I'm Busy Being Awesome - Sustainable Productivity for ADHD

How often does your brain offer "I don't know" when you're trying to figure out your next step? For so many of us with ADHD, this thought shows up constantly…and a lot of the time, we just accept it. In this episode, we're looking at what "I don't know" is actually doing, why our brains offer it frequently, and three coaching questions that can help us find the answer that's already there.
In Episode 364, You Will Discover:
Why "I don't know" isn't always what it seems
How to tell the difference between the two different types of "I don't know" and why it matters.
Three coaching questions to move through ADHD indecision and get your brain out of the freeze
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:
Discover Your ADHD Overwhelm Type - Free Quiz!
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
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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.
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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 Introduction
01:17 Understanding I Don't Know
02:48 Two Types of I Don't Know
03:05 External Knowledge Gaps
04:19 Inner Knowing
06:01 My Academia to Coaching Transition
09:16 Identifying Your I Don't Know
10:00 Private Coaching Opportunity
11:09 Three Powerful Questions
11:31 Question One: How to Find Out
13:01 Question Two: What Do You Know
15:08 Applying What You Know Internally
16:26 Question Three: Top Three Guesses
17:37 Workplace Conversation Example
19:36 Project Overwhelm Example
21:30 Bringing It All Together
22:44 Closing and Resources

Have you ever left your ADHD brain a note that made complete sense in the moment — and then come back to it hours (or weeks) later with absolutely no idea what it meant? Same. In this episode, we're talking about one of the most practical things we can do to support our ADHD brains: leaving ourselves breadcrumbs.
We cover three types of breadcrumbs that help us pick up where we left off, make sense of our to-do lists, and stop relying on anxiety and panic to keep things front of mind.
In Episode 363, You Will Discover:
Why ADHD working memory causes our notes and to-do lists to lose meaning over time
Three types of breadcrumbs that help us pick up where we left off
How to start using this approach this week
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:
Discover Your ADHD Overwhelm Type - Free Quiz!
What Is The ADHD Burnout Cycle? 6 Different Stages
7 Steps To Recover From ADHD Burnout Using 'Low Power Mode'
7 Types of Rest to Recover from ADHD Burnout
ADHD New Year Goals: How to Start Fresh Without Burning Out
The Zeigarnik Effect and ADHD: How to Stop Spinning on Unfinished Tasks
Wall of Awful Video from How to ADHD
More ADHD Resources:
Get the I'm Busy Being Awesome Podcast Roadmap
Discover my favorite ADHD resources
Learn my Top 10 Tips to Work With Your ADHD Brain
Access the I'm Busy Being Awesome Planning System
Free course: ADHD Routine Revamp
Support your brain with Wispr Flow.* Speech-to-text on your phone or computer.
Stay focused with brain.fm and get a 30-day free trial*
\This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Disclosure info* here*.*
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 Notes Gone Wrong
01:50 The Squeegee Reminder Story
04:17 Working Memory And Missing Context
05:28 When Anxiety Stops Working
08:45 What Breadcrumbs Mean
10:12 Breadcrumb One Scene Setter
15:41 Coaching Break
16:50 Breadcrumb Two The Handoff
22:22 Breadcrumb Three Look Ahead
25:56 Try It This Week
27:31 Wrap Up And Next Steps

👉 Boost Your Focus & Concentration Here (Free Course)
If you're like me, a sudden involuntary pull out of hyperfocus can leave your ADHD brain feeling emotionally dysregulated and rather crispy. In episode 362, we're getting into the neuroscience of why our ADHD brains get so locked in, and a simple strategy that makes those dreaded task transitions much more doable.
In Episode 362, You Will Discover:
Why the ADHD brain gets locked into hyperfocus without a built-in signal to stop
Five neurological reasons why shifting out is so much harder than it looks
A simple interstitial journaling practice that creates a gentler off-ramp between tasks
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:
Free Focus Course — Boost Your Focus and Concentration
David Sparks (MacSparky) — where the interstitial journaling idea came from
Episode 360: A Personal Retreat Guide for ADHD
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
Stay focused with brain.fm and get a 30-day free trial*
This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Disclosure info here.
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 Stuck in Hyperfocus
01:56 Paula's Hyperfocus Struggle
04:20 Hyperfocus Double Edged Sword
06:24 Five Reasons It's Hard
06:57 Reason 1 Motivation Wiring
08:51 Reason 2 Dopamine Loop
10:09 Reason 3 Gear Shifter Brain
12:35 Reason 4 Emotional Regulation
14:11 Reason 5 Dopamine Drop
17:00 Coaching Break
18:18 Interstitial Journaling Trick
21:33 How to Do It
22:42 Why It Works
25:07 Try It This Week
26:55 Wrap Up and Next Steps

