as the second-highest cited author in the area of ADHD.
• In 2019 and 2020, his citation metrics placed him in the top 0.01% of scientists across all fields.
• In 2002 he was inducted into the CHADD Hall of Fame

Currently, Dr. Faraone serves as a distinguished professor of psychiatry, physiology, and neuroscience at SUNY Upstate Medical University and president of the World Federation of ADHD.

So yeah, this guy knows what he’s talking about when it comes to ADHD and if you only listen to one episode of the podcast this year, I’d suggest this one.

One of the focal points in this conversation is the ADHD Evidence Project, which Dr. Faraone started to help fight misinformation about ADHD and give free access to the information we have about ADHD. On the site - which can be found at ADHDevidence.org - you can find the International Consensus Statement, which provides 208 statements strongly supported by ADHD research. In the episode we get more into what went into the process of making the statement and the standards of research.

In the episode, we also discuss evidence-based treatments, debunk common myths, and discuss what really works when managing ADHD.

If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at HackingYourADHD.com/202

This Episode's Top Tips

1. 1. Stick to treatments that have been proven effective through rigorous studies. Large studies and meta-analyses are more reliable than small studies when determining ADHD treatments.
   2. Not all ADHD treatments you find online are helpful—be cautious of sources that aren't peer-reviewed. Beware of misinformation as well as misleading information that can lead you down the wrong treatment path.
   3. While some alternative treatments may help, their effects are often significantly smaller compared to standard stimulant medication. When thinking about approaching what we do to help manage our ADHD, we want to think about the magnitude of the effect and do the things that will help the most first.

Hey Team!

This week we’re following up our last episode on misinformation—and this is going to be our last episode in the research saga that I’ve been working on for the last… couple of months? Yeah, I think I’m ready for something new as well although as a preview for next week, I had an amazing researcher as a guest and we do cover a lot of similar topics, but don’t worry, it’s a fantastic episode, great capstone to the series.

But today we're diving into a topic that’s critical for navigating life with ADHD—understanding and protecting ourselves from myths and misinformation. There's a big difference between outdated myths like, 'ADHD is just laziness,' and actual misinformation, which can mislead us into making risky choices about treatment. In this episode, we’re getting into how to spot these traps, why myths stick around, and what makes misinformation so tricky.

If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at HackingYourADHD.com/201

This Episode's Top Tips

1. 1. ADHD myths tend to be long-standing cultural beliefs, while misinformation often appears more credible and is linked to misinterpreted research or can be part of a specific agenda.
   2. There are a lot of pitfalls to watch out for when consuming information about ADHD. Oversimplication, sensational headlines, anecdotal evidence, secret information and even how the information is framed can be indicators that you might have to double check the information.
   3. Avoid spreading misinformation by verifying where your information comes from, especially if you see it on social media or from non-expert sources.