I'm Busy Being Awesome - Sustainable Productivity for ADHD

For years, I spent more energy trying to prevent other people's disappointment by saying yes and doing more. And I did so at the expense of my own exhaustion and burnout. In this episode, we're talking about a specific flavor of ADHD overwhelm: the kind that builds when your compassion, your capability, and your rejection sensitivity all push you toward being the person who handles everything for everyone else. If you've ever wondered why you used to manage this fine and suddenly can't, this episode names what changed and offers four steps to start shifting it.
In Episode 370, You Will Discover:
Why caring, capability, and rejection sensitivity combine to make you the go-to person for everyone else
The jar-of-sand explanation for why this pattern used to feel manageable and doesn't anymore
How your strengths can tip into obstacles when they run unchecked
A 4-step way for your ADHD brain to notice the pattern, name the belief underneath it, and practice the pause before saying yes
Resources From This Episode:
Episode 366: Overpromising and ADHD
The Overwhelm to Action Intensive
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 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 People Pleasing Overwhelm
02:46 Why We Say Yes
05:18 The Hidden Cost
06:58 Capacity Jar Fills Up
10:45 ADHD Amplifiers
13:38 Strengths Turned Weakness
16:44 Start With Awareness
18:33 Four Steps To Shift
23:01 Practice The Pause
25:05 Wrap Up And Resources

✨ Discover your overwhelm type here (free quiz)
Creating Fall Routines: It sounds like such a helpful and supportive idea for the ADHD brain, right? That is...until you go all in trying to rebuild them all at once. In episode 369 of the I'm Busy Being Awesome podcast, we're talking about why this transition from summer to fall feels particularly overwhelming for ADHD brains and three actionable strategies to help.
In Episode 369, you will discover:
Why it's helpful to think of "getting back to a fall routine" as rebuilding, not returning
The hidden cost of stacking dozens of small transitions on top of each other all at once
Why an instant fall reset backfires, and what a gradual reentry ramp looks like instead
Three small starting points to ease into the season without overhauling everything at once
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:
Check out Episode 362: 5 Reasons Your ADHD Brain Can't Stop Hyperfocusing
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 Fall Routines Overwhelm
01:41 Why This Shift Hits Hard
04:09 Reason 1 Rebuilding Routines
08:00 Reason 2 New Skill Sets
09:31 Reasons 3 and 4 Pile Up
12:23 Reason 5 Instant Reset Myth
13:35 Quick Recap and Quiz
16:07 Tip 1 Start One Routine
17:51 Tip 2 Build Re Entry Ramp
19:38 Tip 3 Define Good Enough
21:31 Wrap Up and Next Steps

Starting can take a surprising amount of energy for ADHD brains, even when we truly want to do the thing. In this episode, we make sense of why task initiation feels so demanding and explore practical supports for each stage: getting started, staying focused, handling distractions, and wrapping up in a way that makes the next start easier.
In Episode 368, you will discover:
Why task initiation demands so much energy and what that means for ADHD brains
A five-stage flight analogy: pre-flight, takeoff, cruising, turbulence, and landing
Practical strategies for clearing distractions, riding out mid-task turbulence, and building a repeatable shutdown routine
How a simple "logbook" entry can make your next work session easier to start
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 363: The ADHD To-Do List Strategy You're Missing
Episode 367: Overwhelming To Do List? Try This.
Book a free coaching consultation
Watch on YouTube: @I'm Busy Being Awesome
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 Why Starting Is Hard
01:39 Common Initiation Blocks
03:41 Flight Plan Analogy
03:59 Preflight Setup Checklist
06:27 Deicing And Warmup
08:56 Line Up And Wait
10:13 Takeoff Sterile Focus
15:13 Cruising Flow State
17:02 Turbulence And Distractions
20:42 Coaching Invitation
21:51 Descent And Shutdown
24:44 Logbook And Key Takeaways
26:18 Final Wrap And Resources

You did the brain dump. You got it all out. You felt that incredible sense of relief for about thirty seconds... And then your ADHD brain looked at the full list and went completely offline. In episode 367, we're talking about the missing piece between the brain dump and actually getting started: the working card.
In Episode 367, you will discover:
Why ADHD brains hit a wall when staring at a long task list (and what's happening cognitively)
The pantry-and-plate framework for rethinking your task system entirely
How to build a working card in three different ways to work with your brain
How to match your daily task card to what your day actually looks like
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 310: The Work Is Never Done
Episode 359: Time Blocking with ADHD and Magnetic Tiles
Episode 365: Overpromising and ADHD: What's Actually Going On
Episode 366: 4 Strategies to Stop ADHD Overpromising
Book a free coaching consultation
Watch on YouTube: @I'm Busy Being Awesome
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 Brain Dump Overwhelm
01:41 Client Question Setup
05:08 Why Lists Freeze Us
08:05 Inbox Zero Myth
11:03 Working Card Method
12:00 Pantry Plate Analogy
16:56 Analog And Digital Options
22:45 Coaching Invitation
24:01 Plan By Context
28:35 Low Energy Days
30:22 Weekly Challenge Wrap
31:59 Final Takeaways

That gap between what you promised and what you actually delivered is familiar territory for a lot of ADHD brains. In episode 366, we're building on the mindset work from last week with four practical strategies to help close that distance.
In Episode 366, you will discover:
How to create a default pause phrase that gives your brain breathing room before agreeing to anything with a timeline
Why ADHD brains systematically underestimate the steps inside a "simple" task, and a straightforward way to map them out
A time-multiplier strategy that helps you build a more realistic picture of how long your work actually takes
How calendaring the doing instead of just the deadline reveals whether a commitment is actually feasible
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 365: Overpromising and ADHD - What's Actually Going On
Episode 337: ADHD and Deadlines: 5 Tips That Actually Work
Book a free coaching consultation
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 ADHD Overpromise Burnout
01:32 Series Context and Recap
03:18 Strategy One Pause Phrase
06:26 Strategy Two Define the Ask
09:53 Coaching Break Know Doing Gap
11:04 Strategy Three Time Multiplier
15:50 Strategy Four Doing Dates
18:07 Next Steps