I'm Busy Being Awesome - Sustainable Productivity for ADHD

✨ 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

Once or twice a year, I sit down and ask myself what's been supporting my ADHD brain lately, and this time, my list landed at ten things. In this episode, I'm sharing what's on my list, from what's allowing for better sleep, to what's been supporting my workday, and what I've been turning to for pure rest and joy this season.
In Episode 371, You Will Discover:
The sleep fix that's been solving a problem I didn't even know I had
Why a pencil sharpener earned a spot on this list
A rest practice that's become my way of resting with my hands instead of my head
Resources From This Episode:
Cotton Sleep Mask for Side Sleepers
Accuratex Adjustable Pillow with Shredded Memory Foam
BedJet, 10% off
Todoist, 2 months Pro free
Bravestorming Planning System, code AWESOME20 for 20% off your first order
Graph Paper Spiral Notebook
Blackwing Matte Pencils
Blackwing Two-Step Long Point Sharpener
The Awakened Artifacts (Magic Puzzle Company)
Harry Potter Hogwarts Map 1500
Episode 359: Time Blocking for ADHD - Why Tiles Work Better Than Apps
Episode 342: The Alastair Weekly Log
Episode 281 How To Take Time to Rest as an ADHD Adult (with Rabbi Heschel's quote)
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 ADHD Favorites Kickoff
01:00 Why These Tools Help
03:41 Sleep Mask Upgrade
06:08 Adjustable Pillow Fix
08:22 BedJet Cool Sleep
09:59 Productivity Tools Intro
10:08 Todoist Task Capture
11:45 Claude Cowork Assistant
13:54 Tile Planning System
16:17 Grid Notebook Love
18:02 Pencil And Sharpener
20:29 Summer Reading Joy
22:19 Jigsaw Puzzle Reset
24:07 Wrap Up And Next Steps

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