Podcast: 🎙️Managing ADHD in High-Pressure Environments: Insights from Law School Toolbox Podcast

Lessons from my conversation about thriving with ADHD in challenging academic and professional settings

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I am an ADHD and product management coach helping you change one belief and take one action each week.

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Podcast #3

🦋The Takeaways

Belief: I must push through and sacrifice everything to succeed in demanding environments.

Reality: Success requires sustainable systems for recharging your mental and physical batteries.

Action: Create support systems before you need them.

⭐️Introduction

I recently appeared on the Law School Toolbox podcast to discuss thriving with ADHD in high-pressure environments. While the context was law school, the lessons apply directly to those of us navigating the tech industry.

Just as law students face intense academic pressure, tech workers deal with constant deadlines, rapid change, and high expectations. Both environments can quickly drain your mental battery if you don't have the right support systems in place.

You can check out the episode below or read on for a version I’ve adapted for a newsletter issue.

😵‍💫The Belief - Success means sacrificing everything else

In demanding environments like tech or law, there's often pressure to give "110%" to succeed. You might think you need to:

• Work longer hours than everyone else

• Always be available

• Skip self-care to meet deadlines

• Push through exhaustion

• Hide your struggles and show no weakness

This mindset is particularly dangerous for those of us with ADHD. We often compensate for our differences by working harder, longer, and at the expense of our well-being.

I still fall victim to this. Up until a few weeks ago, I believed I could lead 2 companies, work full-time, write a newsletter, and raise a child.

This one time I sacrificed my body to get a master’s thesis done. I’m on the right. I think I’d rather fight in ring people than try to make it to academia again. Shoutout to all my academia friends who made it through.

🤝The Reality - You're a battery, not a machine

During the podcast, I shared my battery analogy: Think of yourself as a battery pack with varying charging ports. Some days you have multiple ways to recharge, other days just one. The key isn't pushing until you're empty - it's managing your energy strategically.

In my current self-care system, my goal is to achieve the following:

• 8 hours of sleep (with help from a sleep consultant)

• Running 5 days a week

• Bi-weekly therapy

• Regular psychiatrist check-ins

• Dedicated time for writing and reflection

This isn't "extra" stuff - it's the foundation that enables everything else. Without it, I wouldn't be able to maintain my roles as a tech worker, father, coach, writer, and entrepreneur. I’m not perfect at it but I do enough of it that it works for me.

As I mentioned in the podcast, "If you burn your battery out, that impact is going to carry with you for the rest of your life. You can always get another job, but you can't repair your mind and body as easily."

🛠️The Action - Build your support system before you need it

1. Identify your battery drainers. - Track what activities, environments, or interactions drain your energy the most. Understanding these helps you plan better and build in recovery time. This is similar to the Spoons Theory but adds an element of recharge.

2. Map your charging methods. - List activities that genuinely recharge you. Not just what you think should work, but what actually helps you feel restored.

3. Create sustainable routines. - Build regular recharging activities into your schedule. Don't wait until you're depleted to think about self-care. The first thing I do with new clients is establish a sleep routine. Sleep and rest are the foundation for everything else.

4. Assemble your care team. - Consider which professionals might help: therapist, psychiatrist, coach, mentor. You don't need everyone at once but know your options.

   1. If you don’t have access to professionals, create a small library of your favorite resources and tips and you can always come back and refer to them. I say small because you want something you can pick up and immediately find something you can use.

5. Set and maintain boundaries. - Protect your recharge time as fiercely as you would any other important meeting or deadline.

   1. In the tech world, the job will always take everything you give it and never give it back. It’s up to you to set the boundary.

6. Monitor and adjust. - Your needs will change over time. Regularly assess if your support system still serves you.

   1. People and bodies change over time. If a system is no longer working for you, change it up. Believe in broken processes, not broken people.

✨Conclusion

Success in demanding environments isn't about pushing through at all costs. It's about creating sustainable systems that allow you to perform consistently over time.

You can listen to the full podcast episode here to learn more about managing ADHD in high-pressure environments, including detailed strategies for emotional regulation and professional support.

Taking care of yourself isn't a distraction from success - it's a prerequisite for it. Your brain is your most valuable asset in tech. Treat it accordingly.

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⏭️Next Week

I’m still surprised I managed to get this done so early in the week I don’t know what I’ll do next yet.