Hacking Your ADHD

William Curb
  • 4.7 (68)
  • MENTAL HEALTH
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome to Hacking Your ADHD, where you can learn techniques for helping your ADHD brain. ADHD can be a struggle, but it doesn't always have to be. Join me every Monday as I explore ways that you can work with your ADHD brain to do more of the things you want to do. If you have ADHD or someone in your life does and you want to get organized, get focused and get motivated then this podcast is for you.

  1. 1 HR AGO

    Shrinking the Goal to Find the Win with Sharon Pope

    Hey Team! Today I'm talking with Sharon Pope, a certified habit coach and the CEO of Shelpful. Sharon has an extensive background in the tech world, having served as a CMO for multiple companies and as an advisor for the startup accelerator Y Combinator. After her own ADHD diagnosis, she pivoted her career to focus on building tools that help neurodivergent brains get more done. Sharon also runs the ADHD Founders Podcast with Jesse J. Anderson and Marie Ng, where they talk about the unique challenges of having ADHD and building a business. I actually had Sharon on the show a number of years ago and thought it would be fun to have her on again after running into her at the 2025 ADHD Conference. And one of the big changes that has happened at her company. Shelpful, since we last talked, is the shift to using AI, so we spend a good portion of this episode discussing how to use AI as a "second brain" rather than just another static to-do list. Sharon explains how they've integrated personality and novelty into their system to break through our natural notification immunity. We also explore some of her favorite "Magic Sort" features that help you pick tasks based on your current energy level rather than just due dates, because we all know that looking at a massive, unsorted list is a one-way ticket to Task Paralysis. But we are also talking about accountability, automation, and how to gamify our habits. I had a lot of fun with this one. If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at HackingYourADHD.com/271 YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/y835cnrk Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HackingYourADHD This Episode's Top Tips Try sorting your to-do list by energy level. Instead of looking at a stressful, long list, you can sort your tasks by "vibe" or energy (low, medium, high) to find a task that matches your current capacity. When we're setting goals, we want to intentionally lower the bar to ensure a win and strengthen neural pathways. Often our inclination is to overdo whatever it is we're trying to do in an effort to catch up, but by lowering the bar instead, we can often create more sustainable habits. A fun way to get into automation can be to try out cheap NFC stickers around your house to trigger specific automations, like reminders to move the laundry or start a playlist, with a single tap of your phone.

    44 min

  2. 3 DAYS AGO

    Trojan Horses

    Hey Team! So it's been a bit since I've done a monologue episode - for those of you new to the podcast that are more used to the interview format, that's not how the show began. It started with me doing episodes like these, where I'm dissecting an idea about how we can really work with our ADHD brains. The plan right now is that I'm going to be sprinkling in a few more of these episodes throughout the year, looking to add them every other Friday opposite the Research Recaps. So let's get into this first episode back. In the mythology of the Trojan War, after a 10-year stalemate, the Greeks built a massive, wooden horse and seemingly left it behind as a gift for the Trojans. Hidden inside the horse were Greek soldiers, waiting for the dead of night to creep out, kill the sentries, and open the city gates for the rest of the Greek army, which had quietly sailed back under the cover of darkness. It's a story of letting the enemy in the gates. It's about perceiving a threat as something safe and then paying the price.  And I've been thinking about how this same story can play out in how we choose to spend our time during the day. What are the things that seem innocuous that are going to throw us off. Sure, checking social media seems like it's going to be a nice little break, and it certainly isn't going to let in a horde of Greeks that will slaughter all of our defenders, but perhaps there are some downsides that we're not thinking about. And so that's the idea that we're going to be exploring in this episode. What are the pitfalls that are not just going to throw us off, but set us off in the wrong direction entirely? If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at HackingYourADHD.com/270 YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/y835cnrk Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HackingYourADHD This Episode's Top Tips A Trojan Horse task is a task where you are sabotaging yourself without realizing it. They are things that on the outside appear to be innocuous but instead being a 15 minute break they end up as something that derails your entire day. Watch out for optimization procrastination, where you are trying to get things "just right" before starting. If the preparation takes longer than the task itself, recognize that it could be procrastination in disguise. At that point, it's okay to give yourself permission to settle for "mediocre" or "good enough" so that you can just get started. Your ADHD is not the enemy here, even though it may feel like it's always the one letting the Greeks in the gate when a shiny new Trojan Horse shows up. Remember, we want to work with our ADHD, not against it. Help yourself out by identifying those Trojan Horses and figuring out ways to avoid them.

