I'm Busy Being Awesome - Sustainable Productivity for ADHD

You did the thing everyone tells an ADHD brain to do with a big project: you broke it into steps. And instead of feeling calmer, your brain looked at the list and said, "There's no way I can get all of this done." If this experience sends you straight into avoidance, panic, or procrasti-working, episode 376 has one simple question that can shift you out of the spiral and into action.
In Episode 376, You Will Discover:
Why breaking a project into steps can trigger more ADHD overwhelm, not less
The hidden assumption inside the thought "there's no way I can get this all done"
One simple question that interrupts the spiral and how to use it throughout your life.
Work With Me:
Learn more about private coaching here
Join We're Busy Being Awesome (group coaching)
Enroll in Overwhelm to Action - step by step course for ADHD Brains
More ADHD Resources:
Discover Your ADHD Overwhelm Type - Free Quiz!
Get the I'm Busy Being Awesome Podcast Roadmap
Free course: ADHD Routine Revamp
Learn my Top 10 Tips to Work With Your ADHD Brain
Discover my favorite ADHD resources
Access the I'm Busy Being Awesome Planning System
Paula's Favorite Tools
Many of the items below are affiliate links with discounts and free trials available. They are all products I personally use and love. I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support! Disclosure info here.
Stay focused with brain.fm and get a 30-day free trial. Personalized music, backed by science, designed to help you get and stay in the zone.
Speechify: my go-to text-to-speech app. One-month free trial plus $60 off a premium subscription if you decide to keep it.
Todoist: my favorite task manager. Simple, easy to use, and incredible integration with other platforms. Get two months of premium free. No credit card required.
Wispr Flow: The best tool for talk-to-text. Awesome for verbal processing and saving time. Free trial, no credit card required.
Magnetic Tile System: My favorite tactile, visual planning approach for ADHD brains.
Leave IBBA A Rating & Review!
If you enjoy the podcast, would you be a rockstar and leave a review? Doing so helps others find the show and spreads these tools to even more people.
Go to Apple Podcasts
Click on the I'm Busy Being Awesome podcast
Scroll down to the bottom of the page, where you see the reviews.
Simply tap five stars; that's it!
Bonus points if you're willing to leave a few sentences sharing what you enjoy about the podcast or a key takeaway from the episode you just heard. Thanks, friend!
Chapter Outline
00:00 Overwhelm After Planning
02:07 Why ADHD Goes All or Nothing
03:38 How Avoidance Spirals Start
05:52 Check Your Full Body Yes
07:54 The One Grounding Question
09:24 Client Example SOPs
11:02 Home Declutter Example
12:16 When Deadlines Are Real
13:44 Nonnegotiables Versus Nice
17:59 Wrap Up & Next Steps

If you've ever set a goal at the start of a quarter and watched it fall apart by the end of week one, your ADHD brain has probably drawn some conclusions about you and goal setting. So when you sit down to plan something new, a thought might show up that sounds like "why even bother? I'll just feel disappointed anyway."
In episode 375, we're borrowing a practice from the business world called a pre-mortem, where you imagine the project already fell apart and work backward from there. I've adapted it for ADHD brains so the exercise helps you feel prepared and capable.
In Episode 375, You Will Discover:
Why the six to eight week stretch in quarter four is such a useful window for one focused goal
What a pre-mortem is, how it differs from a post-mortem, and a powerful modification for ADHD brains
The five questions that help you plan for obstacles while keeping the exercise contained and supportive
How to decide, ahead of time, what supporting yourself looks like on your lowest capacity days
Work With Me:
Learn more about private coaching here
Join We're Busy Being Awesome (group coaching)
Enroll in Overwhelm to Action - step by step course for ADHD Brains
Resources From This Episode:
Episode 360: Personal Retreat Guide for ADHD Brains
Download the step-by-step quarterly retreat guide
Overwhelm to Action LIVE
More ADHD Resources:
Discover Your ADHD Overwhelm Type - Free Quiz!
