In This Out From The Paywall Episode: I chat with my ADHD coach Paula Engebretson, host of the I'm Busy Being Awesome Podcast. Take Paula's free quiz to find out your overwhelm response type! We talk about the realities of navigating ADHD through different "seasons of life," why rigid systems rarely work, and how values, energy levels, and self-understanding need to guide how we build routines. I share my own ADHD "rock bottom" and what shifted when I stopped chasing the "perfect planner" and instead worked with Paula to design flexible systems that support my unique brain and my very random life. The conversation is equal parts personal insight and practical wisdom, offering you a candid look at why learning how your brain works is more powerful than any one productivity tool. Get Paula's great online course Overwhelm to Action right here!

SHOW NOTES

• Online Course - Overwhelm to Action
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• Send an email to the podcast at alotadhdpod at gmail dot com

It's an ADHD trait that people are starting to talk about as something uniquely part of our executive functioning difficulties. It refers to throwing out our DOOM (Didn't Organize, Only Moved) piles or any amount of clutter because starting or planning the large task of organizing is causing us to be too overwhelmed. Experts agree that this is not the best way to handle our clutter and recommend other strategies which I'll list below. I tell a personal story about when I had to "toss" and how it was a hugely emotional experience but I believe that sometimes, despite knowing intellectually how to get rid of things perfectly, that we have to accept that we have a developmental disorder and allow ourselves this reset if we truly know that we aren't planning to handle things that way again. 🎁❄️ Happy Holidays! Please take me up on this GIFT of one FREE month of Patreon (did I mention FREE?) at Tier 1 giving you access to the entire archive, video episodes, 4 extra episodes per month, body double sessions, and more!

Show Notes:

• Click to Get Jen's Free Guide How To R.I.D.E Out Panic Attacks
• Jen's Monthly Action Club Just $19.99
• You Are A Lot Podcast On Patreon 7 Day Free Trial
• You Are A Lot Podcast Website & Blog
• Follow Jen's ADHD/AuDHD Tips on Pinterest
• Jen's Every 10 Day Newsletter: "This Is A Lot"
• "You Are A Lot" Black Tote Bag
• "You Are A Lot" coffee mug & travel mug
• "You Are A Lot" black long-sleeved tee
• 30 FREE DAYS to BRAIN FM Wire Your Brain For Focus!
• Jen's Book Recommendations With 20% Off
• Send an email to the podcast at alotadhdpod at gmail dot com

Sources Used:

• ADHD & Tossing: Private ADHD UK
• Tossing. A Potential Sign of ADHD: Huffington Post
• Tossing The Doom Pile: Global ADHD

In this episode I talk about the constant cycle of burnout, clutter, and resentment that comes with our brain, from tossing bags on the table, leaving yesterday's project out, and then facing the chaos that feels like the FBI searched your home. I talk about why putting things away feels boring, impossible, or like it will take ten hours, and why I get mad at "Past Me" for leaving messes for "Future Me." I share how I stumbled onto something called Clutter Check, a 10–15 minute daily routine that keeps things from piling up. I teach you how to trick your brain into making peace with this ritual by looking at it through a non-neurotypical lens.

🎁❄️ Happy Holidays! Please take me up on this GIFT of one FREE month of Patreon (did I mention FREE?) at Tier 1 giving you access to the entire archive, video episodes, 4 extra episodes per month, body double sessions, and more!