Why does the day disappear, even when you start with a clear plan?

For busy professionals with ADHD, time blindness isn't a character flaw. Research points to neurobiological differences in executive function and time perception, dopamine dysregulation affecting motivation and internal timing.

The result? Reactive weeks. Strategic thinking is squeezed out by "urgent." Constant context switching. Strained relationships.

In this episode, Dave reframes time blocking as visual decision-making and not rigid scheduling.

• Why high achievers with ADHD struggle with estimating time
• The leadership cost of operating without visual structure
• Using themed blocks (Deep Work, Meetings, Admin, Strategic Thinking, Recovery)
• Planning by energy, not just the clock
• Matching high-focus windows to complex work
• Building buffers and overflow blocks (plan for reality, not perfection)
• Transition rituals to reduce friction (5-minute resets, defining the next tiny step, clearing tabs)
• The "Land and Launch" method for smoother task switching

**Do you want to work with Dave one-on-one? Go to www.overcomingdistractions.com and book an introductory Zoom chat. Or go directly to Dave's calendar; https://calendly.com/davidgreenwood1/15min

In this episode, Dave breaks down how prioritization really works for busy professionals with adult ADHD. When everything feels urgent and your to-do list never ends, it's easy to confuse motion with progress.

This episode of Overcoming Distractions focuses on sorting tasks by importance, urgency, and, most critically, energy.

We explore an ADHD-friendly version of the framework Must / Should / Could system to reduce overwhelm and force clarity around what actually needs to get done today.

Key discussion points include:

• Why everything feels urgent when you have ADHD
• How to identify high-impact vs. low-impact tasks
• The danger of reactive work and inbox-driven days
• How to triage your current to-do list in minutes
• Why managing energy matters more than managing time

You'll walk away with practical steps to choose 1–3 meaningful priorities, align tasks with your peak focus windows, and stop letting busywork hijack your week.

If you're tired of spinning your wheels, this episode will help you focus on what truly moves the needle.

**Do you want to work with Dave one-on-one? Go to www.overcomingdistractions.com and book an introductory Zoom chat. Or go directly to Dave's calendar; https://calendly.com/davidgreenwood1/15min

People pleasing is often seen as being helpful, reliable, or easy to work with. But for busy professionals, executives, entrepreneurs, and business owners with ADHD, it can quietly become one of the biggest drivers of burnout, overcommitment, and frustration.

In this episode, Dave talks about how people pleasing shows up in leadership and the workplace, why it's so common in high-achieving adults with ADHD, and what it actually costs you over time.

More importantly, Dave will explore practical ways to recognize these patterns and how to begin shifting toward healthier boundaries that support sustainable success.

In this episode:

• Why people pleasing in ADHD is less about being "nice" and more about emotional regulation
• How people pleasing shows up in leadership, business ownership, and professional roles
• The link between rejection sensitivity, conflict avoidance, and overcommitment
• Subtle signs of hidden people pleasing in high performers
• The professional, financial, and personal costs of chronic people pleasing
• Why saying yes often feels easier than tolerating discomfort
• Simple mindset shifts to move from automatic yes to intentional choice
• Practical strategies to reduce people pleasing without damaging relationships

If you've ever felt overwhelmed, resentful, or stretched too thin while trying to be everything to everyone, this episode is for you.

**Do you want to work with Dave one-on-one? Go to www.overcomingdistractions.com and book an introductory Zoom chat. Or go directly to Dave's calendar; https://calendly.com/davidgreenwood1/15min

In this episode of Overcoming Distractions, Dave welcomes Dr. Gilly Kahn, a clinical psychologist, ADHD specialist, and author of the new book, Allow Me to Interrupt. While ADHD is often associated with external disruptions in boys, Dr. Kahn highlights how it frequently manifests internally as emotional dysregulation in women.

The conversation dives deep into why women are often diagnosed later in life and how biological factors, specifically hormonal shifts, play a critical role in how ADHD symptoms fluctuate.

Key Discussion Points

• The Gender Bias in Diagnosis: Dr. Kahn discusses how current ADHD diagnostic criteria are historically rooted in observations of male children, often leading to women provided with an accurate diagnosis.
• The Estrogen-Dopamine Connection: A fascinating look at how fluctuating estrogen levels during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and perimenopause directly impact dopamine availability, often exacerbating ADHD symptoms during the luteal phase.
• Late-Life Diagnosis: Why many professional women aren't diagnosed until their 40s or 50s, often triggered by the increased cognitive load of demanding careers, parenting, or perimenopause.
• Co-occurring Physical Challenges: The link between ADHD and chronic health issues like migraines, which further complicate emotional and physical regulation.
• Strategic Management: Practical advice on "capitalizing" on high-energy weeks and practicing self-compassion during more difficult hormonal shifts.

You can find Dr. Kahn at her website: https://www.drgillykahn.com/

**Do you want to work with Dave one-on-one? Go to www.overcomingdistractions.com and book an introductory Zoom chat. Or go directly to Dave's calendar; https://calendly.com/davidgreenwood1/15min

Managing the Noise: Why Your Brain Feels So Loud

If your brain feels like 37 open tabs that won't load, this short episode of Overcoming Distractions is for you. Designed for entrepreneurs and executives living with ADHD, we explore why your working memory is constantly overloaded and why "externalizing everything" is a biological necessity, not just a productivity tip.

