In this episode, hosts Ash and Dusty explore the challenges and opportunities that the New Year presents for individuals with ADHD. They delve into the concept of clean slate thinking and how it can be both a trap and a motivational tool. While traditional New Year’s resolutions can often feel overwhelming due to heightened expectations, Ash shares a personal practice of choosing a word to guide intentions throughout the year. This approach helps in maintaining focus and aligning actions with personal values, without the pressure of strict resolutions.
The conversation shifts to the difficulties of maintaining routines amidst disruptions, such as holidays or life changes, and how these disruptions can significantly impact those with ADHD. Dusty introduces the idea of an “11-month year,” allowing January to serve as an adjustment period rather than a time for rigorous goal-setting. Both hosts emphasize the importance of curiosity, awareness, and non-judgment in managing routines and personal goals. They encourage listeners to find humor and joy in setting unique, personal intentions that align with what truly matters to them, rather than succumbing to societal pressures of productivity.
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Episode Transcript:
[00:00:01] Ash: Hi, I’m Ash. [00:00:01] Dusty: And I’m Dusty. [00:00:03] Ash: And this is Translating ADHD. This is the first time that Dusty and I are sitting down in the new year to record the podcast. We thought a New Year’s episode would be a timely topic, especially since New Year’s can be a real challenge for those of us with ADHD for a couple of reasons.Number one, the idea of resolutions and getting caught up in that clean slate. And number two, getting back in the groove after the disruption of the holiday season can be really tough.
In fact, dusty and I are both having that day today. Our pre-recording was very disorganized as it were, because we’re both struggling to find our footing a little bit here in the new year and getting back to the routine stuff of life. So, Dusty, where do you want to start when we talk about ADHD and the new year?
[00:00:53] Dusty: I have a confession to make, which is that I love a good clean slate take. Anything can be the clean slate. It doesn’t have to be January 1st. It could be the top of any month, the 15th of any month. And I think what I like about it is when I’m feeling disorganized and pressured, to think about making changes now just feels like more pressure.But if it’s like, okay, I can plan for it, like I’m coming up to it, it gives me a bit of time to wrap my brain around it. But that being said, like, time is an arbitrary social construct, right? the 1st of January means nothing. The 15th of January, the 1st of February, the 18th of December. It can be any date you want it to be.
[00:01:31] Ash: I actually really love that take, right? When Cam and I talked about clean slate thinking in the past on this podcast, we’ve always kind of talked about how it can be a trap for people with ADHD, and it absolutely can, right? This idea of, okay, new year, I’m going to Heap on all of this intention, obligation, and expectation of myself, and ultimately, I will be disappointed when I fail to live up to these grand plans, right?It can be a trap, but it can also be positive motivation. I too have altered my relationship with the new year. I don’t do New Year’s resolutions. But I pick a word for the year, something that looks at where I’m at right now, what the year ahead looks like, what has my attention, what I want to be moving towards. And that becomes my intention for the year.
It’s helpful when I’m feeling kind of aimless to come back to that throughout the year and be like, wait, how can I get back to this word? I’m really stoked about my word this year. Would you like to know what it is?
[00:02:33] Dusty: I would love to know. [00:02:33] Ash: My word this year is boredom. [00:02:37] Dusty: Ooh, say more about that. [00:02:40] Ash: So my last couple of years have been tough, and it’s really in the last year for me been about getting back to baseline. I’m there now, but because things have been so hard, I’ve noticed that I’m not leaving time and space for creativity, right? Like when, when I’m done for the day, I just want to check out, watch TV. I just really want to get engrossed in something that takes all of my attention, right? So that I don’t have to think because life has been really stressful.But I’m standing in a new place now where there is opportunity that wasn’t there before. That is because of the work that I’ve done in the last year in a number of ways. But the old habit is still there, right? Oh, I’m done with the work day. It’s time to pick up a video game. I’ve got some free time here. It’s time to get engrossed in something. And I’m realizing that by doing that, I’m not leaving myself a lot of time and space for creative thoughts.
A new creative project is something that I want to engage with in the new year. I’m not ready to talk about it here yet because I am also a big fan of doing the thing before I announce the thing. If you say you do the thing, you get the dopamine hit like you did the thing, even though you didn’t do the thing. It’s something I want to put time and effort towards for myself first, before I say anything about what it is to anyone.
In order to do that, I need to be bored. I need to have time where my brain is not otherwise occupied so that I can have creative thoughts.
