Jan 18
In this podcast Tracy talks about the ten things that she wishes she would have been told when she was initially diagnosed with ADHD. When she was first diagnosed Tracy went into hyperfocus mode and researched everything she could about ADHD, especially ADHD as it related to women. She had spent the previous 8 months researching everything she could find about ADHD and kids. This podcast is about what she has learned and how her viewpoint on ADHD has changed. Discover why she came to like certain ADHD experts over others and what she learned from and vs . Tracy mentions some of her ADHD symptoms but also some of the strengths that she’s certain are attributable to her ADHD and why she wouldn’t trade her ADHD for anything. Learn why: creating solutions for what the ADHD brain struggles with can be so difficult. ADHD is not a disorder, but a difference. Tracy thinks ADHD is actually not a deficit of attention at all ADHD is not a behavioral disorder, moral failing or character flaw Learn what: you should focus on every day what our brains are wired for (and it’s not importance!) and why we need to learn how to engage our hyperfocus Learn how impulsivity and creativity are linked. Tracy teaches you the difference between positive and negative emotion and why you should know the difference. She then gives you a simple test to show you how to increase your own motivation whenever you’re feeling stuck and build a successful day, week, month or year. Learn what our brains are meant to do. You’ll be surprised to discover that they’re not designed to remember. Despite this we sabotage ourselves daily when we don’t remember. Find out what ADHD women typically resist but need more than anything and how if we implement it it reduces anxiety and makes us feel happier, smarter, more organized, focused and creative. Discover how Tracy overcame procrastination in a few simple steps and her favorite hack for getting things done. Tracy then talks about her number one superpower, interpersonal intuition and how valuable it is in her life. She shares that the ADHD brain focuses on connections and relationships over specific bits of information. Discover what to do if medication doesn’t work for you and why Tracy’s actually happy that it didn’t work for her or her son. Find out some workarounds to try if medication doesn’t work for you. Learn what Tracy thinks is the biggest mistake we can make as ADHD women and what we should do instead.
APPLE
SPOTIFY
YOUTUBE
"Our ADHD brains are wired for interest and novelty, not importance. It doesn't matter to you what your parents, your teachers, your boss, your spouse, your boyfriend society thinks is important. No, it matters what you think is important."
- Tracy Otsuka
"Interpersonal intuition is an ADHD trait, and you need to start to trust it. Most of us with ADHD know that we have this ability to pick up clues about relationships, a heightened capacity for empathy and character judgment."
- Tracy Otsuka
"Motivation is also biological. And for us, especially those of us with ADHD, emotion is tied to motivation. So when we have positive emotion, I'm going to go into this a little bit more later, when we have positive emotion around something that further motivates us to keep going."
- Tracy Otsuka
- Tracy shares her personal experience with ADHD, highlighting both the challenges (e.g., time blindness, resistance to structure) and the positives (e.g., exuberance, optimism, determination).
- Tracy shares 10 things she wishes she knew immediately after her ADHD diagnosis, emphasizing the importance of focusing on what's working and not dwelling on deficits.
- Tracy also highlights the misconception that ADHD is a behavioral disorder, instead emphasizing that it's a difference in brain function that affects attention and creativity.
[09:50 - 20:27] Managing ADHD with Structure and Technology
- Tracy shares her experience with ADHD and how she struggles with remembering appointments and events, often blaming herself for mistakes that are not her fault.
- Tracy found structure and organization helped ease anxiety and increase focus, creativity, and productivity.
- Tracy implemented a one-page weekly calendar and body double strategies, offloaded working memory to an Apple Watch, and started backwards planning to feel more in control.
[20:27 - 29:52] ADHD and Using Intuition to Overcome Procrastination
- Tracy shares her strategies for overcoming procrastination, including using a Pomodoro timer and implementing body double sessions.
- Tracy explains how understanding her brain's resistance to starting tasks helped her to overcome procrastination and be more productive.
- Tracy discusses how ADHD individuals have strong interpersonal intuition, trusting their ability to read people and understand their motivations.
Edward Hallowell
John Ratey
Russell Barkley
Pomodoro Application
Iphone App Link Datexx Cube
Amazon Link
