PODCAST. Everything You Need to Know About Managing Your Time with ADHD with Dr. Ari Tuckman, PsyD, MBA

This episode is sponsored by Littlebird. Littlebird is an AI assistant that already knows your work, so you can draft, plan, and stay on top of everything without having to catch it up on context. Get a free trial plus $20 off your first month of Littlebird Plus today at wisesquirrels.com/littlebird.

The Late-Diagnosed Struggle: "Full-Time Hours, Part-Time Pay"

Sponsored by Littlebird.

For many adults diagnosed with ADHD later in life, the realization often comes with a mix of relief and frustration. We’ve spent years, decades, wondering why we’re working twice as hard as everyone else for half the results.

In this episode of Wise Squirrels, Dave Delaney sits down again with Dr. Ari Tuckman, author of The ADHD Productivity Manual, to dismantle the most elusive hurdle of the ADHD brain: Time Blindness.

From the "slippery" nature of minutes to the "incautious optimism" that ruins our schedules, Dr. Tuckman provides a masterclass in making time visible and finally getting the "future version of you" on your side.

Key Takeaways from Dr. Ari Tuckman

1. Defining Time Blindness

Dr. Tuckman notes that for the ADHD brain, time isn't just hard to track—it’s often invisible.

  • The Unofficial Slogan: "By the time you feel it, it’s too late."

  • The Deadline Effect: People with ADHD (Wise Squirrels) often don't feel the urgency of a deadline until it is right on top of them.

  • Slippery Time: We struggle to estimate how long a task will take, often relying on a "best-case scenario" memory rather than an average one.

2. The Difference Between Planning and Motivation

We often blame our "planning" when we fail to finish a task, but Dr. Tuckman breaks it down into three distinct phases:

  • Awareness: Knowing you have a task (The easy part).

  • Planning: Knowing how to do it (The middle part).

  • Motivation: Actually doing it (The hardest part).

The Strategy: Don't ask yourself, "Do I want to do this right now?" (The answer will always be no, Instagram is more fun). Instead, ask, "How will I feel about this later?" Visualizing the positive feeling of being prepared for a meeting is a much stronger motivator than trying to avoid a negative consequence.

3. Making Time Visible (The Tools)

The House Fire Analogy: Urgency forces priority.

If you can’t see it, you can’t manage it. Dr. Tuckman and Dave discuss several "roadblocks" to help kick up awareness:

  • Externalize Everything: Use visible schedules and alarms. Don't rely on your internal clock.

  • The House Fire Analogy: When a house is on fire, you don't stop to organize the junk drawer. Urgency forces priority. We can simulate this by "clearing the decks" and making intentional decisions to not do certain things.

  • Inbox Bankruptcy: If your email is a source of constant "part-time pay" work, archive it all and start fresh. A hard reset is often the only way to gain "breathing room."

Dave’s Solopreneur Hacks for Wise Squirrels

Managing a business with ADHD requires specialized metrics. Dave shares two of his favorite systems:

  • The Dollar Sign Method: Prioritize your to-do list by marking tasks with one, two, or three dollar signs. This helps the ADHD brain see the tangible value of "boring" tasks like expense reports or follow-up emails.

  • The "7-7" Meetings Script: Dave uses a custom script to review the last 7 days and plan the next 7. This ensures that great networking meetings don't fall through the cracks of a sometimes forgetful noggin.

For more from Ari, check out our first interview and his guest article about productivity.

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Wise Squirrels is Sponsored by Littlebird and Inflow.

Dave

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https://davedelaney.me
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PODCAST. Stopping Negative Self-Talk with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with Dr. Laura Knouse, PhD.