[00:04:18] Dusty: It’s so funny, this is such a great example of how we’re so opposite. I love that for you. That sounds amazing. I’m super stoked on it. I wish you many video games in 2025.I heard about that idea of having a theme word for your year from like another place. And I tried it a few times, a few years in a row, I still like, kind of do it, like I still spend time thinking of that word. But, for me it was the opposite, it would get to be like September and I’d be like, Oh yeah, what’s my word for the year? I’d just forget and then I’d be like, oh this was the theme, and then I’d be like, has my year more or less followed that line?
No. I feel like there’s too many things that happen in a year to have like one unifying theme for me. But I have heard that concept before and so it’s interesting to me to hear that like, that’s really works for you. And I’m curious like, okay, like how do you keep that top of mind for a whole year how do you not just completely forget about it and then like four months go by?
[00:05:08] Ash: First of all, you should be wishing me not many video games in 2025 because the whole idea is to not be super engrossed in things in that way, but thank you anyway, right? [00:05:17] Dusty: I misunderstood boredom. I sort of heard like, my brain converted to like, more, more not busy time. And I guess, yeah, video games aren’t creativity. [00:05:26] Ash: Yeah, more not busy time, but in a way where I’m leaving time and space for creative thought. And that includes doing things that are boring, right? I often have my best creative thought when I’m tackling an organizational project or something around my house, which is kind of menial, but my brain has time to wander and think.And I oftentimes put on music or put on a podcast or put on a show while I’m doing those types of things. So I’m really looking for more quiet space, more intentional space and choosing more quote-unquote boring space, boring activities.
It’s really easy at the end of the day to pick up a video game. It’s a lot more challenging for me to pick up a book, even though I love reading, but books engage me creatively in a way that video games do not. And so that’s really where the intention lies.
Now, let me answer your question. It’s a great question. I had to stop and think about it for a second and think about some of my previous words. And I think for me, my word usually tends to center on how I want to be spending my time. I don’t think I had a word last year, possibly not even the year before because of the state of my life. But the last word I can remember having was play. And like boredom, those are words that are centered on how I want to be spending my time.
So the mechanism for me is, when we talk about pause, disruption, pivot, it’s an opportunity in those moments where I have unstructured time, where I’m thinking about how I’m going to spend my day, where I’m thinking about how I’m going to spend my time that isn’t obligated to something else. It’s just a little reminder of that intention, right?
And not in a way where I feel obligated to it. I still play video games. I just started a new video game, but I am trying to choose a little differently the types of games I play, right? Rather than going to the online infinite multiplayer game that you could just sink many hours into and stay engrossed in forever, I’m choosing story-based games that are a little more challenging and that also have boring moments where I actually feel like I’m done playing this game for this session because I’m frustrated with this quest or this grind or this long walk to wherever and I’m ready to put it down.
For me, it’s really about what’s the different experience I want to have this year. And that different experience is I want to spend more time in creative thought and creating. The path there is boredom. So boredom is just a word to remind myself of that intention when I’m thinking about how to spend my time.
It’s been really helpful so far, I am choosing the easy checkout thing less and I am choosing other things that are quote-unquote more boring which has been quite rewarding so far. We’re only a few days into the new year, so maybe check in with me again in six months and see how this is going. But that’s where we’re at right now.
[00:08:22] Dusty: Yeah. Well, and like, I love that. But then also what I’m wondering is do you have a big banner in your kitchen somewhere that says boredom or set a reminder like, does it just, when you have those pause disrupt pivot moments, is that recall, is it maybe because you’ve done it a few years, I’m interested because for me, that’s where I really struggle with my ADHD and my, perspective memory is just remembering my intention to act a certain way or do a certain way in a moment.And that’s maybe like a whole, we might be getting off track here, that’s maybe like a whole other podcast, but I’m just like interested in this idea that you’re able to come back to that theme as needed and not forget that you even had a theme in the first place.
[00:08:57] Ash: So a couple of thoughts there. Number one, I’m pretty quiet about my intentions because it really does shoot me in the foot if I announce grand plans to do something. That’s the most surefire way for me to not follow through on a thing is to announce that I’m going to do it, is to be so sure that I’m going to do it.A couple of years ago, I was so sure I was ready to write a book and I couldn’t stop talking about it. And I put a lot of work into it, but I never actually wrote the book, right? So I tend to keep my intentions pretty quiet. And that includes not posting things around. That can almost be detrimental for me. I’m not really sure why. There’s just an adverse effect.
