I'm Busy Being Awesome - Sustainable Productivity for ADHD

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

How many times have you said yes to something and felt a flicker of doubt almost immediately after, like your ADHD brain was already doing the math on everything you just committed to, realizing it doesn't add up? In this episode, we open two-part series on overpromising and underdelivering: what's actually going on when this happens, why ADHD brains are especially prone to it, and how to start working with the stories we build around it.
In Episode 365, You Will Discover:
What overpromising and underdelivering actually is, and the two layers underneath it
The four ADHD-specific reasons this pattern shows up so often, including one that doesn't get talked about enough
How to start using the equal airtime method to look at where this pattern shows up in your own 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 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 The Overpromise Trap
03:12 Two Layers Explained
05:43 Why ADHD Overcommits
06:02 Time Blindness
08:56 Planning And Sequencing
10:36 Enthusiasm And Novelty
12:21 Overcompensating To Prove
14:51 Beliefs And Cognitive Bias
18:25 Equal Air Time Tool
19:59 Coaching Break
21:19 Side One Full Picture
26:24 Side Two Follow Through
29:49 Try It This Week
30:58 Wrap Up And Resources

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
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 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