We're diving back into the archives today to revisit one of our most-requested episodes. Does the hum of the refrigerator feel like a jet engine? Does a scratchy shirt tag ruin your entire afternoon? You aren't alone. With ADHD, our "filters" often don't work the way we want them to. We can't simply ignore the background noise or the overwhelming scent of a neighbor's perfume. In this encore presentation, we explore the world of hypersensitivity and what it means to be a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) while navigating ADHD. In this episode, we revisit: Why our brains struggle to prioritize what to focus on. The five senses and how they can lead to sensory overload. The emotional side of sensitivity, including Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD). Top Tips from the Archive: Audit Your Environment: Reduce daily friction by choosing tagless clothing, using noise-canceling headphones, and adjusting your lighting. Understand RSD: Recognize that extreme emotional sensitivity to perceived rejection is a common ADHD trait—and while it's painful, it is temporary. Connect with the Show: Support the show on Patreon Find the full show notes at: HackingYourADHD.com/hypersensitivity

In this special rebroadcast, we are revisiting a conversation about a phrase many of us use at the start of a new project or a new year: "I want to hit the ground running." Often, we start with great momentum, but it doesn't take much—like an unexpected illness or a change in schedule—to throw a snag into our plans. For those of us with ADHD, we tend to thrive on speed and urgency. We don't want to wait around, and that "emergency" energy can be a powerful motivator. However, living from one urgent task to the next often means we never get around to the things that are important but don't have an immediate deadline. In today's episode, we explore how to use urgency as a tool without letting it run our lives, and how we can intentionally make space for the tasks that truly matter in the long run. This Episode's Top Tips Urgency vs. Importance: Just because a task feels urgent doesn't mean it is actually important. We often feel an internal pressure to act immediately, but it's essential to pause and evaluate if that task truly requires our instant attention. The Deadline Trap: We frequently use deadlines as our primary source of motivation. However, living deadline-to-deadline ensures that only "urgent" tasks get finished, while the "important but not urgent" goals—the ones that often lead to the most growth—continually fall by the wayside. Creating Artificial Pressure: Since important but non-urgent tasks lack a natural "fire" to get us moving, we can use accountability to bridge the gap. Creating artificial deadlines or engaging in co-working and body-doubling sessions are great ways to ensure we follow through on our long-term plans.

Welcome to Hacking Your ADHD. I'm your host, William Curb, and I have ADHD. On this podcast, I dig into the tools, tactics, and best practices to help you work with your ADHD brain. Today, I'm joined by Skye Waterson for our Research Recap series. In this series, we take a look at a single research paper and dive into what the paper says and how it was conducted, and try to find any practical takeaways. In this episode, we're going to be discussing a paper called "Bidirectional Association Between Allergic Rhinitis and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis." This is a comprehensive study looking at the relationship between allergic rhinitis—which is more commonly known as hay fever—and ADHD. All right, let's get into it. If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at https://HackingYourADHD.com/305 https://tinyurl.com/56rvt9fr - Unconventional Organisation Affiliate link https://tinyurl.com/y835cnrk - YouTube https://www.patreon.com/HackingYourADHD - Patreon

Hey team, We're dipping into the archives this week to revisit one of my favorite high-energy conversations! This episode features the incredible Rachel Scanlon—stand-up comedian, actress, writer, and co-host of the podcast Two Dykes and a Mic. You may have seen her on Don't Tell Comedy or Comedy Central, bringing her signature positivity to the stage. In this classic episode, Rachel and I dive deep into her ADHD journey and the intentional choices she's made to manage it. We also explore the fascinating intersection of ADHD and queer identity. Whether we're talking about the struggles of the classroom or the magic of finding your voice through podcasting, this conversation is a masterclass in the power of embracing your unique experience. Support me on Patreon Feel free to ask me a question on my Contact Page Find the full show note at HackingYourADHD.com/149 This Episode's Top Tips Challenge the Labels: ADHD is often unfairly linked to being "lazy" or "scatterbrained." Let's shift the focus to our real strengths: drive, engagement, and compassion. Embrace Your Brain: Understanding your neurodivergence is liberating. Stop trying to fit the neurotypical mold and start celebrating what makes you you. Explore the Intersections: There is a unique overlap between the queer and neurodivergent experiences. Self-reflection and introspection are vital tools for self-discovery. Find Your Outlet: Creative self-expression is a superpower. Lean into your strengths to find fulfillment in what you do.

