#076: In this episode, I discuss the importance of making daily choices and limiting situations that trigger destructive behavior. I also explore the role of environment in building positive habits and share practical tips for managing ADHD. Enjoy listening!
ADHD POWER LINKS
Sources
Timestamps
(00:00:00) Introduction
(00:00:27) The Power of Daily Choices
(00:01:24) Limiting Destructive Behavior
(00:05:06) Creating a Productive Environment
(00:11:18) Building Positive Habits
(00:15:10) Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone
#076: In this episode, I discuss the importance of making daily choices and limiting situations that trigger destructive behavior. I also explore the role of environment in building positive habits and share practical tips for managing ADHD. Enjoy listening!
ADHD POWER LINKS
Sources
Timestamps
(00:00:00) Introduction
(00:00:27) The Power of Daily Choices
(00:01:24) Limiting Destructive Behavior
(00:05:06) Creating a Productive Environment
(00:11:18) Building Positive Habits
(00:15:10) Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone
The most successful ADHDers in the world see ADHD as a superpower. This podcast, adhd Power, is my attempt to document the many failures and lessons I've learned on my journey of living a high performance life with ADHD. My hope is that you use these lessons to increase your productivity and maybe someday soon, turn your ADHD into a valuable asset in your life. Please share and enjoy. So, hey, adhd high performers, I want to share something with you in regards to ADHD and discipline. More precise, I observed something, and that is that the most disciplined ADHDers don't have more self-control. They just make different daily choices. Adhders who seem to have a lot of self-discipline are really better at limiting the temptations in their environment. It seems like they don't have ADHD, but the truth is they limit situations where they need to resist the temptation to engage in destructive behavior. They understand that the more available destructive behavior is, the more likely they are to try it. And in that regard, I really love the following quote from entrepreneur Alex Hormozzi he shared in a tweet People with self-discipline don't have more willpower. They figure out how to alter their environment ahead of time to make it easy for them later. So it's not about resisting the cookies right now, it's about removing them from sight two days ago. So my conclusion from this quote is basically If I want to change my behavior fast, the easiest thing to change is my environment, because the environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behavior. It is easier to build new habits in a new environment because I'm not fighting against all cues that are triggering my bad behaviors. I would say that's a pretty good message for those of us with ADHD who are struggling with discipline. And another quote in that regards that I really love is from James Clear from the book Atomic Habits, and Clear wrote when scientists analyze people who appear to have tremendous self-control, it turns out those individuals aren't all that different from those who are struggling. Instead, disciplined people are better at structuring their lives in a way that does not require heroic willpower and self-control. In other words, they spend less time in tempting situations. I would say the main takeaway from that quote is that people with self-control, or with high self-control, tend to spend less time in tempting situations. It's easier to avoid temptation than resist it, and in that regard, I would like to share with you a story from my ADHD journey. Okay, in regards to discipline and environment, basically Now in my teenage years I attended regular parties.
Speaker 1:I would get drunk on weekends and smoke cigarettes and of course, as you know, I went all in as an ADHD or you know it all or nothing mentality. But today, on the other hand, I'm 25. I don't smoke cigarettes and I drink max once or twice per year, a small amount of alcohol, basically because I really don't like alcohol anymore. I really like to have a clear head, to have meaningful conversations, and that's also, yeah, basically it's not any more part of my identity, I would say, alcohol. Therefore, I really really rarely drink alcohol. I basically have this rule that in my life I only drink still water, sometimes a tea like ginger tea, green tea, but actually also really rarely, and sometimes a protein shake. That's all what I'm drinking. Yeah, my fluent intake, that's all what it is, and that makes it also easier and, by the way, I have not mentioned that I'm drinking beverages. I'm not drinking beverages because what I experienced when I drank in the past like six, seven years ago, coca-cola and stuff like that it worsened my negative symptoms of ADHD and therefore it's not any more part of my productivity system, I would say for high performance life with ADHD, because it worsened my symptoms and also because of health reasons, obviously, yeah, it's, from my point of view, not too healthy to drink too much sherry beverages, so that definitely helped me on my journey. So I make it really easy.
