Episode 21: Alex Wait

Focus and Chill - productivity tactics for AuDHDers and other neurodivergent folks

Welcome to episode #21 - Joining us today is the incredible Alex Wait! With ADHD as a part of his journey, he's dedicated himself to making a difference in the world through social justice work. Through his company, Epics Productions, Alex helps people share their powerful stories to create change. As the host of The Epics Podcast, he amplifies the voices of marginalized communities, ensuring everyone's story is heard. Empowering and humanizing individuals who are often overlooked, let's give a warm welcome to Alex! Hey Alex May the 4th be with you!

Questions

1. JN: Can you tell us about your experience with neurodiversity? When did you realize that you weren’t neurotypical? What challenges did you face? What is it like now?
   1. Not diagnosed until 20 (relatively late in life)
   2. Went to college but not knowing what to do
      1. Spanish
         1. With difficulty came disengagement with content
      2. Syllabus Math?
   3. Wasn’t doing great in school
      1. The turning point was when he missed the exam entirely
         1. Realised it was a form of hyper fixation
         2. Feeling terrible shame
            1. Any advice for people in a similar situation to overcome the shame to get help?
               1. Took a lot of work
                  1. Building up a stronger opinion of oneself
                  2. His wife is a great ally. They help each other out
                     1. They hold each other accountable
               2. Everyone has to try a few things and see what tactics /strategy works for them
                  1. Accept that it might take some trial and error
                  2. Accept that no tool is going to be the silver bullet
                  3. Accept that it won’t work forever
      2. Parents offered to pay for therapy
         1. Therapist diagnosed with ADHD
            1. Helped connect a lot of dots
            2. Gave a more sensible lens to understand
               1. Created space for success
               2. Lean into the positive sides of ADHD
2. JC: What "work" projects are you concentrating on?
   1. Business:
      1. Podcast Epic Podcasts (weekly on Fridays)
         1. Social justice focus: bring on diverse guests to encourage shared dialogue
            1. Uniquely placed because people accept podcasts can still be long form
      2. Epic Productions:
         1. Helping not-for-profits/causes to produce podcasts
   2. Restaurant work (selling margheritas) to pay the bills:
      1. Fast-paced?
3. JN: How about the rest of the time? What do you enjoy doing in your off time?
   1. Listening to podcasts while biking
      1. Loves Colorado, conducive to outdoor activities
   2. Hanging with kids
      1. Throwing rocks into the water
      2. Building Lego
         1. Star Wars sets
4. JC: What does your morning routine look like and how has it evolved over time?
   1. Challenges:
      1. Tricky with restaurants over the weekend/TV - late nights
      2. Desire to spend more time with kids means not much freedom in the morning
   2. What works
      1. Don’t buy a second car: take kids to school on an e-bike - builds exercise into the morning
         1. Prefer biking over running
      2. Get on the floor with kids: wrestle with them, go to the playground
      3. Play with dog
5. COMMERCIAL BREAK
6. JN: What do you do to optimize productivity during your working hours?
   1. Accountability
   2. Experiment with different options (Won’t work forever)
   3. Using AI
      1. ChatGPT
         1. Writing intros/outros for podcasts
   4. Using lists and spreadsheets
      1. For everything
      2. On Google Sheets
         1. Having status bars
         2. Because decentralized, anyone can see it baked into accountability
      3. Motion: time-blocking software
      4. ToDoist
7. JC: What is one habit you'd like to remove from your life (either a bad habit or one that takes up too much time)?
   1. Writing bedtime stories for kids using ChatGPT with moral messages (“Don’t throw rocks at your brother”)
   2. Star Wars content creation wormhole
   3. Tool creep - spending too much time setting up new apps/setting up new lists
8. JN: How do you switch off at night?
   1. Wearing blue light glasses at night (trying it out)
      1. Not consistent
   2. Uses some medication
   3. Listen to an audiobook (good segue into the next)
      1. Mainly fiction, things that are familiar
         1. Harry Potter
         2. LOTR
9. JC: Listening to Audiobooks going to sleep: What resources (books, philosophies, apps, sensory toys) do you find most helpful for productivity and habit formation?
   1. Shelf help: books on habit formation
   2. Podcasts work better - auditory information consumption
      1. Sports-related (escape)
      2. Armchair expert
10. JN: Where can people connect with you or find your work?
    1. @epicspod
    2. epicspodcast.com
11. JC: Do you have any final words or asks for our audience?
    1. Do your best to have grace for yourself
    2. You’re not going to be great at it initially but you’ll get better
    3. Trust is something you have to practice
       1. We don’t trust ourselves
    4. Find community
       1. E.g. Facebook groups for Dads with ADHD/Adult Men with ADHD
       2. Follow neuro-distinct influencers