Get the I'm Busy Being Awesome Podcast Roadmap
Free course: ADHD Routine Revamp
Learn my Top 10 Tips to Work With Your ADHD Brain
Discover my favorite ADHD resources
Access the I'm Busy Being Awesome Planning System
Paula's Favorite Tools
Many of the items below are affiliate links with discounts and free trials available. They are all products I personally use and love. I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support! Disclosure info here.
Stay focused with brain.fm and get a 30-day free trial. Personalized music, backed by science, designed to help you get and stay in the zone.
Speechify: my go-to text-to-speech app. One-month free trial plus $60 off a premium subscription if you decide to keep it.
Todoist: my favorite task manager. Simple, easy to use, and incredible integration with other platforms. Get two months of premium free. No credit card required.
Wispr Flow: The best tool for talk-to-text. Awesome for verbal processing and saving time. Free trial, no credit card required.
Magnetic Tile System: My favorite tactile, visual planning approach for ADHD brains.
Leave IBBA A Rating & Review!
If you enjoy the podcast, would you be a rockstar and leave a review? Doing so helps others find the show and spreads these tools to even more people. Thanks for your support!
Go to Apple Podcasts
Click on the I'm Busy Being Awesome podcast
Scroll down to the bottom of the page, where you see the reviews.
Simply tap five stars; that's it!
Bonus points if you're willing to leave a few sentences sharing what you enjoy about the podcast or a key takeaway from the episode you just heard. Thanks, friend!
Chapter Outline
00:00 ADHD Premortem Intro
01:09 Q4 Sweet Spot Goals
03:38 Five Question Overview
04:22 Premortem Explained
05:29 Pick Your Project
06:02 Why ADHD Needs Tweaks
09:20 Question One Motivation
12:43 Question Two Obstacles
16:31 Question Three Plan Ahead
21:53 Question Four Low Capacity
24:12 Question Five Pride
25:33 Wrap Up Quick Start
26:34 Overwhelm To Action
27:22 Recap And Next Steps

👉 Enrollment for Overwhelm to Action LIVE closes Monday, October 5: Join us here!
You open the doc, look at it, and close the doc. The project is enormous; every piece of it seems equally important, and there is no obvious way in. This week we're pulling four strategies for exactly that kind of ADHD project overwhelm, and they come from a rather unusual place: a 1500-piece Harry Potter puzzle on my dining room table. Turns out starting at the beginning isn't always the best place to start, and sometimes that's what's keeping us stuck in the first place.
In Episode 374, You Will Discover:
Why your usual approach to starting a big project might be keeping you stuck, and how cognitive inflexibility keeps us there
How to sketch a "box lid" so your ADHD brain knows what done actually looks like before you take the first steps
A question that helps you begin when your brain insists it doesn't know where to start
Why the details of a project only become visible once you get close to one section, and why "just break it down" stalls out without that step
Work With Me:
Learn more about private coaching here
Join We're Busy Being Awesome (group coaching)
Enroll in Overwhelm to Action - step by step course for ADHD Brains
Resources From This Episode:
Overwhelm to Action LIVE
Harry Potter Hogwarts Map 1500 Piece Puzzle
Episode 371: 10 Things My ADHD Brain Can't Live Without
Episode 364: 3 Questions to Get Unstuck from ADHD Indecision
Episode 372: 7 ADHD Mindsets That Make Overwhelm Worse
Episode 373: Life Admin: A Sneaky Culprit for ADHD Overwhelm
More ADHD Resources:
Discover Your ADHD Overwhelm Type - Free Quiz!
Get the I'm Busy Being Awesome Podcast Roadmap
Free course: ADHD Routine Revamp
Learn my Top 10 Tips to Work With Your ADHD Brain
Discover my favorite ADHD resources
Access the I'm Busy Being Awesome Planning System
Paula's Favorite Resources
Many of the items below are affiliate links with discounts and free trials available. They are all products I personally use and love. I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support! Disclosure info here.