Speaker 1:I have a clear rule what I drink and I really really drink it rarely. I'll call them actually thinking about completely quitting alcohol because, as I said, I like to have meaningful conversation, I like to be fully clear in my head, basically, alright, so I have made this change in my life. Now I would like to share with you what I actually changed or what helped me support me to now not engage anymore in those bad habits. And it's really obvious, an obvious thing, and that is simply stop attending parties Really obvious. And the cool thing is not attending parties at all, or really really rarely, I would say. Like that, it has basically two benefits and the first benefit is my answer is already predefined if I get invited to a party. So if I get this request of hey, do you want to attend this party, I already know the answer and it is no. So that helps me to set clear priorities and it removes a little bit this mental clutter, basically because I don't need to think. It makes it really easy and to give you a clear example, where I actually apply that is, it was in, or it is in, my Master's degree.
Speaker 1:When I started my pursue a Master's degree last year, in 2022, I actually never engaged in any parties and after a period I actually clearly defined hey, I don't engage in parties while I'm pursuing my Master's degree. That's basically the boundaries that I'm setting for myself. Up the rules and it makes it really so easy because always when I get asked, I simply say no and the intention is not like. It's not like because I have something against anybody. Not at all. That's not the point. The point is really simply for myself, I define that it makes my life a little bit easier and then I don't need to resist the urge to do something. To engage in bad behavior Makes it a lot easier for me and I also can stick to my fixed sleep schedule and stuff like that. So that is simply this rule that I have, for example, in regards to attending parties, makes life a little bit more convenient and I would say also it reduces cognitive load and free supplemental capacity, so I can then allocate my attention to more important things in my life, because now I don't need to think, oh, should I attend or should I not, and what is person thinks of me? If I don't attend, I don't care, I already. For me it's pretty fine. It makes it a little bit easier for me, especially because we ADHD are, tend sometimes to be a little bit more individuals who are more over thinking things and having certain rules in my life have found really beneficial for me.
Speaker 1:The second benefit in regards to not attending parties and that is a little bit more related to environment again is or also related to environment again is I don't need to resist the temptation to drink alcohol. That's what I just mentioned. Yeah, I simply don't need to resist. It's way easier for me. If I don't attend a party, I don't need to resist the temptation or resist the temptation to drink alcohol because I don't have these cues that are triggering my behavior. Yeah, it's like, for example, if you have a lot of unhealthy food in your apartment, you have a lot of cues that can trigger them actually eating bad food, and we can do also the opposite or the inverse of that is then basically like in regards to positive habits, like if you have a book in front of you, you have a cue that triggers then this habit of reading or that can help you to build up the habit of reading. Yeah, you can always think okay, how can I make this habit as obvious as possible, so a positive, healthy habit and the negative habit as invisible as possible, and I would say that's something to consider that regards. So the second benefit is I don't need to resist the temptation to drink.
Speaker 1:Alcohol makes it a little bit more easier for me in regards to simply not attending parties. Yeah, now to go one step further when it comes to destructive behavior, many of us with ADHD, yeah, we struggle a little bit with destructive behavior. Yeah, since some of us, we tend to be a little bit more impulsive when it comes, for example, to binge eating or drinking alcohol, whatever bad behavior. What helped me in that regard is I simply asked my question how can I limit the temptations in my environment? So, always when I'm confronted with destructive behavior, how can I limit the temptations in my environment? So, for instance, if I don't want to scroll before sleeping, or before many years I already stopped doing. What I started to do is simply to place my phone somewhere else where I can see it, or at least where I don't see it so obvious and replace it with my book, and nowadays, next to my bed I always have or on my bed sometimes also I have a book, and because I have there a book, that is the cue that triggers then the behavior of reading. Yeah, makes it a little bit easier for me.
