I Was Told I Was "Too Much" My Whole Life — Turns Out That Was the Point. Here's Why. | Clutterbug Episode #346

Cassandra Aarssen (0:00)

I feel like I've talked a lot about ADHD recently, and I've read your comments, and a lot of you say things like, everyone has ADHD, and it's trending, and please stop saying ADHD, Cas.

Buckle up, because today, we're gonna be talking more about ADHD. But before you click away, don't click away.

Here's the reality. Whether you have been diagnosed or not, whether you have ADHD or not, there are strategies that are so helpful. There are tools and techniques and systems that help when your executive function just isn't showing up. And what I mean by executive function is focus. Are you feeling distracted, overwhelmed? Are you having trouble getting motivated? Are you having trouble following through?

If the answer to this is yes, whether you have ADHD or not doesn't really matter. The solutions are the same. And today I'm gonna be talking to my friend Ari Scott. She and I have so much in common and I feel like we connect on a level because we are both so hyper and so obnoxious that I don't know, it feels kind of like looking in a mirror when I'm chatting with her. Except if in that mirror, I had a very cool accent. My point is we're gonna talk to Ari about ADHD and entrepreneurship because if you have a brain like ours, it's really hard to keep a job.

So we usually end up starting our own business. She's gonna give helpful tips and advice, but just like always, I want you not to just listen. I want you to take action. And I think I'm gonna spoil something for you because the best piece of advice that Ari gives in this interview is her advice on a to-do list. Ari shared a productivity hack that she developed called The Magic Five. And basically, it's when you have a big to-do list or you write down, you brain dump all the things you wanna get done. It can be as many things as you want. The secret is to circle all the things that take five minutes or less and do those first. Because this is going to give you dopamine. This is going to get you started. This is going to get you fired up and feeling energized and motivated for all the other things on the list. So, I want you to think about five minute tasks that you can do while listening to this. Take out the trash, throw out those leftovers from the fridge, empty the dishwasher. I've timed it. It takes three minutes. So this is something you can do in five minutes or less. That's what I want you to focus on, these little five minute or less tasks, whether they're on your to do list or you're just noticing them as you're walking around your house. Putting away one load of laundry, yep, takes less than five minutes. So with that in mind, my friends, your magic five to do list, let's jump in and meet Ari Scott.

Ari Scott (2:58)

Hi, Ari.

Cassandra Aarssen (2:59)

Welcome to the Clutterbug podcast.

Ari Scott (3:02)

Hi. Thanks for having me. Hi.

Cassandra Aarssen (3:04)

I'm so excited. We're actually friends, so I feel like it's awkward because we're doing businessy stuff right now together, but I'm just happy to have you here. I don't know why we haven't done this before.

Ari Scott (3:16)

I'd imagine a mixture of executive dysfunction and busy calendars.

Cassandra Aarssen (3:22)

It's definitely those things. I have this thing where sometimes, like even no matter how much I love someone, I forget that they exist sometimes until I see them like, oh, yes, you're amazing.

Ari Scott (3:32)

Yeah.

Cassandra Aarssen (3:33)

You fell out of my brain and now I see you and you're back in again.

Ari Scott (3:38)

I'll try.

Cassandra Aarssen (3:39)

Is that you too?

Ari Scott (3:40)

Oh, yeah. I think that's pretty standard across the board, ADHD-wise for sure. Yeah.

Cassandra Aarssen (3:46)

I would love you to tell my followers a little bit about you. First, I will say to them, I met Ari at a neurodiversion event that I went to. I was so nervous because I don't do social situations well. I find I mask constantly and even though this was neurodiversion, I was still masking. I met you and it took about 2.5 seconds for me to be like, she's my flavor of weird.

Because even amongst ADHDers, is it a spectrum because not everybody has the same flavor, but you and I share a flavor.

Ari Scott (4:24)

We do. We definitely do.

I feel like there is different flavors, but I also feel like there's ADHD flavors and then there's weird flavors, and they don't even need to connect, you know.