Episode 333: Stop Trying to Hack Your ADHD and Do This Instead

Living Well with ADHD
Written By Kate Moryoussef

Looking for further guidance and support on⁠⁠⁠ ADHD Women's Wellbeing⁠⁠⁠? Check out my workshop library ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ or search for any topic on the ⁠⁠⁠Podcast here⁠⁠⁠.

If you've ever tried an ADHD productivity hack, felt briefly hopeful, and then quietly gone back to exactly how you were before, this episode is for you.

Welcome to this week's summer compilation. This one is all about redefining what productivity actually means for ADHD brains, and letting go of the neurotypical advice that was never designed for the way our minds work.

We hear from four guests across four different conversations. Ari Tuckman on why productivity isn't about doing more, but about creating a life that has more meaning and breathing room in it. Dr Jacob Santhouse on automaticity, why everyday tasks like filling in a form are so much more mentally exhausting for neurodivergent brains, and why that is not a character flaw. Sonia Ponzo on the paralysis state, interoception, and why ADHD brains so often struggle to read what their body actually needs in any given moment. Dr Claire Plumbly on the three states of the nervous system, what it means to get stuck in fight or flight, and how burnout can build so slowly we almost don't notice it. And Laura Willis on digital overload, the default mode network, and why a real rest is not the same as switching from emails to scrolling.

In this episode, we cover:

  • Why quick-fix productivity hacks rarely work for ADHD brains, and what to aim for instead

  • How genuine productivity creates meaning and more time for the things that matter, rather than just getting more done

  • What automaticity is and why struggling with everyday admin tasks is a neurological difference, not a personal failing

  • Why form-filling, reading and life admin can deplete an ADHD brain so much faster than people realise

  • What the paralysis state is and why knowing what to do is not the same as being able to start

  • What interoception is and why ADHD brains often misread what they actually need, leading to cycles of shame and self-blame

  • The autonomic nervous system explained: green, amber and red, and why so many of us get stuck oscillating between the last two

  • How burnout can build quietly over time rather than arriving all at once

  • Why scrolling on your phone during a break is not actually a break, and what the default mode network needs instead

  • Practical, sustainable ways to create boundaries around technology that protect your energy and your headspace

Timestamps:

  • 00:00 - Welcome and introduction to this week's summer compilation

  • 03:00 - Ari Tuckman: why productivity hacks rarely work for ADHD brains

  • 05:30 - What real productivity looks like: meaning, not just output

  • 08:00 - The importance of immediate rewards over vague long-term goals

  • 10:00 - Sleep, nutrition, movement and flexible routine as the actual foundations

  • 13:00 - Kate and Ari on the ADHD brain's contradictions and daily recalibrations

  • 16:00 - Dr Jacob Santhouse: what automaticity is and why it matters

  • 19:00 - How automaticity affects working memory and executive function

  • 21:30 - Why form-filling is exhausting, and what to do about it

  • 24:00 - Playing to your strengths and letting go of the guilt

  • 27:00 - Sonia Ponzo: the paralysis state and why you can't always start

  • 31:00 - What interoception is and why ADHD brains struggle with it

  • 35:00 - The cycle of self-shame when we misread what our body needs

  • 37:00 - Practical ways to start training interoception

  • 41:00 - Dr Claire Plumbly: the autonomic nervous system explained

  • 44:00 - Green, amber and red: rest and digest, fight or flight, and shutdown

  • 48:00 - What it looks and feels like to get stuck in amber or red

  • 51:00 - Kate on losing access to contentment and compassion during burnout

  • 53:00 - Laura Willis: why scrolling is not a rest

  • 55:00 - The default mode network and what a real mental break actually does

  • 57:00 - Practical boundaries: phones out of reach, batch working and scheduled screen time

Links and Resources:

Kate Moryoussef is a women's ADHD lifestyle and wellbeing coach and EFT practitioner who helps overwhelmed and unfulfilled newly diagnosed women with ADHD find more calm, balance, hope, health, compassion, creativity, and clarity.

Kate Moryoussef https://www.adhdwomenswellbeing.co.uk
Next

Episode 332: What I Wish I'd Known Earlier About ADHD, Burnout and Saying No (Copy)