    14 min

  3. 2 FEB

    Understanding the ADHD and Anxiety Overlap with Dr. Mona Potter

    Distinguishing between ADHD and anxiety can feel a bit like trying to figure out if you're sneezing because of a cold or because your neighbor just started mowing their lawn - or maybe it's a bit of both, the symptoms look the same, but the solution is very different. This week, I'm talking with Dr. Mona Potter, a Harvard-trained, board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist and the Chief Medical Officer and Co-founder of InStride Health. Dr. Potter spent years at McLean Hospital pioneering treatments for anxiety and OCD, and has a unique perspective on how we can manage the specific brand of exhaustion that comes with being neurodivergent in a world that never stops moving. Today, we're exploring the bio psycho social model—which is just a fancy way of saying we're looking at your sleep, your stress, and your chemistry all at once. We discuss the "optimal zone" of anxiety and how it can actually mask ADHD symptoms until you find a treatment that works, the difference between a "crutch" and a tool, and why parents (and adults) should stop trying to be the "external executive function" for everyone around them. We also take a deep dive into the specific mechanics of OCD and why the structure that saves an ADHDer might actually feed an obsessive loop. If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at HackingYourADHD.com/269 YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/y835cnrk Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HackingYourADHD This Episode's Top Tips To tell ADHD and anxiety apart, look at what's pulling your focus. ADHD distractions are often external (the world "tapping you on the shoulder"), while anxiety distractions are typically internal (a "side commentary" of what could go wrong). Remember that medication can turn down the biological "volume" of symptoms, but it doesn't build skills or "brain muscles." Use the quiet provided by medication as a window to practice the executive function habits you need. While structure and rituals are helpful for ADHD, they can feed OCD. If you have both, you must learn to sit with the distress of not performing a ritual (Exposure and Response Prevention) rather than making things "seamless".

    45 min

  4. 30 JAN

    Research Recap: Discontinued Use of ADHD Meds

    Welcome to Hacking Your ADHD. I'm your host, William Curb. Today, I'm joined by Skye Waterson for our research recap series, where we dive into a single research paper to find practical takeaways. In this episode, we're discussing a paper called "Adherence, Persistence and Medication Discontinuation in Patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Literature Review." This study asks: what's happening in the real world with medication adherence? Are people taking their meds, and if not, why? I found this paper through a presentation by Bill Dobson at the 2025 ADHD conference in Kansas City, and it really blew me away. If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at https://HackingYourADHD.com/268 https://tinyurl.com/56rvt9fr - Unconventional Organisation Affiliate link https://tinyurl.com/y835cnrk - YouTube https://www.patreon.com/HackingYourADHD - Patreon

    18 min

  5. 26 JAN

    Nervous System Regulation and the Stages of Burnout with Garrett Wood

    Hey Team! Burnout is one of those terms we throw around a lot in the neurodivergent community, but often we don't realize we're in it until we've hit a wall. Today, I'm talking with Garrett Wood, a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist and founder of Gnosis Therapy. Garrett specializes in working with high-achieving professionals—which is often code for high-masking folks—helping them navigate executive well-being and nervous system regulation. In our conversation, we dive into the nuances of burnout, specifically how it differs from just being tired, and we walk through the five stages of burnout so you can actually spot where you are on the map. We also get into some heavy but important stuff regarding self-worth and how we often subconsciously drive ourselves into the ground just to prove we're enough. If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at HackingYourADHD.com/267 YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/y835cnrk Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HackingYourADHD This Episode's Top Tips Understand that there are different levels of burnout. If you are getting a full eight hours of sleep but are still waking up exhausted, or if you find yourself unable to calm down after minor inconveniences (like getting cut off in traffic), you are likely already heading into Stage 1 or 2 of burnout. Make sure to pay attention to your specific physiological needs rather than general advice. You might be someone who needs 10 hours in bed to get 8 hours of actual sleep (I mean I'm not someone who gets in bed and is instantly asleep, it takes sometime and I'm a bit restless). Your physiological needs are unique to you and what you "need". If trying to rest and doing "nothing" feels anxiety-inducing, find a low-stakes activity like organizing books or doing a puzzle. These kinds of low-stakes tasks can provide a sense of accomplishment and soothing without the consequences or pressure of a work project.