Stay focused with brain.fm and get a 30-day free trial. Personalized music, backed by science, designed to help you get and stay in the zone.
Speechify: my go-to text-to-speech app. One-month free trial plus $60 off a premium subscription if you decide to keep it.
Todoist: my favorite task manager. Simple, easy to use, and incredible integration with other platforms. Get two months of premium free. No credit card required.
Wispr Flow: The best tool for talk-to-text. Awesome for verbal processing and saving time. Free trial, no credit card required.
Leave IBBA A Rating & Review!
If you enjoy the podcast, would you be a rockstar and leave a review? Doing so helps others find the show and spreads these tools to even more people.
Go to Apple Podcasts
Click on the I'm Busy Being Awesome podcast
Scroll down to the bottom of the page, where you see the reviews.
Simply tap five stars; that's it!
Bonus points if you're willing to leave a few sentences sharing what you enjoy about the podcast or a key takeaway from the episode you just heard. Thanks, friend!
Chapter Outline
00:00 Puzzle To Project Overwhelm
01:23 Why Starting Is Hard
02:56 Harry Potter Puzzle Setup
05:18 Border Trap And Inflexibility
09:17 Tip One Easier Entry
10:26 Tip Two Sketch The Lid
15:11 Tip Three Start With Known
20:11 Tip Four Zoom Out Then In
26:50 Program Overwhelm To Action
28:30 Recap And Next Steps
29:54 Final Thanks

✨ Join Overwhelm to Action LIVE here
Somewhere in your house there's probably a return you've been meaning to drop off, a form that needs signing, and an appointment you've been meaning to schedule. While individually, each task would likely table about ten minutes, together they add a surprising amount of chatter to an already busy brain.
In episode 373 of I'm Busy Being Awesome, we're naming life admin as its own category of work, looking at what actually makes it so draining for ADHD brains, and building in the stopping point this category never gives us on its own.
In Episode 373, You Will Discover:
What life admin actually is, and why no single item in the category ever seems worth mentioning
How one "simple" ten minute phone call stacks eight or nine executive functions on top of each other
Why shame and isolation tend to show up around admin tasks, and why it isn't just you
An actionable way to help lighten the load of life admin overall
Work With Me:
Learn more about private coaching here
Join We're Busy Being Awesome (group coaching)
Enroll in Overwhelm to Action - step by step course for ADHD Brains
Resources From This Episode:
Overwhelm to Action LIVE - 6 week live program for ADHD brains. Starts Thursday, October 8. Enrollment closes Monday, October 5.
More ADHD Resources:
Discover Your ADHD Overwhelm Type - Free Quiz!
Get the I'm Busy Being Awesome Podcast Roadmap
Free course: ADHD Routine Revamp
Learn my Top 10 Tips to Work With Your ADHD Brain
Discover my favorite ADHD resources
Access the I'm Busy Being Awesome Planning System
Paula's Favorite Resources
Many of the items below are affiliate links with discounts and free trials available. They are all products I personally use and love. I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support! Disclosure info here.
Stay focused with brain.fm and get a 30-day free trial. Personalized music, backed by science, designed to help you get and stay in the zone.
Speechify: my go-to text-to-speech app. One-month free trial plus $60 off a premium subscription if you decide to keep it.
Todoist: my favorite task manager. Simple, easy to use, and incredible integration with other platforms. Get two months of premium free. No credit card required.
Wispr Flow: The best tool for talk-to-text. Awesome for verbal processing and saving time. Free trial, no credit card required.
Leave IBBA A Rating & Review!
If you enjoy the podcast, would you be a rockstar and leave a review? Doing so helps others find the show and spreads these tools to even more people.
Go to Apple Podcasts
Click on the I'm Busy Being Awesome podcast
Scroll down to the bottom of the page, where you see the reviews.
Simply tap five stars; that's it!
Bonus points if you're willing to leave a few sentences sharing what you enjoy about the podcast or a key takeaway from the episode you just heard. Thanks, friend!