Hey team, As we look at ways to refresh our systems, we're rebroadcasting a fan-favorite episode featuring ADHD coach Shane Thrapp. We're diving deep into the world of Focus101, a free digital body-doubling platform designed to help you reclaim your focus. If you struggle with task initiation or follow-through, this episode covers the essential mechanics of body-doubling. Shane and I discuss how working in the presence of others—even virtually—can dramatically reduce distractions. We also touch on the "productivity stack": using Pomodoros, alarms, and task-splitting to make your work sessions even more effective. This Episode's Top Tips (A Refresher): The Power of Presence: Body doubling is a technique where working in the presence of another person provides the external accountability many ADHDers need to stay on track and motivated. Stack Your Tools: Body doubling is even more effective when paired with "micro-productivity" tools like Pomodoro timers, scheduled alarms, and breaking large projects into tiny, actionable steps. Focus101: As discussed with Shane, Focus101 is a free, specialized tool that combines body doubling with accountability groups and timing features specifically for the ADHD community.

Welcome to Hacking Your ADHD. I'm your host, William Curb, and I have ADHD. On this podcast, I dig into the tools, tactics, and best practices to help you work with your ADHD brain. Today, I'm joined by Skye Waterson for our Research Recap series. In this series, we look at a single research paper—or, in today's case, multiple papers—and dive into what they say, how they were conducted, and try to find practical takeaways. The first paper we're discussing is called "The MTA at Eight Years: Prospective Follow-Up of Children Treated for Combined-Type ADHD in a Multisite Study." This is about the MTA, the Multitreatment Study of Children with ADHD, which was the largest, most expensive, and most influential study conducted on ADHD treatment, originally published in 1999. It had a huge impact on how we view ADHD, especially in highlighting the shift toward thinking of ADHD as a chronic condition that requires sustained management rather than just something you "cure." Let's dive in and talk about what's going on in this eight-year follow-up study. If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at https://HackingYourADHD.com/304 https://tinyurl.com/56rvt9fr - Unconventional Organisation Affiliate link https://tinyurl.com/y835cnrk - YouTube https://www.patreon.com/HackingYourADHD - Patreon

Hey Team! I've been on a bit of a break this summer, but I wanted to help celebrate International ADHD Awareness Day by dropping a new episode. We often think that achieving big things requires feeling miserable during the process. We buy into the myth that if a task isn't agonizing, it isn't worth the time we put into it. My guest today is Jia Jiang, an expert in rejection resilience, a Duke MBA graduate, and the founder of Wuju Learning. After stepping away from a stable corporate career at Dell and LinkedIn to launch a tech startup, Jia realized his deepest bottleneck wasn't a lack of talent, but a profound fear of rejection. Fueled with this insight, he launched 100 Days of Rejection Therapy and filmed himself requesting absurd things from strangers daily. And this is actually when I first came across Jia 11 years ago, so it was quite the treat to get to talk with him and learn about his new book, Easy Discipline. Jia brings a unique lens to the table because he's battled his own severe, late-understood ADHD and procrastination loops since growing up in Beijing when ADHD just wasn't considered a thing. In this episode, we talk about shifting away from transactional, anxiety-inducing task completion and moving toward what he calls the "Artist Mindset." We also break down how masking and over-indexing on how other people perceive us turns into a form of self-sabotage, where we pre-reject ourselves before we even give our true traits a chance. Jia's Easy Ambition substack- https://substack.com/@jiajiang Jia's New Book- Easy Discipline: An Unconventional Way to Achieve Ambitious Things If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at HackingYourADHD.com/303 YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/y835cnrk Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HackingYourADHD This Episode's Top Tips Stop declaring war on your own brain by trying to grind through tasks using sheer willpower. Willpower is a finite biological resource that inevitably runs out, and relying on it just triggers a cycle of broken resolutions and self-blame. Instead, shift your strategy to working with your human nature by building environment-based systems that remove structural friction from the start. If your daily routine constantly feels like Sisyphus endlessly pushing a heavy boulder up a mountain, you are fighting psychological gravity. Instead of forcing yourself through tasks with external pressure, anchor the process in intrinsic enjoyment so the activity becomes your default state. When you flip the physics this way, the boulder starts rolling downhill, meaning it actually takes more active energy to stop your momentum than to keep going. Masking and over-analyzing how others perceive you creates an intense cognitive tension that completely paralyzes the ADHD brain. Break out of this by adopting the "Artist Mindset"—reframing stressful interactions or projects not as rigid transactions where you need approval, but as unreplicable opportunities to express your authentic presence. Focusing on full creative expression in the moment completely bypasses the perfectionism trap and lowers social anxiety.  

