Why Deadlines Don’t Feel Real With ADHD

Presented by Understood.orgDeadlines exist right up until they don’t.You can see it on the calendar. You know it’s coming. You’ve even thought about it a few times.Then suddenly it’s urgent and everything else gets dropped while you scramble to catch up.This episode explains why that keeps happening.We break down what research shows about ADHD and time perception, and why this isn’t just poor planning. Future time doesn’t create pressure until it’s right in front of you, so you end up relying on last minute urgency just to get started.If you’ve ever wondered why you only seem to move when things get critical, and why that keeps messing with your business, your team, or your stress levels, this will make that pattern make a lot more sense and set up the systems we’ll build on Friday.What We Cover:Why deadlines don’t create pressure until they are closeWhat research says about ADHD and time perceptionWhy last minute urgency becomes the default way to workThe gap between knowing a deadline and actually feeling itIf 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.orgJamie Sea built two seven-figure businesses.From the outside, everything looked successful. But behind the scenes, the pressure, urgency and burnout were becoming impossible to ignore.In this episode of ADHD Skills Lab, Skye talks with Jamie Sea, entrepreneur, educator and host of The Jamie Sea Show about the moment she realized the businesses she built no longer fit the life she wanted.Jamie shares what it was like to feel trapped inside success, how ADHD patterns and nervous system pressure shaped the way she worked, and why she ultimately made the difficult decision to close both companies and start again.They explore how urgency, identity and internal pressure influence many ADHD entrepreneurs; and how learning to work with the nervous system can change the way we approach work, money and success.What We CoverThe moment Jamie realized success was no longer sustainableHow ADHD urgency and pressure shape entrepreneurshipWhy high-achieving founders often hit burnoutThe role of nervous system awareness in business decisionsWhat it actually looked like to close two seven-figure companies and rebuild If 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 Jamie Seahttps://thejamiesea.com/https://instagram.com/jamieseaofficialhttps://youtube.com/@jamieseaofficialhttps://thejamiesea.com/mind-body-millions 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 know how to do the work. But when a task is actually a project, you have to figure out the steps again every time you come back to it.On Wednesday we looked at the research behind this problem. ADHD planning challenges often show up when the brain has to manage the structure of a project internally.This episode looks at the practical solution.Instead of trying to carry the whole project in your head, many ADHD entrepreneurs externalize the planning layer.Skye and Robbie explain what that looks like in practice — including tools, capture systems, and support structures that hold the plan so your brain can focus on execution.What We Cover- Why projects become inefficient when the plan lives only in your head- What externalizing executive functioning looks like in practice- The three components of an ADHD project system: tools, structure, and support- Why the tool matters less than the habit of capturing work outside your head- How entrepreneurs separate planning from executionIf 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 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.