    39 min

  6. 19 JAN

    Crushing Your ADD with Alan P. Brown

    Hey Team! This week I'm talking with Alan P. Brown, the creator of ADD Crusher and host of Crusher™TV. Alan is an ADHD and productivity coach who spent decades struggling with undiagnosed ADHD while working as an advertising executive in New York. His own "mess to success" story involves battling addiction and navigating a career where he felt like he was constantly floundering, only to turn it all around by developing his own "brain hacks." In our conversation today, we dive into some of the practical strategies Alan developed to get his brain in gear, like the importance of identifying your "strong time" and then really protecting that time. We also discuss why long to-do lists can actually sabotaging your productivity, the power of talking to yourself to overcome the inertia of starting, and how to make peace with the "Outlaw Brain" that just wants you to stay on the couch. This is definitely an episode that will help you If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at HackingYourADHD.com/266 YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/y835cnrk Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HackingYourADHD This Episode's Top Tips Limit your daily to-do list to a maximum of three "biggies" and often preferably just one or two. Alan reminds us that research suggests that once you list more than seven items, the likelihood of doing any of them drops significantly, because a long list encourages you to pick the easiest low-hanging fruit and avoid the important work. When you can't get started on a task like writing, trying talking to yourself out loud to break the inertia with micro-steps. Ask yourself, "Can I open the laptop?" then "Can I find the document?" then "Can I read the first paragraph?" This process can help us engage our brain enough to build some momentum and get into a groove. Embrace your pace and stop wasting energy lamenting that you work slower than others. Sure it sucks, but by accepting that things might take you longer, you can factor that extra time into your schedule, and still get things done. Refuse to beat yourself up about it, shame doesn't make you work faster.

    43 min

  7. 16 JAN

    Research Recap with Skye: Childhood pain and ADHD

    Welcome to Hacking Your ADHD. I'm your host, William Curb, and today I'm joined by Skye Waterson for our research recap series. We're diving into a paper titled "Pain Associated Diagnosis in Childhood Before the Diagnosis of ADHD." We want to see if kids who were eventually diagnosed with ADHD showed higher rates of pain-related medical visits before that diagnosis even happened. This is a vital question because about a quarter of chronic pain patients are also diagnosed with ADHD. If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at https://HackingYourADHD.com/265 https://tinyurl.com/56rvt9fr - Unconventional Organisation Affiliate link https://tinyurl.com/y835cnrk - YouTube https://www.patreon.com/HackingYourADHD - Patreon

    12 min

  8. 12 JAN

    You Don't Need to Earn Your Rest with Alyece Smith

    Hello all you beautiful people, happy new year. I'm gearing up for 2026 after a few set backs at the end of last year that we'll get into in a future episode. But today we're talking with Alyece Smith, founder of Socially Ausome, a neurodivergent entrepreneur coach, and the host of The ADHD CEO Podcast. She specializes in helping business owners build sustainable systems that actually work for their brains rather than against them. In our conversation today, we get into why we often feel the need to "earn our rest" and how that can lead to burnout. We also jump into how to systemize your life to save your brainpower for what actually matters. Alyece shares her "DMO" or Daily Method of Operation, and how she uses routine to cut down on daily choices. We also talk about the trap of monetizing every hobby, finding clarity in what actually fulfills us, and why knowing why your brain works the way it does is often more helpful than just trying to force a square peg into a round hole. If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at HackingYourADHD.com/264 YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/y835cnrk Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HackingYourADHD This Episode's Top Tips Try using Voice Memos to prevent context switching. When you feel a spiral coming on or have too many ideas, use a voice-to-text app (Alyece recommends "Voice Pen") to brain dump everything immediately. This allows you to get the thoughts out without stopping your current workflow. Once you have a brain dump, categorize items by the "mode" required to complete them (e.g., calls to make while driving, emails to answer at your desk, errands to run). This helps you batch tasks based on where you are, rather than just creating a deadline. Track your natural energy peaks to identify your "Spark Times." Save your high-value creative or money-making tasks for these windows, rather than wasting that high energy on low-priority admin work. Work on identifying "Fake" productivity. Be honest with yourself about whether you are creating tasks just to feel busy or "earn" your rest. If you are inventing work to avoid important tasks or to feel productive, it's a sign you need to pause and figure out what's really a priority in that moment (hint: it's usually taking care of one of your basic needs).

    42 min
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About

Welcome to Hacking Your ADHD, where you can learn techniques for helping your ADHD brain. ADHD can be a struggle, but it doesn't always have to be. Join me every Monday as I explore ways that you can work with your ADHD brain to do more of the things you want to do. If you have ADHD or someone in your life does and you want to get organized, get focused and get motivated then this podcast is for you.

Information

  • Creator
    William Curb
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    333
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024 Hacking Your ADHD
  • Show Website
    Hacking Your ADHD

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