Podcast Summary: Hacking Your ADHD

Episode Title: How to Make your Smart Phone ADHD Friendly (Part 2)
Host: William Curb
Date: January 6, 2025

Overview of the Episode

In this second part of the series on managing smartphones with ADHD, host William Curb explores how smartphones, while often distracting, can actually become powerful allies in managing ADHD—if set up intentionally. He walks listeners through the apps and techniques he personally uses to structure his day, detailing how reminders, calendars, note-taking apps, and automation/shortcuts can help reduce friction, stay organized, and remember important tasks.
This episode is tailored primarily for iPhone users, with occasional Android alternatives mentioned.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power of Automated Reminders ([02:25])

• Why Reminders Matter:
  William recounts how smartphone reminders have become essential to everyday routines, such as never missing trash day, unlike his neurotypical neighbors who don’t need such support.

  "I need these systems, and these systems are made possible because of my phone." (03:20)

• Reminder Apps He Uses:

  • Alarmed (iOS only):
    • Hands-down his favorite app for daily and weekly repeating tasks due to its customizability and “NagMe” feature, which continues to ping until the task is marked done.
    • Example: Medication reminders—Alarmed repeatedly notifies him every five minutes until action is taken.

    "Now with Alarmed, it pings me once and then it keeps on pinging me every five minutes for an hour until I've marked it done. This feature has been a lifesaver for me." (05:40)

    • “NagMe” is intentionally annoying—purposefully designed to ensure important tasks aren't forgotten.
  • iOS Reminders App:
    • Used for quick, context-based reminders, especially those integrated with Siri (e.g., time or location-specific cues).
    • Example: “Hey Siri, remind me in one hour to change my laundry.”
    • Caveat: Vague reminders easily disappear unless paired with a time or place cue.

    "If I actually wanted that reminder to be effective, I need to add something time or location based... Without that... it's really easy to let those reminders fall into a black hole." (08:40)

• Alarm Fatigue & How to Avoid It:

  • Don’t overload your phone with reminders; prioritize only the most important.
  • Vary notification sounds to distinguish between alerts.
  • Remove or pause reminders that no longer serve their purpose.

    "It's easy to just leave them on because we don't want the hassle of removing them, but those distractions add up, so get rid of unneeded reminders." (10:50)

2. Using Your Calendar as the Ultimate Reminder ([11:10])

• Digital calendars double as powerful reminder tools.
• William uses Google Calendar (but any calendar app can work); joint calendars with his spouse help with family scheduling.
• Leverages event notifications (set by default 30 mins ahead of meetings), and additional custom alerts (e.g., a night-before reminder for car service appointments).
• Notes fields are emphasized for referencing details about appointments—such as location, contact names, or relevant info, so nothing is forgotten long-term.

  "Using the Notes feature on your calendar to include all the relevant details really levels up your calendar because you don't get stuck with an event that you created six months ago but can't remember the context of." (13:44)

3. Note-Taking Apps: Capturing and Actually Using Your Ideas ([14:15])

• Uses Evernote for comprehensive writing, but more frequently relies on Drafts (iOS & Android available) for quick capture.
  • Main benefit of Drafts: Always opens to a blank page, reducing the friction when jotting down sudden thoughts.
• Common pitfall: Notes are easily forgotten.
  • Solution: Set reminders or calendar events to review notes. William incorporates this into his Friday weekly review.

  "The biggest pitfall of any note taking system is that it's easy to forget that you wrote down anything in the first place. ... In fact, we've got a couple of options because all we need to do here is create a reminder to go through what you've written." (15:10)

4. Harnessing Shortcuts & Automation ([16:00])

• Shortcuts (iOS) and IFTTT (iOS/Android):
  Enable automating sequences of tasks for productivity and reducing distraction.
  • Example: Single-button shortcut to check GPS for ETA and text arrival time to spouse.
  • Widgets can place shortcuts directly into the “Today View” for rapid access.
• Suggests practical shortcuts:
  • Alerts when needing to leave for work
  • Emailing schedules to self
  • Sending time-delayed texts
  • Navigation to next calendar event
  • Timers for repeated tasks (laundry, coffee, etc.)
• The real value:

  "When I can just push a button and 90% of what I need to do is taken care of for me, it makes it that much easier to complete the task without getting distracted along the way." (17:45)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On reminders and accountability:

  "Sometimes we aren't going to have natural cues to start our routines, and that's where reminders can really shine." (03:55)

• On minimizing alarm fatigue:

  "If you have a new reminder going off every 10 minutes, you're just going to start ignoring all of them." (10:00)

• On using Notes section in calendars:

  "I've definitely shown up for appointments, had them ask who I was seeing, and then just had to stare at them because, you know, doctor what's his face." (13:30)

• On automation:

  "Take advantage of shortcuts on your phone so that you can do complicated tasks without getting distracted." (18:52)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:07] — Episode overview and goals
• [02:25] — Reminder systems and why they’re necessary with ADHD
• [05:40] — Introduction to Alarmed app (“NagMe” feature)
• [08:00] — How to set up effective reminders and pitfalls
• [10:00] — Avoiding alarm fatigue
• [11:10] — Making the most of digital calendars
• [13:44] — Using calendar Notes for context
• [14:15] — Note-taking apps: Evernote and Drafts; workflow tips
• [15:10] — The importance of reviewing your notes
• [16:00] — Harnessing shortcuts and automation (Shortcuts, IFTTT)
• [17:45] — Shortcut and widget examples for ADHD support
• [18:52] — Final quick tips and episode close

Episode Takeaways & Top Tips (Summarized at [18:40])

William’s actionable recommendations:

1. Make use of a reminder app:
   Use distinct sounds and create recurring reminders for tasks you frequently forget.

2. Use your calendar for reminders:
   Set pre-event reminders so that you can plan and transition effectively.

3. Adopt a solid note-taking app:
   And crucially, set a time to review your notes—don’t let ideas disappear.

4. Utilize shortcuts and automation:
   Streamline frequent, multi-step tasks to reduce distraction and friction.

For more details, links to the apps mentioned, and a transcript, visit: hackingyouradhd.com/adhdphone2

Stay curious!