But number two, I’m choosing something that’s…I think the other thing for me is choosing something that really just fits my life right now. Like, even if I didn’t choose a word, this is the direction that I’m being pulled in. This is the thing that has my attention and there’s positive motivation in that direction.
So, the word is just a mechanism. And there’s probably something there too, like, my brain is words. I do not have a visual brain. So, for me, there’s probably something extra powerful about it. Being a word and being a word that is sort of all-encompassing to what I’m trying to accomplish this year because I could spend the rest of this episode talking about all of the different ways boredom could apply to my life and where I would like to be by the end of the year, so it’s highly applicable in all situations.
Words are kind of my thing anyway. For me, it’s just the word itself. And there is something about keeping it quiet, keeping it close, not announcing to my friends and family and those who are in my day to day life that this is what I’m doing,
[00:10:45] Dusty: It’s so funny to hear you say, because I’m completely the opposite. I literally like have to announce a thing to like, because my problem isn’t like, it’s the like, forgetting, right? And prioritization. So I’m like, completely the opposite. I will like, say a thing with absolutely no, like, I haven’t got it.I’ll be like, yeah, I’m gonna do this thing. And then, because I’ve said it, now I have to do it. And that’s the only way I’ll get myself to do it is like, I will build the aircraft in the air, because I already sold the tickets for the flight, but that works for me, so it’s just so funny.
[00:11:13] Ash: That is really interesting because we are exact opposites. There were is that is and I think we talked about this briefly on another episode as relates to body doubling, right? Body doubling works really well for you. It’s a strategy that you use often, and it’s one that doesn’t work for me.If we didn’t talk about it on an episode, we certainly talked about it offline because you offered to do some body doubling for me when I was talking about some difficult tasks that I needed to tackle that were stressing me out. I thanked you very much for the offer, but then let you know that was the most surefire way to ensure that I wouldn’t do it. I don’t like the feeling of being watched, I don’t, or something about the feeling of obligation conflicts with my job. My freedom value.
Maybe I’m not. I’m not entirely sure what that is for me. But what I do know is those kind of typical strategies of like, get some accountability, do some body doubling, say your intention out loud to someone else, those tend to backfire for me. Like setting a quiet intention and working towards it over time and then talking about it when there’s something to show.
So you build the aircraft in the air. I need to be far enough along on the aircraft that I know that this is something that I’m going to see through in order to make it public, make it known, make it a thing that’s out there in the world, because otherwise I am very liable to sell the tickets and have the people arrive with absolutely no aircraft for them to get on.
[00:12:35] Dusty: I have like a New Year’s thing that I have kind of like, that I like to do and sometimes talk to clients about, when people are stressing out about, the new year, I go what if you had an 11 month year? And they’re like, huh? And I’m like, what if January doesn’t count?What if January didn’t count? What if January is just the month where you wrap up all the things you didn’t get done, or take some time to chill, or use the whole month of January to slowly ramp up to like, whatever it is you want to be doing what if January didn’t count?
It’s a null month. People really like that idea, and I really like that idea, because like, who, who are these people that are ready to hit the ground running? Right after the holidays and New Year’s, certainly not me, like, I feel like the month hasn’t even started yet, and I will probably be back on my ish, you know, by about the 28th of January.
So just by, like, taking that month on purpose because, like, who wants to feel like by the end of January they’re already failing? January doesn’t count. Maybe December doesn’t count, too. Like, you can decide that things only count from August onward, or, like, whatever, we can kind of make these arbitrary time boundaries work for us rather than against us. Because time is just all made up anyway.
11 month year, ramping up. It’s kind of nice, like, get a slow, easy, cozy start to the year.
[00:13:53] Ash: I love that I’m borrowing it for myself this year. I take the last two weeks of the year off because ADHD coaching is about cultivating new awareness and turning that awareness into a practice, then learning from that practice.When life is disrupted for my clients because of the holidays, there’s not a lot of opportunity for practice. And so most of my clients don’t want to meet during that time anyway. And I find it to be a nice break for myself and a nice gift to myself in terms of being able to actually enjoy and navigate my own holiday season without too much stress. It’s also a nice time to start to catch up, to start to feel like I’m ready for the new year.
And I had huge plans for this year’s two week break. Then I ended up in bed for over a week with norovirus. Silver lining there is I’m already not working. I’m sure, Dusty, you understand the pain of being self employed and unto yourself, where if you’re sick as a dog and you have a week’s worth of clients, you, and only you have to reach out to those clients and let them know what’s going on, or in some other way, engage someone else to do that for you.
