Podcast Summary
Podcast: Hacking Your ADHD
Episode: Accountability, Community, and Actually Getting Stuff Done with Russ Jones
Host: William Curb
Guest: Russ Jones (ADHD Big Brother)
Date: March 3, 2025
Episode Overview
This episode dives into the challenge of translating ADHD knowledge into real-world change and highlights the transformative power of community-based accountability. William Curb and guest Russ Jones, host of ADHD Big Brother and founder of a coaching community, candidly explore how ADHDers often amass tips without implementing them, why community support is more effective than relying on family for accountability, and the creative strategies for making progress—especially with mundane or overwhelming tasks. The conversation is relatable, humorous, and packed with practical insights for anyone looking to actually “get stuff done” with ADHD.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Knowledge–Action Gap in ADHD (01:43–05:11)
- Many adults with ADHD “collect” advice and knowledge but struggle with implementation.
- Russ Jones: “We’re really good at getting inspired...and then we leave. And we don’t do anything with that information. We just forget because we have no working memory, right?”
- The frustration lies in being able to explain why something’s hard but still not being able to make change happen.
- Community support, especially daily accountability, can bridge that gap.
2. Community Coaching: What It Is and Why It Works
- True accountability comes from daily, low-pressure check-ins—modeled after support groups (e.g., for quitting nicotine).
- Russ Jones: “It’s showing up every day and posting, hey, I’m going to do this no matter what, come hell or high water.” (03:16)
- ADHDers benefit from being in spaces that are “shame-free” and “judgment-free”, allowing honest discussions about struggles like doing laundry.
- Community = multiple people sharing lived experience and practical solutions, often more relatable than professional coaches or close friends/family.
3. Why Weak-Tie Accountability Is Stronger (05:11–06:23)
- Accountability from acquaintances (community members) is often more effective than from close family or friends.
- William Curb: "We do feel a stronger sense of accountability to people that we have, like, weak ties to, which is kind of counterintuitive.” (05:49)
- Community fosters an image of “who you want these people to see me as,” increasing motivation to stick to commitments.
4. Embracing Failure and Iterating (06:23–08:08)
- In community settings, not meeting goals leads to problem-solving, not shame.
- “The conversation continues...what got in the way? What can you do next time?” (06:27, Russ Jones)
- Gamifying accountability (“day streaks,” small goals) makes persistence less punishing and encourages experimentation.
5. Community Engagement: Getting Out What You Put In (08:08–09:38)
- To benefit from community, members must participate and not just passively observe.
- External accountability must be paired with internal willingness: “I still have to do the work.” (08:47, William Curb)
- Building systems (not perpetual reliance on paid coaching) is critical for long-term change.
6. Creativity, Body Doubling, and Collective Problem-Solving (09:38–12:48)
- Communities of ADHDers are treasure troves of creative hacks and new tools.
- Russ Jones: “We are creative. We are insanely creative people. And if we can get into a room full of creatives, somebody’s going to have a shiny fucking object for us on how to do stuff.” (10:29)
- Practices like body doubling (working alongside someone virtually/in-person) are “frustratingly effective.” (11:32, William Curb)
- Tools don’t guarantee success but make success “more likely.”
7. Integrity and Accountability Strategies (12:48–14:59)
- Publicly committing to goals increases follow-through.
- William Curb: “If I’m saying that to someone else...I gotta do it.” (12:57)
- ADHDers develop “creative loopholes” for minimal compliance, so it helps to specify goals clearly (“10 minutes ass on the cushion” vs. vague “meditate”). (13:12, Russ Jones)
- Overcoming the belief that “I should be able to do this on my own” is crucial, especially for late-diagnosed adults.
8. The Simple-But-Not-Easy Paradox (14:59–18:18)
- Struggling with basic tasks is a universal ADHD experience—“We’re mistaking simple for easy.”
- William Curb: “If I just did this every day it would never be a problem. But I’m also never going to do that without setting up systems to make this happen.” (17:13)
- Using tools like timers transforms loathed chores into doable tasks; “I’ll preach timers to the day I die for ADHD.” (15:50, Russ Jones)
- Accepting and normalizing one’s approach reduces self-judgment.
9. Navigating Comparison & The ‘Shoulds’ (18:51–20:33)
- Comparing internal struggles with other people’s appearances is misleading—others also struggle unseen.