Chapters
00:00 ADHD Open Loops
01:29 What Is Life Admin
05:21 Why It Drains Us
08:56 Shame And Resistance
11:11 No Finish Line Problem
12:27 Program Announcement
14:19 Create Time Containers
16:14 Recurring Tasks Rhythm
20:56 Admin Block For One Offs
25:19 Errand Block Strategy
27:47 Pick One Container
28:34 Wrap Up And Next Steps

✨ Learn more about Overwhelm to Action LIVE! We begin October 8th.
Seven simple sentences. Most of them sound responsible, and a couple even sound like good advice. Yet every one of them makes our experience of ADHD overwhelm more intense, longer lasting, or both.
In episode 372 of I'm Busy Being Awesome, we're looking at the second layer of overwhelm: the mindsets we carry on top of an already full plate. You'll learn what each one does to the overwhelm, plus one supportive counter-move for each, so you have somewhere concrete to start when the overwhelm has you feeling stuck.
In Episode 372, You Will Discover:
What ADHD overwhelm actually is, cognitively, emotionally, and sensorially, and why it's a full-body experience
The seven mindsets that turn an already full plate into something that feels impossible to carry
One supportive counter-move for each mindset to shift gears and move out of overwhelm
A three-step practice for catching the pattern sooner, so you can make a powerful adjustment to move forward
Work With Me:
Learn more about private coaching here
Join We're Busy Being Awesome (group coaching)
Enroll in Overwhelm to Action - step by step course for ADHD Brains
Resources From This Episode:
Overwhelm to Action LIVE - starts October 8
Discover Your ADHD Overwhelm Type - Free Quiz!
Episode 341: The Zeigarnik Effect and unfinished tasks
Episode 370: ADHD & Doing Everything for Everyone
Episode 367: Overwhelming To Do List? Try This. (The Pantry & The Plate)
More ADHD Resources:
Discover Your ADHD Overwhelm Type - Free Quiz!
Get the I'm Busy Being Awesome Podcast Roadmap
Free course: ADHD Routine Revamp
Learn my Top 10 Tips to Work With Your ADHD Brain
Discover my favorite ADHD resources
Access the I'm Busy Being Awesome Planning System
Paula's Favorite Resources
Many of the items below are affiliate links with discounts and free trials available. They are all products I personally use and love. I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support! Disclosure info here.
Stay focused with brain.fm and get a 30-day free trial. Personalized music, backed by science, designed to help you get and stay in the zone.
Speechify: my go-to text-to-speech app. One-month free trial plus $60 off a premium subscription if you decide to keep it.
Todoist: my favorite task manager. Simple, easy to use, and incredible integration with other platforms. Get two months of premium free. No credit card required.
Wispr Flow: The best tool for talk-to-text. Awesome for verbal processing and saving time. Free trial, no credit card required.
Leave IBBA A Rating & Review!
If you enjoy the podcast, would you be a rockstar and leave a review? Doing so helps others find the show and spreads these tools to even more people.
Go to Apple Podcasts
Click on the I'm Busy Being Awesome podcast
Scroll down to the bottom of the page, where you see the reviews.
Simply tap five stars; that's it!
Bonus points if you're willing to leave a few sentences sharing what you enjoy about the podcast or a key takeaway from the episode you just heard. Thanks, friend!
Chapter Outline
00:00 Seven Sentences Setup
01:06 Why Overwhelm Is Common
03:34 What Overwhelm Really Is
05:54 Seven Mindsets Overview
06:59 Mindset One Perfectionism
10:21 Mindset Two Time Scarcity
13:18 Mindset Three Cramming
16:43 Quiz And Live Program
19:14 Mindset Four Robot Mode
22:48 Mindset Five Conditional Rest
26:53 Mindset Six People Pleasing
29:15 Mindset Seven Everything Matters
32:31 How Mindsets Chain Together
34:50 Three Step Practice
38:34 Wrap Up And Next Steps