Podcast Summary: Adult ADHD Tips – Life Visioning Exercises Part 2
Podcast: Adult ADHD ADD Tips and Support
Host: Michael Joseph Ferguson
Episode Date: January 16, 2025
Listen to the episode: Drummer and the Great Mountain, Episode 114
Episode Overview
In this episode, host and ADHD life coach Michael Joseph Ferguson leads listeners through Step Two of the Life Visioning process from his book Drummer in the Great Mountain. The main focus is on utilizing daydreams and subconscious desires to set meaningful, motivating goals for adults with ADHD ("hunter types"). Michael intertwines personal experiences, practical tools, and inspiration from sources that resonate with neurodivergent creatives. He emphasizes breaking goals down to actionable, simple next steps, and illustrates the importance of communal support and honoring neurodiversity.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Setting the Stage for Life Visioning (02:17–09:45)
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Michael welcomes listeners and frames the episode as a continuation of life visioning work, focusing on Chapter 6—specifically, Step Two.
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He provides resources:
- Free PDF of the chapter (link referenced in episode)
- Super Optimized Tracking Sheet (episode 111)
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Announcement: The annual Life Visioning workshop is scheduled for January 25th and 28th, offering opportunities for group work and support:
"Projects come into being, people make some big strides. They start to connect and support, support each other as they go through the year. It's fun. I hope you can join us." (05:53)
2. Personal Updates & ADHD Realities (09:45–13:29)
- Michael offers a candid update on writing a new book and the challenges of creative focus, especially while recovering from illness.
- He highlights the ADHD struggle with motivation and brain fog, sharing his coping approach:
"I just have to keep just what is my next thing? What's the next specific thing I need to do today and not even think about anything else?" (12:25)
3. Hunter Types, Inspiration, and the "Next Step" Mindset (13:30–19:08)
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Michael discusses Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard (founder of Patagonia) as inspiration for hunter types, especially those running their own businesses.
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He is fascinated by the mindset of elite rock climbers like Alex Honnold, extracting lessons for ADHD brains:
"He was talking to the other climbers, like, you are totally capable of doing this. Just think about what your next move is. Don't look down. Stay focused on what is right in front of you." (15:44)
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He relates this to the ADHD tendency of overthinking and overwhelm:
"For us... we often get caught in thinking way, way too far ahead... the advice of 'what is my next step?'... that's the way forward." (17:51)
Practical Example:
- Breaking "do taxes" into micro-steps like pulling out paperclips, sorting receipts—emphasizing specificity and actionability to overcome ADHD barriers.
4. Life Visioning Step Two: Mining Your Daydreams (19:09–22:17)
- Listeners are guided through Step Two: mining your daydreams for clues:
- Close your eyes and recall recurring daydreams.
- Write them in detail.
- Look for patterns and identify underlying unmet needs.
"This deeper part of our psyche is communicating to us through our daydream. So having this exercise can be really helpful before we go into the hard goal setting in steps three, four, and five." (20:45)
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Key self-inquiry prompt:
"If you could do anything in the world and had an infinite amount of time and money and had no obligations, what would you do?" (21:17)
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Acknowledges critical inner voices that may arise and encourages pushing through to tap genuine inspiration.
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Emphasizes that these exercises are not about fantasy but about uncovering core desires that supply motivation for real change.
5. Encouragement to Continue & Use of Tools (22:18–23:30)
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Michael recommends moving on through Steps 3–5 of the Life Visioning chapter and highlights the tracking sheet for building strong habits linked to their vision.
"The tracking sheet is about you establishing some habits based on this life visioning work and having a way to track daily. Here's what I did, here's what was accomplished, and here was my mood and here was my energy level..." (19:45)
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Strong encouragement to leverage community for accountability, whether by joining the workshop or connecting with others.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On Overwhelm & Next Steps:
"If you write just do taxes on your action item list, that is completely overwhelming, and you will procrastinate it... The task is the first thing I need to do is get out the paperclips, then get out my receipts, then sort by category. It's that methodical." — Michael Joseph Ferguson (17:51)
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On Daydreams as Data:
"Underneath [your daydreams] are needs for connection, support, accomplishment... Here's the needs that aren't getting met, and there's going to be some specific actions to take to meet those needs." — Michael Joseph Ferguson (20:38)
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On Support & Self-Respect:
"We need to get good at asking for support, honoring ourselves without thinking, 'I'm broken, so I need to get support.' That's not the mindset. The mindset is, 'I have things to contribute to the world. And because of that, I need to pull in support for the things that I'm challenged by, because I have all these other strengths...'" — Michael Joseph Ferguson (18:55)
Timestamps for Important Segments
| Segment | Timestamp | |--------------------------------------------------|------------| | Intro and episode overview | 02:17 | | Personal updates and challenges | 09:45 | | The 'next step' mentality & climber inspiration | 13:30 | | Practical example: Micro-tasking | 17:51 | | Life Visioning Step Two: Daydream mining | 19:09 | | Daydream prompt & journaling exercise | 21:17 | | Encouragement to continue and use tools | 22:18 |
Listener Guidance
- Action Step: Download the Life Visioning Chapter and Tracking Sheet from the linked episodes.
- Journaling Exercise: Pause and engage in the guided daydream reflection and the infinite-resources prompt.
- Community Support: Consider participating in the Life Visioning workshop or reaching out for accountability.
Closing
Michael concludes by wishing everyone a fantastic start to 2025 and invites listeners to contribute podcast topics or feedback.
"Thank you for being part of this community. If you would like me to cover something on the podcast that you haven't heard before, please reach out... and until next time, be well." (22:17)
Useful links:
For: Adults with ADHD, creative thinkers, entrepreneurs, and anyone interested in holistic, sustainable life planning that works with (not against) neurodiverse wiring.