Why ADHD Brains Struggle With Projects

Presented by Understood.orgYou can handle individual tasks all day. But the moment something becomes a project, everything slows down.Research into ADHD executive functioning suggests the difference often comes down to planning demands, not motivation or intelligence.In this episode, Skye and Robbie break down what these experiments reveal about ADHD and why complex projects require building a sequence before starting. That requirement can create real cognitive friction for many ADHD brains.On Friday, we’ll look at the practical systems that reduce this planning load and make complex work easier to execute.What We CoverWhy ADHD often struggles more with projects than tasksWhat “tower task” planning experiments reveal about ADHDWhy working memory and inhibition appear most consistently affectedWhy ADHD is a performance issue rather than a knowledge issueHow planning demands make complex work cognitively inefficientIf you're enjoying ADHD Skills Lab, you may also enjoy Understood.org’s new podcast, Everyone Gets a Juice Box: For Parents of Neurodivergent Kids.Listen here:https://lnk.to/everyonegetsajuiceboxPS!adhdskillslab P.S. If your ADHD symptoms turn every business day into chaos, with unfinished tasks piling up and revenue stuck, it's not you. It's your operating system. Click here to book an operational strategy session with Skye. 

Presented by Understood.orgYou make a to-do list.Then you avoid it all day.For many ADHD professionals, the problem isn’t motivation, it’s how the workday is structured.In this conversation, Skye speaks with Kyle Vamvouris, founder of SalesThread and the strategist behind 87 B2B sales teams, about how he actually works.Instead of rigid productivity systems, Kyle relies on open calendar space, rapid experimentation, and what he calls “sandbox days.”In the episode, Kyle explains:Why most productivity systems collapse after a weekHow empty calendar space can produce better work than tightly scheduled daysWhat building dozens of sales teams taught him about focus and decision-makingWhy ADHD curiosity can be a strategic advantage in businessHow AI tools are changing how he experiments and builds companiesIf you're enjoying ADHD Skills Lab, you may also enjoy Understood.org’s new podcast, Everyone Gets a Juice Box: For Parents of Neurodivergent Kids.Listen here:https://lnk.to/everyonegetsajuiceboxPS!adhdskillslabConnect With Kyle:Kyle just launched SalesThread, an AI-powered deal management platform designed to help sales teams understand why deals win or lose and close with more intention.You can find him here:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kylevamvourisLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylevamvourisSalesThread: https://salesthread.ai P.S. If your ADHD symptoms turn every business day into chaos, with unfinished tasks piling up and revenue stuck, it's not you. It's your operating system. Click here to book an operational strategy session with Skye. 

Presented by Understood.orgMany adults with ADHD feel like they have to repeat the same instructions again and again.You explain a process to your team, everyone nods, and a week later it feels like no one remembers what they learned.Earlier this week on ADHD Skills Lab, Skye and Robbie explored research on why ADHD brains often struggle during the encoding stage of learning. When information isn’t encoded properly, it never makes it into long-term memory.In this episode they focus on what to do about it.They break down practical systems that help ADHD professionals and teams actually retain information, including practice testing, spaced repetition, and designing learning environments that make it easier for ADHD brains to encode new information.If you haven’t listened to Wednesday’s research episode, start there first.What We CoverWhy repeating instructions rarely fixes ADHD learning problems• How practice testing improves encoding and recall• Why one-day training sessions often fail• How flashcards and recall testing can work inside businesses• Practical ways to design training that helps ADHD teams rememberIf you're enjoying ADHD Skills Lab, you may also enjoy Understood.org’s new podcast, Everyone Gets a Juice Box: For Parents of Neurodivergent Kids.Listen here:https://lnk.to/everyonegetsajuiceboxPS!adhdskillslab P.S. If your ADHD symptoms turn every business day into chaos, with unfinished tasks piling up and revenue stuck, it's not you. It's your operating system. Click here to book an operational strategy session with Skye. 