Dave shares lived experience on how to move from chronic mental noise to clarity by simply getting information out of your head and into a trusted system.

Key Discussion Points:

• The ADHD Mental Strainer: Why trying to store ideas in your head leads to decision fatigue, stress, forgetting and more.
• Externalize Everything: Understanding Russell Barkley's core principle, and our brain is for having ideas, not holding them.
• The 5-Minute Brain Dump: How a judgment-free download of tasks, worries, and anniversaries (guys, this one's for you…)creates immediate psychological relief.
• The Power of One System: Avoiding the ADHD trap of using six different apps; find one capture tool that works, from a napkin to a notes app.
• Weekly Maintenance: Using a 20-minute weekly review to clean up the noise and reduce last-minute scrambling.
• Reframing Resistance: Why externalizing isn't "more work"….it's less work than carrying the mental load.

**Do you want to work with Dave one-on-one? Go to www.overcomingdistractions.com and book an introductory Zoom chat. Or go directly to Dave's calendar; https://calendly.com/davidgreenwood1/15min

In this episode of Overcoming Distractions, Dave welcomes mindset coach and former therapist Cindi Frechette to discuss a non-traditional approach to thriving with ADHD.

Moving beyond surface-level productivity hacks like to-do lists and timers…, Cindi introduces the Unknow Method, a framework designed for high achievers to manage mental chaos and mitigate burnout.

Cindi shares her "lived experience" with ADHD, offering a unique perspective on how internal narratives drive behavior. Together, they explore how busy professionals can stop "performing" and start living authentically by aligning their daily actions with their deepest values.

Key Discussion Topics:

• The Unknow Method: A three-step framework consisting of Unravel (identifying automated thoughts), Rebuild (strengthening self-identity), and Reclaim (mastering time and energy).
• The "Thought Dump" Exercise: A practical tool to separate objective facts from ruminating opinions.
• The Neuroscience of Overthinking: Understanding how the ADHD brain interprets survival signals and conserves energy.
• Value-Based Decision Making: Why re-evaluating your personal values every 3–6 months is essential for long-term alignment.
• Masking and Burnout: How "performing success" leads to internal exhaustion and how to reverse-engineer your feelings to change your actions.

Freebie to offer: "You can grab Cindi's free Thought Reset Tool at https://stan.store/Unknowwithcindi . It's designed to help you pause the chaos and rebuild clarity ADHD brain approved."

**Do you want to work with Dave one-on-one? Go to www.overcomingdistractions.com and book an introductory Zoom chat. Or go directly to Dave's calendar; https://calendly.com/davidgreenwood1/15min

In this episode, Dave takes a "street-smart" look at a cycle many high achievers with ADHD know all too well.

Survival mode and ADHD!

It's that grueling state where you're constantly reacting to fires, clawing your way to Friday, and feeling emotionally depleted at home. Dave will explore why survival mode is a nervous system response rather than a personal failure, and how to shift from chaotic reaction to intentional action.

Key Highlights:

• Defining the Struggle: Identifying signs like constant urgency, mental exhaustion, and the "reaction vs. planning" loop.
• The High-Achiever Trap: Why being reliable and saying "yes" often rewards survival mode early on but leads to unsustainable burnout.
• Stabilize, Don't Optimize: Forget perfect routines; focus on "predictability" and small "home base" stabilizers to lower stress.
• Reclaiming Agency: Moving from "I have no control" to "I can influence this" through strategic delays and better boundaries.
• Redefining Success: Shifting your goals to match your current season of life, prioritizing sustainable energy over constant output.

**Do you want to work with Dave one-on-one? Go to www.overcomingdistractions.com and book an introductory Zoom chat. Or go directly to Dave's calendar; https://calendly.com/davidgreenwood1/15min

When you're driven, capable, and juggling a demanding career or business with Adult ADHD, it's easy to stay in constant motion, but still feel off, overwhelmed, or stuck in ADHD survival mode.

And it may just be because you're not operating with your values and vision in mind.

In this episode, Dave explores how clarifying your personal values and creating a values-driven vision of success can help you feel more fulfilled, productive, and in control, without relying on rigid systems and flirting with burnout.

This episode is especially for ADHD brains that crave meaning, flexibility, and momentum, when it may be lacking.

• Why vision and values matter more for professionals and entrepreneurs with ADHD
• How chasing urgency and external expectations leads to busyness without fulfillment
• How to clarify personal and professional values in a way that actually feels usable
• Redefining what "fulfilled," "productive," and "in control" really mean for an ADHD brain
• Why productivity isn't about doing more, but doing what matters with less friction.
• Aligning short- and long-term goals with your values instead of constant pressure
• Simple reflections to help you evaluate whether your goals support the life you want, or just keep you busy.

**Do you want to work with Dave one-on-one? Go to www.overcomingdistractions.com and book an introductory Zoom chat. Or go directly to Dave's calendar; https://calendly.com/davidgreenwood1/15min