Podcast Summary: Translating ADHD

Episode: “Rebroadcast: Letting it Be Easy with ADHD”

Hosts: Shelley (formerly credited as Dusty) and Cam
Release Date: June 17, 2025

Overview

This episode explores the philosophy of “Let it Be Easy,” focusing on how adults with ADHD tend to overcomplicate their systems, tasks, and daily life, making things more difficult than they need to be. Shelley and Cam, both ADHD coaches, discuss the importance of zooming out, questioning longstanding routines, and giving oneself permission to adopt simpler, sustainable practices. The hosts share client stories, practical strategies, and personal reflections, demonstrating how ease can become a guiding principle—not just a productivity hack.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origin of ‘Let it Be Easy’

• The phrase comes from Janine Adams, a professional organizer who rejuvenated her local NAPO chapter by simplifying systems and processes ([01:00]).
  • Quote:

    “Her philosophy for that term was, Let it be easy. ... I find Let It Be Easy really fascinating, because I think people in general are bad at letting it be easy. And then you throw ADHD into the mix, and it's even worse.” — Shelley ([01:45])

2. Common Barriers to Letting Things Be Easy, Especially with ADHD

• Failure to Zoom Out: Both neurotypical and ADHD individuals struggle to pause and see the bigger picture when tackling challenges ([02:30]).
• Over-contextualizing:
  • ADHD brains make tasks more complicated, often adding unnecessary steps or details—"making better" is confused with "making it more complex."
  • Example: Simple email responses become overloaded with irrelevant context ([06:15]).
  • Quote:

    “We will often see this in email exchanges… the answer is buried somewhere in paragraph three. We're kind of doing our own processing, but then sharing all that processing…” — Cam ([06:15])

• Seeking Product Solutions First:
  • Many start organizing by buying containers instead of understanding the underlying need ([08:26]).
  • Quote:

    “Starting an organizing project by going out and buying a bunch of organizing supplies… If your goal is to sit, simplify, you're adding to...” — Shelley ([08:35])

3. Clear Steps to Letting It Be Easy

• Pause & Zoom Out:
  • Identify the real challenge instead of jumping straight into systems or solutions ([10:00]).
  • Quote:

    “The first thing to look at is what is it that we're actually trying to solve here? What is the challenge?” — Shelley ([10:00])

• Focus on Practice, Not Just Systems:
  • Distinguish between daily practices and rigid systems—often, less is more.
  • Example: Eliminating unnecessary paperwork before systematizing what remains ([10:48]).
• Question Default Methods:
  • Encourage trying new, personalized solutions instead of seeking permission or defaulting to conventional approaches ([12:31]).
  • Quote:

    “She almost asked me for permission to do something differently because we're so inclined to just do things the way they've always been done...” — Shelley ([12:50])

4. Doers vs. Planners: Two Sides of the Challenge

• The ‘Doer’ Trap:
  • Reactive mode, difficulty pausing, missing opportunities to reflect or pivot ([12:31]).
• The ‘Planner’ Trap:
  • Stuck in research/planning, seeking the “one right way,” which leads to inaction ([14:23]).
  • Example: Client over-preparing for a dissertation defense by endlessly Googling strategies ([15:12]).
  • Quote:

    “We often default, especially if we're prone to being stuck in the planner… go looking for someone to tell us the exact right way to do it.” — Shelley ([15:45])

5. Case Studies & Client Stories

• Attorney with Paper Overload:
  • Rather than organizing all paper, they limited what landed on her desk to truly necessary items ([03:51], [05:48]).
• CEO and Delegation:
  • A leader’s instinct to “pitch in” resulted in lack of delegation and blurred priorities. Cam helped him see delegation as a strength, not a failure ([18:09]).
  • Quote:

    “He thought handoff meant failure. If I hand this off, I'm somehow failing my people.” — Cam ([22:30])

• Music Teacher Rosemary:
  • Felt compelled to give 120% everywhere. Learned the importance of distinguishing where maximum effort was required vs. where “good enough” sufficed ([24:46]).
  • Quote:

    “She was showing up at school thinking that she needed to apply herself 120% at everything... that recognition of… you mean I can sort of dial up in some areas and dial back in others?” — Cam ([23:56])

• Shelley and Hiring a Housekeeper:
  • Overcame guilt and self-imposed expectations (“shoulds”) to let herself use outside help, improving well-being and productivity ([25:30]).
  • Quote:

    “Most of the barrier had to do with my feeling like I, I should be able to clean my whole house myself…” — Shelley ([25:50])

6. Practical Strategies & Takeaways

• Allow Transition Time:
  • Recognize the discomfort in shifting between planning and doing; transitions need space and patience ([26:51]).
  • The Ten-Minute Rule:
    • Commit to just ten minutes on a challenging task (whether pausing to zoom out or initiating action). Building the habit is more important than perfection ([29:43]).
    • Quote:

      “This especially works well for getting into an activity to take that first step. ... You can and you will. And what's important about this is this is a muscle you're developing.” — Cam ([29:43])

• Reframe Simplicity as Strength:
  • Letting things be easy is a healthy and sustainable approach, not a shortcut or sign of weakness ([30:08]).
  • Quote:

    “It's awesome to let things be easy. And it's so screwy in the society we live in that puts so much value on productivity and output. ... Stuff doesn't have to be hard for the sake of being hard. It just doesn't.” — Shelley ([31:11])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On over-complicating as an ADHD trait:

  “We really struggle to let things be easy.” — Shelley ([02:19])

• On shifting perspective:

  “The zoom out is about pausing, stopping what you're doing, and kind of taking a step back.” — Cam ([11:00])

• On challenging the “shoulds”:

  “Do I have to do it this way just because it's the way it ought to be done?” — Shelley ([12:31])

• On letting go of guilt:

  “It's the best investment I made not just in my business, but in myself for self care too.” — Shelley ([26:30])

• On embracing easy as an identity:

  “Let it be easy is something you can ask yourself when approaching any problem. ... I don't feel guilty about that anymore. It's just who I am and it's okay. Not only is it okay, it's awesome.” — Shelley ([30:25])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:00 – 02:20: Introduction to “Let it Be Easy” philosophy
• 03:51 – 05:48: Attorney client and paperwork overload case study
• 06:12 – 08:26: Why “doing the easy thing” is hard with ADHD; Over-contextualization
• 08:26 – 10:00: “Product solutions” trap in organizing/ADHD
• 10:00 – 12:31: Zooming out, identifying root challenges, permission to do things differently
• 14:23 – 15:12: The Planner’s dilemma—paralysis by research; dissertation anecdote
• 18:09 – 22:30: CEO, delegation, and the emotional barriers to handoff
• 24:46 – 26:30: Rosemary the music teacher—expectations, effort, and distinguishing priorities
• 25:30 – 26:50: Shelley’s personal story—hiring a housekeeper; letting go of “shoulds”
• 29:43 – 30:08: The Ten-Minute Rule—building the ease habit
• 30:08 – 31:36: Letting it be easy as a way of being, not just a tool

Final Thoughts

The episode encourages listeners to embrace ease in work and life—not as laziness, but as a path to sustainability and authenticity. Both hosts stress the need to challenge internalized expectations, allow for transitions between modes, and see simplicity as resourceful. The tools and stories shared offer actionable insight for listeners with ADHD (and beyond) to start “letting it be easy”—one step at a time.