Presented by Understood.orgMany adults with ADHD feel like they have a bad memory.You learn something in a meeting or training session, but a few days later it feels like the information has disappeared.In this episode of ADHD Skills Lab, Skye and Robbie break down research on memory and ADHD. They explore how information gets encoded into long-term memory and why this stage of learning often breaks down for ADHD brains.The discussion covers a major meta-analysis on effective learning techniques, research on long-term memory in adults with ADHD, and an experiment comparing retrieval practice with restudying.In Friday’s episode they’ll explore practical systems that help ADHD professionals and business owners design training and learning systems that actually stick.What We CoverThe difference between encoding and retrieving informationWhy ADHD memory problems often start during the learning stageResearch showing practice testing and spaced learning outperform rereadingWhy verbal learning can be harder for ADHD than visual learningWhat research suggests about medication and learning performanceIf you're enjoying ADHD Skills Lab, you may also enjoy Understood.org’s new podcast, Everyone Gets a Juice Box: For Parents of Neurodivergent Kids.Listen here:https://lnk.to/everyonegetsajuiceboxPS!adhdskillslab P.S. If your ADHD symptoms turn every business day into chaos, with unfinished tasks piling up and revenue stuck, it's not you. It's your operating system. Click here to book an operational strategy session with Skye. 

Presented by Understood.orgYou start a business for freedom.Then one day you realize the business no longer fits the way your brain works.Taki Moore is often called the business coach’s favorite business coach. Through his Million Dollar Coach community he has helped thousands of coaches grow their businesses and create more than $1 billion in client results.Along with that success was something he didn’t fully understand until recently: ADHD.In this episode of the ADHD Skills Lab, Taki joins Skye Waterson to share the story of discovering his ADHD in his late 40s - and the moment medication made his mind go “library quiet” for the first time in his life.It’s a side of Taki that most people haven’t heard before.Together, they explore what happens when a high-performing entrepreneur finally understands how their brain actually works - and what changes when you stop trying to run someone else’s business model and start designing one that fits you.From creative bursts and energy crashes to the support systems that keep his business running today, this conversation looks at the real relationship between ADHD and entrepreneurship.What We CoverThe moment Taki realized ADHD was shaping his work and lifeWhat changed after his diagnosis in his late 40sHow he redesigned his business around how his brain worksThe systems and support that keep him focused and productiveIf you're enjoying The ADHD Skills Lab, you may also Understood.org'snew podcast, Everyone Gets a Juice Box: For Parents of Neurodivergent Kids.Listen here: https://lnk.to/everyonegetsajuiceboxPS!adhdskillslabConnect With Taki MooreWebsite: https://takimoore.comMillion Dollar Coach: https://milliondollarcoach.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TakiMooreInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/takimoore/ P.S. If your ADHD symptoms turn every business day into chaos, with unfinished tasks piling up and revenue stuck, it's not you. It's your operating system. Click here to book an operational strategy session with Skye. 

Many adults with ADHD struggle with tools that seem simple at first but quickly become overwhelming. Dashboards full of icons, systems that require too many clicks, and constantly changing interfaces can quietly drain focus.In this episode of ADHD Skills Lab, Skye and Robbie explore practical ADHD work systems that reduce visual overload and make digital tools easier to navigate.Earlier this week, they explored research on object recognition memory in ADHD and why visual systems like software interfaces can create unexpected cognitive load.This episode focuses on what to do about it.They walk through practical ways to simplify work systems, stabilize digital environments, and design tools that support ADHD focus instead of constantly disrupting it.Start with Wednesday’s research episode before this one. This conversation builds directly on the findings discussed there.What We CoverWhy constantly changing tools create friction for ADHD brainsDesigning stable digital systems that reduce cognitive loadHow visual clutter quietly drains focusPractical ways to simplify your work environment P.S. If your ADHD symptoms turn every business day into chaos, with unfinished tasks piling up and revenue stuck, it's not you. It's your operating system. Click here to book an operational strategy session with Skye.