Speaker 1:Real quick, idhd high performers, you may know that we don't run any ads to grow this podcast, so the only ask that I have for you is that you help me spread the word to help more working professionals and entrepreneurs with IDHD overcome procrastination, be more productive, have their life in order and use their superpower to make the world a better place. And the only way we do that is if you could rate, review and share this podcast. So the single thing that I ask you to do is just leave a review that takes you 10 seconds or one time with your thumb. That would mean a lot to me and, more importantly, it may change someone else's world. Now, this question that I just shared with you, that supports me in reducing also the emotions and feelings and thoughts that occur when I need to resist the temptations.
Speaker 1:Basically, I remove and limit the cues that can transform into cravings. I limit, basically things that can trigger a bad behavior, because then it doesn't translate into cravings To drive that point home. It's like when you smell tasty food that translate into that craving oh I want to eat now. But if you don't have this cue, like this smell, it doesn't appear that you get hungry, for example. So making a better decision is easy and natural when the cues for good habits are right in front of me, yeah, like, for instance, on my desk. I have also some books and again, that gives me the incentive to read more. I always, everywhere I have cues, and one strong cue is or in general I won't read and the cues are placed all around my apartment, basically In my bedroom here next to my bedroom, in the bathroom, where I also have my office at the same time, I have a lot of books laying around. It makes it a little bit easier for me to actually stick to my habit of reading consistently.
Speaker 1:So I mentioned that example, this quick story, in regards to my ADHD journey with attending parties, not attending parties. I would like to share with you another example how I applied it in my life. So, as you maybe know, I pursued a bachelor's degree in business administration at the University of Basel and then I did an internship and after a year of internship actually already a little bit before I decided to pursue then a master's degree, and not also at another university in St Colin and for those of you who don't know the University of St Colin, it's a small elite university in Switzerland and there I am pursuing a master's degree in general management and that was kind of interesting for me to actually observe what's happening in my life. So during my bachelor's degree, during lectures, during their lectures classes I had, I was always pretty focused taking notes, not speaking with other people. But one thing that I did really really rarely is to raise my hand and ask a question because I was really afraid what other people will think of me.
Speaker 1:Interestingly, once I then changed the environment completely, I went to another university, st Colin, interestingly, there were a lot of high performers, a lot of wonderful, intelligent people, and there obviously you had a lot of people then who during the lectures, they raised their hand. They raised their hand all the time, and that was kind of interesting for me to see. And then I actually already did that before. That was some of my goals, like, at least Once per lecture, per class I raise my hand to ask a question or give any input, whatever, what, what is asked in that situation then? But then basically that I had a lot of people around me who were highly ambitious gave me even more incentive to Raise my hand and don't care about, don't be afraid of doing that. And I actually then come came up up with this rule that each lesson I raise my hand at least once. And, interestingly, what happened? I did that many times and in the beginning was hugely uncomfortable, but the more I did it, the more comfortable and community got. Yeah, and I believe also I could improve a little bit my Presentation skills to a certain degree when it comes to finding the right words etc.
Speaker 1:And actually I want to share with you one quick story that can maybe is interesting for you. I, in the first semester I attended, we had like a mandatory course over several lectures. That was entrepreneurship one, I guess, and In one of the first lectures I guess it was in the first one, I'm not sure the professor asked like who of you already Is engaging in entrepreneurship? First I was a little bit scared, but then I raised my hand and then I shared yeah, ask what I'm doing. I said I'm doing ADHD, high performance coaching, adhd coaching and then he asked me hey, why did you decide to actually start this business or engage in that? And I then said, yeah, hey, I have ADHD myself, something like that. I can't exactly remember what I said, but I said, like, I have ADHD myself and because of that I want to help other people share my lessons, how I actually yeah, I figured out how to live a good life with ADHD and why I'm sharing that with you. That was a there were probably 200 people in this room, I guess, and that was like speaking in front of 200 people from my play. I was sitting, but still 200 people listening to me was kind of like I was a little bit nervous. I got a little bit nervous, to be honest, but I can tell you this situation helped me tremendously to grow and Not be afraid of things like that. I would say so I Detain main take away from that is constantly moving out of my comfort zone.
