Episode Overview
Title: Prioritization for the Real World When You Have Adult ADHD
Host: David A. Greenwood
Date: February 16, 2026
This episode of Overcoming Distractions – Thriving with ADHD, ADD dives deep into the messy reality of prioritizing work and responsibilities as a busy adult with ADHD. Solo host Dave Greenwood—author, entrepreneur, and ADHD coach—shares “street smart” strategies for sorting, selecting, and actually getting important tasks done, all with candid insight into the unique challenges that ADHDers face. The guidance is targeted at professional adults, entrepreneurs, and business owners struggling to wrangle endless to-do lists while managing fluctuating energy and focus.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
The Challenge of Prioritization with ADHD
[02:25]
- ADHD brains naturally struggle with prioritization, especially in busy, demanding environments (“Everything feels urgent, right? Boom. I think we just described adult ADHD in a busy environment. Right. Everything feels urgent.” — Dave Greenwood, 03:27)
- Tendency to choose what’s most interesting, immediately rewarding, or easy, not always what’s most important
- Chronic overestimation of daily capacity, leading to overwhelm
- Avoidance of unclear, high-impact tasks and conflation of activity/busyness with real progress
Prioritization is About Clarity, Not Just Discipline
[04:10]
- “For those of us who are busy people with ADHD, prioritization… it’s not about discipline. I think it’s about clarity… and managing our energy around those times we dedicate to trying to get stuff done.” — Dave Greenwood (04:27)
- Prioritization is less about organizing everything, more about knowing what’s genuinely important right now
The Eisenhower Matrix—Useful, but Not Always ADHD-Friendly
[06:00]
- Dave briefly recaps the classic Eisenhower Matrix (urgent/important vs. not urgent/not important)
- Recognizes that the system can feel too complex for ADHD minds
- Some need something even more intuitive and practical
Dave’s ADHD-Friendly Prioritization Framework
[08:20]
Dave introduces a simplified “Must, Should, Could” sorting system:
- Must:
- Non-negotiable, true consequences—limit these to 1-3 “musts” a day (“Keep that to like one to three items… These are the three most important things I need to get done today.” — Dave Greenwood, 09:20)
- Should:
- Important, valuable, but flexible on timing—progress is nice, but not critical
- Could:
- Low-impact, “nice to have” tasks, best left for low-energy moments ("It's also maybe kind of easy to just knock off your list when 4 o'clock in the afternoon hits and you've got some low energy." — 10:05)
Notable Moment [10:50]:
“If everything is like a must-have, then absolutely nothing is. And then we get to five o’clock and we wonder what we did. So, been there, done that.” — Dave Greenwood
High Impact vs. Low Impact
[11:15]
- Recommends sorting tasks by impact, not just urgency:
- High Impact: Revenue generation, important decisions, strategic planning, deadline-driven deliverables, important relationship conversations
- Low Impact: Inbox cleaning, minor formatting, perfectionist tendencies, tasks that “feel productive but change absolutely nothing”
Practical Steps for Prioritization—ADHD Edition
[15:15]
-
Externalize everything:
- Write a fresh list (legal pad, whiteboard, etc.), keeping nothing in your head
- Highlight or circle mission-critical items
- Use color-coding, symbols, or whatever visual cues work
-
Pick your top 1-3 “musts” per day:
- Physically separate them (Post-it note, small notepad)
- Dave shares his own “caveman” approach: “I keep like a running list… and I will take a Post-it… and I’ll put my three things right on there.” (17:12)
-
Schedule and protect your focus time:
- Block out calendar space for those top tasks
- “Protect that time at all costs. That’s your time. Keep your word to yourself.” — Dave Greenwood [18:00]
Match Tasks to Energy Levels, Not Just Time
[18:35]
- Manage energy zones:
- High focus: Deep work (strategy, big projects)—schedule for peak energy (Dave: “For me… it’s the morning. I can kick ass in the morning.” [19:45])
- Moderate: Meetings, semi-structured tasks
- Low: Admin, logistics, simple emails—for dips in focus/energy
- Insight: “Prioritizing things is a skill. It’s a muscle. We build with those systems… it’s not a trait… it’s not a flaw.” — Dave Greenwood [20:22]
Key Takeaways for Prioritizing with ADHD
[21:00]
- Urgent ≠ Important. (“Urgent does not mean important… something is urgent, but it may not be important… and something may be important but not urgent.” — Dave Greenwood)
- Busy ≠ Productive. “If you get to five o’clock… and you can’t tell me what you did, you might have been busy, but you certainly didn’t get anything done.”
- **Energy is as important, if not more important, than the time we allot to something.”
- Prioritization can be learned. Progress over perfection is key, and systems create control and clarity.
- If your weeks feel out of control, it’s usually missing systems, not personal failing.
Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)
-
“Everything feels urgent, right? Boom. I think we just described adult ADHD in a busy environment.”
—Dave Greenwood [03:27] -
“For those of us who are busy people with ADHD, prioritization… it’s not about discipline… it’s about clarity… and managing our energy.”
—Dave Greenwood [04:27] -
“If everything is like a must-have, then absolutely nothing is. And then we get to five o’clock and we wonder what we did. So, been there, done that.”
—Dave Greenwood [10:50] -
“Protect that time at all costs. That’s your time. Keep your word to yourself.”
—Dave Greenwood [18:00] -
“Prioritizing things is a skill. It’s a muscle… it’s not a trait… it’s not a flaw.”
—Dave Greenwood [20:22] -
“Urgent does not mean important, right? Something is urgent, but it may not be important. And something may be important but not urgent. Busy doesn’t mean productive.”
—Dave Greenwood [21:05]
Episode Structure & Flow
- Opening reflections and context for the episode [00:07-02:25]
- Identifying why prioritization is extra tough with ADHD [02:25-04:10]
- Framing prioritization as clarity and energy-management [04:10-06:00]
- Eisenhower Box recap [06:00-08:20]
- “Must, Should, Could” system explained [08:20-11:15]
- High-impact vs. low-impact distinctions [11:15-13:15]
- Practical prioritizing steps for ADHD adults [15:15-18:00]
- Energy management and matching tasks to focus [18:35-20:40]
- Final reflections and core lessons [20:40-end]
Final Thoughts
Dave Greenwood’s advice in this episode is warm, non-judgmental, and practical for adults with ADHD juggling chaotic workloads. The essence is to simplify, externalize, and focus on real impact (not just activity)—with systems tailored to ADHD brains and energy patterns. Progress > Perfection, one “must” at a time.
For further support or coaching, Dave reminds listeners to visit overcomingdistractions.com and book a chat [closing reminder].