Podcast Summary: Overcoming Distractions – Thriving with ADHD, ADD
Episode: Follow the Energy – Boosting Time Management with ADHD
Host: David A. Greenwood
Date: May 2, 2025
Episode Overview
In this insightful solo episode, host Dave Greenwood takes a practical, empathetic look at a linchpin of productivity for adults with ADHD: managing time by understanding and working with your natural energy rhythms. Greenwood, leveraging both personal experience and expert advice, shifts the conversation from classic time management techniques to a more energy-centered approach—sharing actionable strategies, relatable anecdotes, and real-world guidance for busy professionals, especially entrepreneurs and high achievers juggling ADHD and demanding workloads.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Centrality of Energy in ADHD Time Management
- Greenwood establishes that optimizing your energy—not just time—is crucial for fulfillment and productivity with ADHD.
- “You can’t have that discussion [about thriving with ADHD] without understanding how energy makes that happen.” (02:23)
- References Ned Hallowell's core ADHD advice: “Find the right job and marry the right person.” (03:09)
- Promotes episode with Shel Mendelsohn on ADHD & career fit for further exploration.
2. Recognizing and Leveraging Energy Peaks
- Self-awareness about your daily energy highs (when you feel most alert, creative, focused) allows you to “move the needle” more effectively.
- “Block out those most demanding work for your peak energy time...use those high energy peaks for those, the demanding work, right?” (05:23)
- Practical tip: Schedule deep work, big meetings, or presentations during your personal energy highs; avoid using these slots for shallow tasks (emails, admin).
3. Guarding Prime Energy & Identifying How You Work Best
- Learn to protect your high-energy windows.
- “You have to avoid wasting that prime energy time on things like emails or admins or other distractions that get in our way.” (06:11)
- Repeated rhetorical: “Do you know how you work best?” (06:42)
- Greenwoods' advice: Structure your day around energy, not clock hours.
4. Quick Energy Boost Strategies
- When energy dips, short, personal recharging activities can help—Greenwood shares his favorites:
- Walks, connecting with friends, quick music sessions (death metal or symphony!), reading, or cooking.
- “My crazy things...I throw cold water on my face...It wakes me up.” (09:56)
- “When I ran my PR firm, it was a drawer full of chocolate at 3pm and sorry, not sorry, that might not be the best advice, but I don’t care.” (11:08)
5. Honoring Low Energy Periods & Productive Pauses
- Don’t force productivity during energy dips—instead, use them for mindless tasks or creative thinking (“staring out the window”).
- Advocates recharging: “You’ll come back sharper.” (12:37)
- Recognize that not every workday will hit perfect flow, and that’s normal.
6. Choosing Ease Over Forcing It
- “Ask yourself, what’s the path of least resistance right now that’s still going to get me forward.” (15:01)
- Sometimes that means doing what’s easiest to build momentum or knowing when to call it a day.
7. Regular Energy Check-ins
- Make it a habit to pause frequently and self-assess: “Where’s my energy right now? Is there one thing I can do that manages how I’m feeling?” (16:15)
- “Even if it’s for a couple minutes, just like, assess where you are—and it’s okay to pivot a little bit.” (17:39)
8. Energy-Based Planning
- Go beyond time blocking: “It doesn’t work if you don’t match the energy to the task.” (18:30)
- Plan creative, focused, or research-heavy tasks when energy is high; routine tasks for other times.
- Shares his practice: schedules meetings Tue/Wed/Thu, preserving Mon/Fri for deep, interruption-free work. (20:12)
9. Incorporating Recovery and Breaks
- Integrate micro-recoveries: stretching, hydration, stepping outside, breath work, or a quick motivational song between meetings or tasks. (21:13)
- On caregiving or other major commitments: plan for extra recovery or lighter workloads afterward to avoid burnout.
10. Saying No and Preserving Your Energy
- “Saying no is a big factor in preserving your energy because the more you say yes to, the more your energy is going to get drained.” (24:47)
- Ask: “Is this mine right now? Is this mine to carry?” If not urgent or essential—delegate, defer, or decline where possible.
11. Exercise as Energy Foundation
- “Go to the gym, please...the energy you get from having some consistent exercise is mission critical for us.” (27:00)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “You got to know your energy peaks, right? ...Use this to your advantage.” (05:03)
- “Block out those most demanding work for your peak energy time...You got to protect it too.” (05:23)
- “My crazy things...I throw cold water on my face when I really got to get something done and I just got to, like, it wakes me up.” (09:56)
- “I will confess, when I ran my PR firm, it was a drawer full of chocolate at 3pm, and sorry, not sorry, that might not be the best advice, but I don’t care. I love chocolate.” (11:08)
- “Most of us trying to crank out a piece of work at 9 o’clock at night is usually not going to work out so well.” (14:14)
- “Sometimes we just need to do what’s easy and quick and what gets things done.” (15:13)
- “You got to make it a habit. You got to just stop yourself and sit there and say, you know what, where’s my energy right now?” (16:15)
- “It doesn’t work if you don’t match the energy to the task.” (18:30)
- “Saying no is a big factor in preserving your energy because the more you say yes to, the more your energy is going to get drained.” (24:47)
- “The energy you get from having some consistent exercise is mission critical for us.” (27:00)
- “Energy to those of us with ADHD is absolutely mission critical for us to pay attention to.” (27:58)
Important Timestamps
- Main Topic Introduction: 00:48
- Energy as Fulfillment and Productivity Driver: 02:23
- Ned Hallowell’s Foundational Advice: 03:09
- How to Identify and Use Energy Peaks: 05:03 – 07:35
- Personal Energy Boost Strategies: 09:56 – 11:35
- Honoring Low-Energy Times: 12:12 – 14:15
- Choosing Ease and Path of Least Resistance: 15:01 – 16:13
- Energy Check-ins and Pausing: 16:15 – 18:10
- Energy-Based Planning: 18:20 – 21:13
- Recovery Moments & Major Commitment Drain: 21:13 – 23:30
- Preserving Energy (Saying No): 24:14 – 25:08
- The Importance of Exercise: 27:00
Conclusion
This episode delivers a grounded, energizing perspective on time management for adults with ADHD—urging listeners to experiment with their routines, honor their unique energy waves, and build strategies that work with their brains, not against them. Greenwood’s tone is practical and conversational, offering listeners a toolkit of real-life strategies interwoven with encouragement and humor.
Final takeaway:
“Energy to those of us with ADHD is absolutely mission critical for us to pay attention to.” (27:58)