Speaker 1:Increases or Help me tremendously in my life, made me more resilient, I would say, because life can get so convenient and comfortable, but I try always, when I find myself good, to get comfortable, to do then exactly something that puts me out of this comfort zone, like, for example, now I'm in the US again, new environment, or I raise my hand, you get the chest here. But maybe this is also inspiring to you. So maybe that gives you a little bit inspiration. Because I simply decided for myself I I'm totally transparent that I have ADHD and for me, as you know, I shed it over and over again, but for me it's a true superpower. I don't have any more the negatives because I pay a lot of attention on different things in my life. I only have the positives, and you know it, like creativity, hyper focus, entrepreneurial spirit, etc. Which is, I guess, a pretty valuable thing in nowadays economy. And another story in regards to Environment discipline and so on.
Speaker 1:I read in the book atomic habits. I really really found that really interesting and and in the book atomic habits by James clear, there is a story about American soldiers who were in Vietnam and Again the story shows you a little bit how important is your environment. Now, many of these soldiers started using heroin while they were there in Vietnam and People were really worried that when these soldiers came back to the US from Vietnam they would continue using heroin. But something surprising happened when the soldiers returned home. Most of them stopped using heroin, and James clear uses this story to show how important our Surroundings are for our habits.
Speaker 1:The main point is that when we change where we are and what's around us, it can really help us start good habits and stop bad ones. This story helps explain that if we change our environment, it can make a big difference in changing our behavior For the better. So the fastest way how to change your behavior, I would say, is changing your environment. Basically, now we are almost at the end of this episode, but two things more I want to share with you. First is two questions that really I believe that can help you to become more disciplined.
Speaker 1:As someone with ADHD, that is simply asking yourself does this behavior help me become the type of person I wish to be? And secondly, does this habit cast a vote for or against my desired identity? So to drive that point home, I will give you an example. For instance, if you're, let's say, identity, or the identity you want to build up, is a healthy person becoming a healthy person, you can always ask yourself if you have in front of you like, let's say, blueberries and a chocolate bar, which of these is helping me to become the person I wish to be? And if the answer is okay, the blueberries, yes. Chocolate bar no, go for the blueberries. And it sounds so easy and obvious, and I know it's easy said that, but having such questions in place, I found that tremendously helpful. And still it can be challenging, but give it a shot and maybe it will work for you. So those two questions I wanted to share. And the second thing I wanted to share with you is now the main.
Speaker 1:Take risk from this episode that you know exactly what you can do in future. Maybe to start in order to stick to your habits, to be disciplined, or stick to that, what you're saying you want to do, okay. First thing is, make the cues of your good habits obvious and the cues of your bad habits invisible. Second, people with high self-control tend to spend less time in tempting situations. It's easier to avoid temptation than resist it. The third takeaway is one of the most practical ways to eliminate a bad habit is to reduce exposure to the cue that causes it. So, for instance, if you want to drink less, I'll call. Simply reduce the number of parties you attend. And lastly, take away self-control is a short-term strategy, not the long-term one, I would say.
Speaker 1:And, by the way, those takeaways or in general this episode, was inspired basically from the book, or I used the book Atomic Habits as a foundation for this overall episode. So thank you, james Clear, for writing such a great book. It helped me tremendously now for this episode. Thank you so much. Just wanted to mention that the link to this great book is also in the episode description. All right guys, adhd, high Performance. Thank you so much for listening to this episode and I would say see you in the next one. Bye guys. The All climatic hiking track.