Today, we are dipping into the archives to revisit one of our most important and requested conversations. We're joined by Dusty Chipura, a passionate advocate and ADHD Coach, to explore the often-overlooked world of ADHD and pregnancy. Even if you aren't currently pregnant or planning to be, the insights shared here regarding healthcare gaps and self-advocacy are vital for everyone in the ADHD community. Since this episode first aired, the need for better information has only grown, making Dusty's expertise as relevant today as ever. Sign up for my Newsletter: Any And All Distractions Have a question? Contact Page Full show notes and resources: HackingYourADHD.com/184 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hackingyouradhdPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/HackingYourADHD This Episode's Top Tips: Acknowledge the Research Gap: There is a significant lack of data regarding ADHD and pregnancy. Because of this, you may need to be your own strongest advocate, as you might end up more informed on the subject than your primary caregivers. Build Your Team Early: Prioritize a support system that includes healthcare providers who understand ADHD, as well as a community that can offer emotional and practical help. Prepare for Executive Function Shifts: Pregnancy can significantly impact organization and time management. Be proactive in developing strategies and tools—and lean on your support network—to help mitigate these challenges.

Welcome to Hacking Your ADHD. I'm your host, William Curb, and I have ADHD. On this podcast, I dig into the tools, tactics, and best practices to help you work with your ADHD brain. Today, I'm joined by Skye Waterson for our Research Recap series. In this series, we take a look at a single research paper, dive into what it says and how it was conducted, and try to find practical takeaways. In this episode, we're going to be discussing a paper called "Mindfulness-Oriented Meditation for Primary School Children: Effects on Attention and Psychological Well-Being." The study investigates mindfulness-oriented meditation and its effects on attention and emotional health in seven- to eight-year-old children. So, let's get into it. If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at https://HackingYourADHD.com/302 https://tinyurl.com/56rvt9fr - Unconventional Organisation Affiliate link https://tinyurl.com/y835cnrk - YouTube https://www.patreon.com/HackingYourADHD - Patreon

We're diving back into the vault this week to bring you my conversation with Ying Deng (ADHD Asian Girl). I'll be honest: for a long time, meditation felt like one of those things I should do, but didn't really get. Talking with Ying changed that. We're rebroadcasting this episode because her approach to mindfulness is perfectly tailored for the ADHD brain. We move past the "popular media" version of meditation and get into the nitty-gritty of how to actually build a practice when your mind won't stop racing. Today's Top Tips: Micro-Mindfulness: You don't need a mountain top; you can practice while putting on your socks. Keep it Novel: Mix up your routine with guided sessions, nature walks, or mindful movement. The Power of Partners: Use body doubling to stay accountable to your practice. Duration Doesn't Matter: Five minutes is better than zero minutes. Start small! Find more from Ying through her Mindfulness Course and grab the full show notes at HackingYourADHD.com/169.