I'm Busy Being Awesome - Sustainable Productivity for ADHD

Paula Engebretson - ADHD Productivity Coach
  • 4.9 (194)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

How do I increase my productivity and decrease distractions? Is it possible to reclaim my time? How can I get more organized? And can I do it all with ADHD? Welcome to the I'm Busy Being Awesome Podcast, where we dive into each of these questions and so much more. Every week, life coach and ADHDer Paula Engebretson brings you her best strategies to boost your productivity, manage your time, get organized, and follow through on your goals. Whether you're a fellow ADHDer, you identify with ADHD tendencies, or you simply want to take your productivity to the next level, this podcast is for you. Are you busy being awesome?

  1. 4d ago

    371: 10 Things My ADHD Brain Can't Live Without

    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

  2. Aug 31

    370: ADHD & Doing Everything for Everyone

    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

  3. Aug 24

    369: How to Ease Into Fall Without the ADHD Overwhelm

    ✨ 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

  4. Aug 17

    368: How to Finally Get Started with ADHD

    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

  5. Aug 10

    367: Overwhelming To Do List? Try This.

    You did the brain dump. You got it all out. You felt that incredible sense of relief for about thirty seconds... And then your ADHD brain looked at the full list and went completely offline. In episode 367, we're talking about the missing piece between the brain dump and actually getting started: the working card. In Episode 367, you will discover: Why ADHD brains hit a wall when staring at a long task list (and what's happening cognitively) The pantry-and-plate framework for rethinking your task system entirely How to build a working card in three different ways to work with your brain How to match your daily task card to what your day actually looks like 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 310: The Work Is Never Done Episode 359: Time Blocking with ADHD and Magnetic Tiles Episode 365: Overpromising and ADHD: What's Actually Going On Episode 366: 4 Strategies to Stop ADHD Overpromising 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 Brain Dump Overwhelm 01:41 Client Question Setup 05:08 Why Lists Freeze Us 08:05 Inbox Zero Myth 11:03 Working Card Method 12:00 Pantry Plate Analogy 16:56 Analog And Digital Options 22:45 Coaching Invitation 24:01 Plan By Context 28:35 Low Energy Days 30:22 Weekly Challenge Wrap 31:59 Final Takeaways

  6. Aug 3

    366: 4 Strategies to Stop ADHD Overpromising

    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

  7. Jul 27

    365: Overpromising and ADHD: What's Actually Going On

    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

  8. Jul 20

    364: 3 Questions to Get Unstuck from ADHD Indecision

    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

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How do I increase my productivity and decrease distractions? Is it possible to reclaim my time? How can I get more organized? And can I do it all with ADHD? Welcome to the I'm Busy Being Awesome Podcast, where we dive into each of these questions and so much more. Every week, life coach and ADHDer Paula Engebretson brings you her best strategies to boost your productivity, manage your time, get organized, and follow through on your goals. Whether you're a fellow ADHDer, you identify with ADHD tendencies, or you simply want to take your productivity to the next level, this podcast is for you. Are you busy being awesome?

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