Why does a simple software update suddenly make everything feel impossible to use?In this Research Recap, Skye and Robbie break down a meta-analysis examining object recognition memory in ADHD.Object recognition memory helps your brain recognize visual information like icons, folders, faces, and layouts. It’s what allows you to quickly identify the right button in a menu or remember where something lives inside a complex interface.Researchers reviewed 28 studies involving children and adolescents with ADHD to examine whether object recognition memory differs from neurotypical controls.Skye and Robbie walk through:How researchers test object recognition memoryWhat the data actually shows about ADHD and visual recognition tasksWhy visually complex systems like software interfaces can feel cognitively heavier for ADHD brainsNo hype.No miracle cures.No “just try harder.”Just what the research shows.Then tune in on Friday, when Skye and Robbie return to this study and explore how these findings might translate into practical strategies for navigating tools, systems, and visual environments with ADHD. P.S. If your ADHD symptoms turn every business day into chaos, with unfinished tasks piling up and revenue stuck, it's not you. It's your operating system. Click here to book an operational strategy session with Skye. 

When creative work gets hard, most people with ADHD assume something’s wrong.Wrong idea.Wrong project.Wrong career.In this conversation, Andy J. Pizza (author, illustrator, and host of Creative Pep Talk) breaks down the moment his work completely dried up — and why that crisis forced him to stop winging it and start creating strategically.We talk about perfectionism, rejection sensitivity, creative droughts, collaboration fights, and the uncomfortable shift from “I hope this works” to “I’m building this on purpose.”This isn’t about hacks or hustle.It’s about understanding that hard and bad are not the same thing — and sometimes the difficulty is the point.What We CoverWhy “hard” is often a sign of growth, not failureThe shift from exploratory creativity to strategic authorshipHow perfectionism and RSD quietly stall creative outputRebuilding after a six-month career droughtWhy collaboration feels like conflict (and why that’s normal)Connect with Andy: on his website or follow him on Instagram @andyjpizza P.S. If your ADHD symptoms turn every business day into chaos, with unfinished tasks piling up and revenue stuck, it's not you. It's your operating system. Click here to book an operational strategy session with Skye. 

Business owner with ADHD wanting operational clarity and focus? Click here to book a session with Skye.https://www.unconventionalorganisation.com for a operational clarity session!More adults with ADHD start businesses than the general population.But here’s the part nobody talks about:Research shows ADHD is positively linked to entrepreneurial attitudes and startup behavior…and negatively linked to post-launch outcomes, performance, and wellbeing.In this Research Recap, Skye and Robert Waterson break down a 2025 meta-analysis on ADHD and entrepreneurship - exploring why hyperactive types tend to start, why inattentive types may struggle more with scaling, and where the “ADHD is a superpower” narrative falls short.This episode is about what happens after the excitement of starting.What we cover:The difference between entrepreneurial attitude, startup behavior, and post-launch outcomesWhy hyperactive ADHD is linked to action (but also burnout)Why inattentive ADHD may struggle with scaling and follow-throughThe myth of brute-force hustleWhere the “ADHD is a superpower” framing conflicts with the dataWhy systems - not motivation - change outcomesIf you’ve ever felt amazing at starting… and exhausted trying to sustain - this one’s for you. P.S. If your ADHD symptoms turn every business day into chaos, with unfinished tasks piling up and revenue stuck, it's not you. It's your operating system. Click here to book an operational strategy session with Skye. 

DescriptionBusiness owner with ADHD wanting operational clarity and focus? Click here to book a session with Skye.https://www.unconventionalorganisation.com for a operational clarity session!Why does focus feel like forcing a rusty machine to start… instead of flipping a switch?In this Research Recap, Skye and Will unpack a randomized placebo-controlled study examining how brain networks behave differently in adults with ADHD.This episode isn’t about recommending medication.It’s about something more fundamental: the push-pull relationship between the brain’s default mode network (daydreaming, internal thoughts) and task positive network (focused attention) — and what happens when that switch doesn’t work automatically.If you’ve ever tried to white-knuckle your way through work, this episode will feel deeply validating.What we cover:Why ADHD brains struggle to “automatically” switch into focusWhat brain scans reveal about default mode vs task networksHow this study compared medication-naive adults with controlsWhat changed in network activity during treatmentWhy brain-difference evidence reduces self-blameWant more of Will’s work? Go check out HackingYourADHD.com or subscribe to his YouTube channel P.S. If your ADHD symptoms turn every business day into chaos, with unfinished tasks piling up and revenue stuck, it's not you. It's your operating system. Click here to book an operational strategy session with Skye.