- Normalize using hacks and systems without shame: “I don’t have to tell the normies of the world how I do stuff.” (18:18, Russ Jones)
10. Clever Task Starter Strategies: Pretending to Work (20:59–23:29)
- “Pretending” to work (starting with the smallest action, even if insincere) often triggers real productivity.
- William Curb: “...I love the strategy of pretending to do work because so often it leads me to actually doing work...” (21:00)
- This incremental/habit-stacking approach keeps resistance low.
11. Funification and Gamification (25:10–27:59)
- Making tasks fun or novel (e.g., using dice/card games, “funification”) leverages the ADHD need for interest.
- Russ Jones: “It’s a way for me to enjoy the unknown. The dopamine burst of I wonder what the shitty thing I’m going to have to do is. Roll the dice, you flip over the card and it’s like dishes...” (26:32)
- Mundane tasks become manageable through randomization and small time commitments.
12. Novelty, Interest, and “Leaning Into” ADHD Wiring (28:10–31:21)
- Accept that importance/urgency isn’t always activating; interest and novelty are.
- “We have interest-wired brains...implementing fun and interest and uniqueness into the mundane, that’s our way.” (28:23, Russ Jones)
- Community helps question unhealthy conventions (“Why do I have to fold clothes this way?”) and fosters experimentation.
13. A New Perspective on Goals for ADHDers (31:21–32:57)
- Conventional goal-setting—top-down, big mountain—intimidates most ADHDers.
- Russ Jones: “Movies are made of, right? Where you’re like, oh, it’s at the top of the mountain. ...That’s not how ADHD works.” (31:30)
- Instead, imagine starting at the top and nudging yourself downward with small actions toward the goal, accumulating momentum.
Memorable Quotes
- Russ Jones [03:16]: “It’s showing up every day and posting, hey, I’m going to do this no matter what, come hell or high water.”
- William Curb [05:49]: “We do feel a stronger sense of accountability to people that we have, like, weak ties to, which is kind of counterintuitive.”
- Russ Jones [10:29]: “If we can get into a room full of creatives, somebody’s going to have a shiny fucking object for us on how to do stuff.”
- William Curb [11:32]: “I’ll do a body doubling session and I’ll be like, what am I even doing? There’s just someone over here and I’m just working. Why is this effective? It’s frustratingly effective that it works.”
- Russ Jones [15:50]: “I’ll preach timers to the day I die for ADHD.”
- Russ Jones [18:18]: “I don’t have to tell the normies of the world how I do stuff.”
- William Curb [21:00]: “I love the strategy of pretending to do work because so often it leads me to actually doing work...”
- Russ Jones [26:32]: “It’s a way for me to enjoy the unknown. ...The dopamine burst of I wonder what the shitty thing I’m going to have to do is. Roll the dice, you flip over the card and it’s like—dishes.”
- Russ Jones [28:23]: “ADHD 101, we have interest wired brains. ...Implementing fun and interest and uniqueness into the mundane—that’s our way.”
Important Timestamps
- 01:43 – Community Coaching overview
- 03:16 – The power of daily accountability in community settings
- 05:49 – Why accountability from weak ties (community) works
- 10:29 – Creativity and peer solutions
- 11:32 – “Frustratingly effective” body doubling
- 15:50 – Timers and embracing unique strategies for chores
- 21:00 – “Pretending to do work” as a task starter
- 26:32 – Gamifying chores; the “funification” approach
- 28:23 – ADHD is wired for interest, novelty, and fun
- 31:30 – Flipping the mountain metaphor: goals for ADHDers
Takeaways and Top Tips
- Bridging the Knowing–Doing Gap: Collecting information is common among ADHDers; implementation requires daily, supportive accountability.
- Community > Solo or Close-Family Accountability: Progress comes more readily from low-pressure, judgment-free spaces with “weak tie” accountability.
- Gamification and Small Steps: Break big, boring, or “should” tasks into tiny, interesting, or novel pieces for much easier starts and momentum.
- Participate to Benefit: The more you put into a community, the more value and accountability you’ll get out.
For listeners seeking support, inspiration, or tactical hacks to actually get things done with ADHD, this episode offers practical, real-world wisdom and empowers you to leverage community and creativity for lasting change.