Hacking Your ADHD

Episode: Planning with Purpose: Antonia Bowring’s Guide to ADHD Success

Host: William Curb
Guest: Antonia Bowring (Executive Coach, Author of "Coach Yourself," and creator of the ADHD Success Planner)
Date: February 3, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, William Curb welcomes back executive coach and author Antonia Bowring to discuss her ADHD Success Planner, a structured yet flexible system designed to help individuals with ADHD plan, prioritize, and manage their time more effectively. The conversation focuses on reframing planning as an act of self-care, breaking down Antonia’s three-part system, and tackling common ADHD struggles such as overwhelm, over-scheduling, and self-criticism. Listeners will learn how intentional, adaptive planning can lead not just to productivity, but to improved well-being and self-confidence.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. From "Coach Yourself" to the ADHD Success Planner

• [03:30] Antonia’s journey:
  • Her initial book, "Coach Yourself," led her to realize the ADHD community craved practical planning strategies.
  • Encouraged by feedback, she formalized her planning system into a 70+ page ebook with accessible language and templates.
  • Quote:
    “This system, it's not complicated... Don’t worry, anything you do is a step forward. So 72 pages later with, you know, a bunch of attachments and templates, the ADHD Success Planner is live.” — Antonia Bowring [04:52]

2. The Vital Role of Planning as Self-Care

• [08:21] Reframing Planning:
  • Planning isn’t just an admin task; it’s essential self-care, especially for those with ADHD who face a cumulative toll of missed tasks and related micro-shame.
  • Practical wins boost self-esteem and can ease the emotional “paper cuts” of ADHD.
  • Quote:
    “Planning and prioritizing is truly an act of self care.” — Antonia Bowring [09:50]

3. The Core Three-Part ADHD Planning System

(a) Calendaring Is Ground Zero

• [12:30] A calendar isn’t even part of the system, it’s a pre-requisite.
  • “You have to have one and be using one.” — Antonia Bowring

(b) Weekly Planning Session

• [13:57] Allocate a regular, dedicated time each week (e.g., Sunday morning) to set up for the week ahead.
• Keep the session comfortable (with coffee, at a favorite spot) and limit to ~30 minutes.

(c) Weekly Planning Buckets (Containers)

• [14:20] Identify 4–6 categories (“buckets”) such as “admin,” “work projects,” “home,” etc.
• Fill each with only a few top-priority tasks (customizable per person).
• Buckets prevent unprioritized laundry lists and mental chaos.
• Example: “I have an admin bucket. And this week I have in there to do one of the things I hate most in the world: submit health care reimbursement document.” — Antonia Bowring [14:49]

(d) Daily To-Do Lists Built from Buckets

• [17:21] At the end of each day, use the buckets to craft a realistic to-do list for the next day.

• Offer several templates: by half-hour, by hour, or just AM/PM to suit individual preference.

• Key Insight:
  Don’t overload your to-do list. If you have six hours of meetings, your task list should be proportionate.

  • “If I have 20 to-do’s that I can’t possibly get done tomorrow, I’m just setting myself up for disappointment.” — Antonia Bowring [19:47]

4. Prioritization and Addressing Overwhelm

• [21:00] Negotiating with Yourself:

  • Distinguish between urgent, important, and self-imposed deadlines.
  • Regularly carry unfinished but non-urgent items forward, substituting self-judgment for self-negotiation.

• [24:42] Identifying True Priorities and Internal Barriers:

  • Antonia shares how internalized beliefs (e.g., "reading isn’t productive") can block legitimate priorities like professional reading.
  • Encourage self-reflection to uncover and rewrite such messages:
    • “What messages are we telling ourselves about why we say something is important, but we actually can’t live it?” — Antonia Bowring [25:30]

5. Building Balance & Preventing Burnout

• [26:13] Self-care and Social Connection:

  • Both guest and host discuss the importance of intentionally making time for leisure (“Board game night is incredibly important for being a functional human.” — William Curb [27:45])
  • The system supports not only work but also nourishing non-work aspects of life for overall well-being.

• [28:51] Keystone Habits for Stability

  • “All those keystone habits… cascade into all other parts of life to make us mentally and physically happier and more stable.” — Antonia Bowring

6. Identity, Intentionality, and Adaptability

• [29:31] Who Do You Want to Be?

  • Planning habits reflect intentions about the kind of person you wish to become—reliable, calm, intentional—not only productive.
  • Quote:
    • “Who do you want to be? That’s what it’s all about.” — Antonia Bowring [29:33]

• [30:58] Flexibility Is Key

  • It’s normal for people with ADHD to switch systems, journals, or apps—don’t let perfectionism block progress.
  • “None of us, we don’t want our thoughts of perfection to get in the way of the possible.” — Antonia Bowring [31:29]

7. Habits to Support Consistency

• [32:55] Stacking and Environmental Cues
  • Pair the weekly planning ritual with an established habit; e.g., a client plans right after Sunday church.
  • Enlist support from family, and build in personal rewards (e.g., a coffee treat).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Clinching Calendar Use:
  “A calendar isn’t even in the system because it’s like ground zero. You have to have one and be using one.” — Antonia Bowring [06:11]

• The Shame of Little Misses:
  “All those times when you don’t do something you think you should have done... that is so destructive for our sense of self.” — Antonia Bowring [09:30]

• The Power of Small Steps:
  “Any step forward is a step forward and celebrate it and note it and say, good job William. Good job Antonia.” — Antonia Bowring [35:16]

Segment Timestamps

| Segment Topic | Timestamps | |-------------------------------------------------|--------------| | Introduction & catching up | 00:58–03:11 | | Antonia’s background & genesis of planner | 03:11–05:36 | | Why planning is self-care | 08:21–10:43 | | Anatomy of the three-part system | 12:21–15:52 | | Flexibility and adapting buckets | 16:03–17:19 | | Connecting weekly buckets to longer-term goals | 17:21–19:47 | | Preventing overload & strategies | 20:28–22:59 | | Prioritization and internal stories | 23:23–26:13 | | Importance of balance and social connection | 27:07–28:51 | | “Who do you want to be?”: Planning as identity | 29:31–31:56 | | Staying consistent with your planning | 32:33–35:10 | | Final takeaways & how to access the planner | 35:10–36:25 |

Key Takeaways & Practical Tips

1. Calendar is Foundational.
   Everyone needs a calendar; it is the platform everything else rests on.

2. Planning = Self-care.
   Approach your weekly planning sessions as acts of kindness to yourself—not chores.

3. Three-Part ADHD System.
   Weekly slot for planning → break tasks into “buckets” → extract daily to-do’s from your buckets.

4. Make it Personal and Adaptive.
   Adjust bucket size and daily lists to avoid overwhelm; flexibility is the system’s superpower.

5. Start Small; Celebrate Progress.
   Tiny consistent steps matter. Every bit of planning counts, and self-celebration fuels motivation.

6. Stack Planning with Existing Routines.
   Tie your weekly planning ritual to another established habit to encourage consistency.

7. Balance and Identity Matter.
   Be intentional about who you want to be—planning empowers you to live that identity day by day.

Accessing Antonia Bowring’s ADHD Success Planner

• Website: abstrategies.com (Find under the ADHD tab; “It’s less than the cost of a latte in New York City!” — Antonia Bowring [36:05])

For more resources and show notes:

• hackingyouradhd.com/210

This summary preserves the episode’s practical wisdom, personal anecdotes, and supportive tone, serving as a roadmap for ADHD-friendly planning and self-compassionate productivity.