Session Overview

This week's session focused on strategies for managing ADHD, including energy regulation, memory externalization, and creating routines. Participants discussed techniques like using sticky notes, breaking tasks into smaller steps, and leveraging AI tools like Goblin Tools to improve productivity. Noah shared his experience with procrastination and the impact of caffeine on his energy levels, while Chris and Remy highlighted challenges with job searching and maintaining focus. The group explored reframing failures as feedback and the importance of building scaffolding to support ADHD-related challenges. Participants were encouraged to identify areas for environmental improvement and to redefine success as progress rather than perfection.

Core Content
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1. Energy Regulation for ADHD Brains

 

Key strategies that support energy and focus regulation:

• Meditation and mindfulness practices

• Limiting caffeine or adjusting timing of intake

• Dietary adjustments to support sustained energy

• Physical movement as a focus reset tool

• Changing physical environments to stimulate attention

 

Core insight: Neurotypical habit formation strategies often don't translate well to ADHD brains. Alternative approaches like habit stacking and intentional routine-building are more effective.

 

2. Reframing Failure as Feedback

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• ADHD-related struggles are not character flaws; they are the result of neurological difference.

• "Failures" function more as data points than reflections of worth or ability.

• Shifting self-blame to curiosity ("What can I learn from this?") reduces shame and increases engagement.

 

3. ADHD Motivation and Task Avoidance

 

Based on Dr. Bill Dodson's five ADHD motivators:

1. Interest -- Does the task engage curiosity?

2. Novelty -- Is there something new or different about it?

3. Challenge -- Does it stretch skills in an interesting way?

4. Urgency -- Is there a deadline creating pressure?

5. Passion -- Is it connected to something personally meaningful?

 

Strategy: When a task feels stuck, identify which motivators are missing and intentionally add them to increase engagement and reduce procrastination.

 

Reframe on procrastination: Getting something done at the last minute still counts as getting it done. Procrastination is often misread as laziness rather than recognized as a motivation and regulation challenge.

 

4. Memory Externalization

 

ADHD brains have working memory limitations, often described as a "supercomputer with limited RAM" or "too many browser tabs open at once."

 

Key strategies:

• Write tasks down rather than holding them mentally

• Use sticky notes, whiteboards, or digital tools to offload memory

• Request written confirmation rather than relying on verbal agreements

• Document meeting outcomes via email or ticket systems rather than memory alone

 

Core principle: Externalizing information is not a workaround -- it is a legitimate and effective accommodation for how neurodivergent brains work.

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5. AI and Documentation Tools

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• AI tools like note-takers and task assistants can reduce cognitive load

• Human verification of AI-generated content remains important

• Being present and engaged in meetings contributes to better outcomes than passive reliance on AI

• AI can be a powerful support tool when used intentionally, not as a replacement for engagement

 

Tool highlighted: Goblin Tools (AI-powered app that breaks large, complex tasks into smaller, manageable steps)

 

6. Task Prioritization: The Eisenhower Matrix

A four-quadrant tool for sorting tasks by urgency and importance:

 

                                Urgent                         Not Urgent

Important               Do now                        Schedule it

Not Important       Delegate it                  Eliminate it

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Focus area: Tasks that are important but not urgent are often neglected by ADHD brains. These benefit most from scheduling and support systems.

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7. Environmental Design for Productivity

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Small changes to the physical or digital environment can reduce friction and increase follow-through.

 

Examples:

• Add a whiteboard for visual task tracking

• Move a phone to another room to reduce distraction

• Create barriers to prevent default avoidance behaviors

• Reduce visual or auditory clutter in the workspace

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Approach: Work backwards from the desired outcome to identify what environmental changes would make the task easier to start and finish.

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8. Routines and Predictability

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• Routines may feel restrictive to ADHD brains but provide necessary structure and predictability

• Reframing routines as scaffolding rather than constraints increases buy-in

• Even a loose, flexible routine provides a starting point for regulation

• Identifying an existing habit and building on it (habit stacking) is more sustainable than building from scratch

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Session Takeaways

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1. Use a task breakdown tool (such as Goblin Tools) to decompose one large or avoided task

2. Make one change to a physical or digital environment to reduce friction or distraction

3. Identify a repeatable habit or routine to build on this week

4. Identify one area of self-judgment and reframe it as a data point -- what does it tell you, and what's one small adjustment you could make?