When your schedule flips on you by 10 am, most traditional planning advice leaves you stranded. This episode walks you through three flexible planning strategies designed specifically for ADHD brains navigating irregular schedules and unpredictable days. Whether you're juggling client calls, shifting deadlines, or the beautiful chaos of caregiving, these methods adapt with you.
Tune into Episode 361 and discover:
How to anchor your day to one priority so decision fatigue doesn't derail you when time opens up unexpectedly
The difference between clock time and event time — and why leaning into event time can be a more sustainable structure for unpredictable schedules
Why intentionally building in overflow time is one of the most supportive things we can do for our ADHD brains (and how to do it without guilt)
Work With Me:
Join We're Busy Being Awesome (group coaching)
Learn more about private coaching here
Enroll in Overwhelm to Action - step by step course for ADHD Brains
Resources From This Episode:
Discover Your ADHD Overwhelm Type - Free Quiz!
Episode 357: A Better Way to Build Habits & Follow Through For Your ADHD Brain
Episode 359: Time Blocking for ADHD: Why Magnetic Tiles Actually Work
Laura Vanderkam
More ADHD Resources:
Get the I'm Busy Being Awesome Podcast Roadmap
Discover my favorite ADHD resources
Learn my Top 10 Tips to Work With Your ADHD Brain
Access the I'm Busy Being Awesome Planning System
Free course: ADHD Routine Revamp
Support your brain with Wispr Flow.* Speech-to-text on your phone or computer.
Stay focused with brain.fm and get a 30-day free trial*
\This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Disclosure info* here*.*
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 When Plans Fall Apart
01:37 Why Rigid Schedules Fail
04:14 Strategy One Anchor Task
07:33 IT Example In Action
09:38 Strategy Two Event Time
12:09 Real Estate Scheduling Flex
14:12 Strategy Three Overflow Time
17:16 Project Manager Buffer Wins
21:33 Pick Your Best Strategy
24:22 Layer Them And Practice
25:46 Wrap Up And Next Steps

👉 Download the free quarterly retreat guide here.
Do you ever feel like you've been going non-stop all day, then you get to the end of it and think, "Wait, what did all that busyness add up to?"
This episode is about the practice that changed that for me: the quarterly personal retreat.
I've been doing it for nearly a year and a half, and in Episode 360, I share my exact process, what I've learned from five retreats, and the small tweak that made the whole thing feel worth it from start to finish.
In Episode 360, You Will Discover:
How to structure a quarterly personal retreat from start to finish, including the exact reflection questions I use for relationships, work, and personal life
Why your retreat can be a morning at the library just as much as a weekend away, and how to define what "done" looks like for your version
Why ADHD brains tend to feel like they did the retreat "wrong," and the two-sentence practice that finally fixed it
What five retreats over a year and a half have taught me about big-picture planning with ADHD
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:
Download the step-by-step quarterly retreat guide
Episode 243: The Four Quarters Method: Tailored for ADHD
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
Stay focused with brain.fm and get a 30-day free trial*
This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Disclosure info here.
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
Busy But Unfulfilled: 0:00
Why Quarterly Retreats: 1:27
What A Retreat Is: 2:43
Origin Story And First Try: 4:20
Make It Work For You: 8:26
Three Part Retreat Plan: 11:37
Reflection Questions: 12:19
Pick Next Quarter Priorities: 14:20
Rest And Play Time: 16:04
Inner Critic After Retreats: 18:13
Supports That Made It Click: 21:53
Coaching Invitation: 26:22
Big Themes And Results: 27:43
Your Retreat Checklist: 34:53
Wrap Up And Next Steps: 36:29