Follow your favourite podcasts, listen offline and in the car with CarPlay and Android Auto, and always pick up where you left off. Free to try.
The peculiar thing about attention deficit is that everybody seems to have it these days, whether they've earned it through proper diagnosis or simply absorbed it from an enthusiastic TikTok video filmed in someone's bathroom.
What I've learned, from my own escapades, and partly through reading Peter Shankman's excellent book Faster Than Normal, is that whatever your brain does, you need to learn how to drive it.
This conversation covers the four rules Shankman uses to turn a supposedly defective brain into rather useful equipment, none of which involve medication or particularly virtuous behaviour.
Structure your environment so willpower becomes optional
Eliminate choice wherever possible — routine isn't boring, it's protective
Exercise before you need focus, not after you've lost it
Work with your strengths, delegate the rest
SPONSORS
☺️ MOD.com
Prescription Modafinil for energy and focus.
Free consultation, free shipping and 10% off
Promo code PSYCHOLOGY at MOD.com
🌎 Planet Visionaries Podcast
Alex Honnold interviews people reshaping what's possible
Part of the Rolex Perpetual Plant Initiative
Listen on Apple podcasts
UPGRADE to Premium:
00:00 Sam's ADHD Reality Check03:10 Podcast Intro and Season Kickoff05:23 Reframing ADHD as Strength06:17 ADHD Stereotypes Explained08:15 ADD vs ADHD Breakdown09:41 The Shy Extrovert Story10:53 The Supercar Brain Metaphor12:34 Strengths Over Weaknesses15:26 Rule One: Eliminate Choice22:44 Rule Two: Eat Healthy24:21 Rule Three: Morning Exercise for Dopamine26:08 Rule Four: Active Lifestyle and Micro Workouts28:53 Sleep Fuels Focus29:26 Food as Procrastination31:07 Tools, Assistants and Tracking35:23 Ratings and Book Recommendations36:00 Next Book and Farewell
Topics discussed
Sam shares his recent official ADHD diagnosis and what it finally explained about his life
The TikTok self-diagnosis trend and why overdiagnosis drowns out people who actually have ADHD
Peter Shankman's Faster Than Normal book and the supercar metaphor for the ADHD brain
Why Sam never held a job longer than nine months and what that pattern revealed
The difference between ADD and ADHD and how stereotypes miss quiet, inattentive presentations
Four core rules from the book: eliminate choice, eat well, exercise first, stay active
The apple versus Doritos rule for distinguishing real hunger from boredom eating
How to design your life around your brain instead of fighting your natural weaknesses
Why batching meetings and tracking data helps neurodivergent people protect their focus and energy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