And then you’ve got to do all the rescheduling on the backend. So it can feel like a double whammy when you’re, when you’re super sick in a way that just knocks you out of the ability to work. I was looking at it as a blessing in disguise, but also feeling kind of frustrated that I wasn’t able to get to that place of feeling like I was ready for January 1st, that I was ready to move in this new direction of business.
So I love that idea and I think I will be borrowing it because I’d already kind of made peace with the fact that I wasn’t able to get where I wanted to go in that downtime. But adding that extra framing to it of maybe this is your planning month. Maybe this is the opportunity to set yourself up for success for the rest of the year in conjunction with all of the holidays and all of the craziness, you can give yourself some extra time and space and grace.
And January is always such a boring month anyway, right? You come off the holidays and then what’s going on in January? Absolutely nothing. Triply nothing for me right now because we are super snowed and iced in here and that’s abnormal weather for here.
So this is, city is like shut down. The roads are pretty non-traversable. So like I’m here, I’m in my house and that’s going to be true for the next several days. What a great opportunity to carry that forward. Like this is maybe the, I can still think of this as my downtime and my time to set myself up. Well, I love that.
[00:16:23] Dusty: Yeah, January is a boring month, unless you’re Canadian, in which case, the Prime Minister quits his job. Our prime minister quit yesterday. He was like, I’m out guys. [00:16:32] Ash: I saw that headline and I’m so like politics adverse right now because that’s a self care thing that keeps me sane But now that you mentioned we do have inauguration coming up in January So as a country it may end up being a non boring month, but on a personal level there’s just not a lot going on.It is a great time to sort of step back and ease back into routine. And also, as you said, wrap up loose ends.
[00:16:59] Dusty: And this, I think is kind of like the largest. strategy that I use and often work with clients on when it comes to any kind of routine disruption, the holidays are one thing, starting a new year is one thing, but like travel, illness, death in the family, job change, like I think the thing that’s really hard for people with ADT we have to work so hard at our routines that it’s exceedingly frustrating when you just like start to nail it and then something comes along and screws it all up and because we tend to be very context oriented because we tend to need like External supports and cues in our environment, you know, having our environment set up to work for us, a change in your context can totally blow apart the routine, right?Like, if I, if my pair of running shoes, wears out and I throw them out and I haven’t had time to get a new pair, Well, the next time I go to the gym, I’m going to be like, Oh shoot, I don’t have any like gym shoes. I got to do that. And then I’m just going to repeat that for three months.
Every time I go to the gym, the shoes are just there. And like suddenly when the shoes aren’t there, it interrupts everything. Or like I’ve had this happen with water bottles where I misplaced a water bottle and I just stopped drinking water.
Like I just forget the drinking water is a thing because the physical water bottle is my cue. And so for me especially, I find that any kind of change like that is very disruptive to my routine and I see it being really frustrating for my clients. So I, something that’s, that’s really helped me is like preparing for routine disruption and anticipating it.
And like, instead of treating it like this failure, like the other shoe has dropped, like, Oh, I was doing so good. And like, now I’m like back to square one. Think of your routines more like they have an ebb and a flow and there’s going to be times when you’re like nailing them. And there’s going to be times when you are literally not nailing any part of it. But if you see it as part of like a natural cycle, then at the point when you’re not nailing it, instead of panicking, like, okay, I’m not nailing my routines. Like what do I need to change? And for me, I find that it takes me about an average of three weeks to get back on a routine.
And like, here’s how it breaks down. It goes the same. I almost have like a routine of getting back on routines because this is just how it happens. Week one, I’ll think about doing all the things I should, like, should be doing or want to be doing and I’ll, like, do none of them. Right? Like, I’ll be like, oh, I need to, like, get up on time and then instead I’ll stay up till 3 a.m. But I’ll notice that and I’ll be like, oh, you know, didn’t get up on time because I stayed up till 3 a.m. Guess I should, like, what do I do to make myself go to bed? Oh, yeah, I do this, I do that. And then I’ll continue not doing it for, like, a week straight, but I’ll keep noticing and kind of, like, cogitating on it almost.
And then, like, week two, I’ll find myself making some efforts in that direction. Like, maybe I’ll buy food to meal prep it, but I like, I won’t actually meal prep the food. Like, I’ll just order takeout, even though I also bought the food. Or like, I’ll put my phone across the, on the other side of the room so that I go to bed on time, but then I’ll stay up till like 2am reading a book.
Like, I’ll, I’ll make the efforts, but the important thing that I do there is I don’t like, I don’t get down on myself, I don’t get frustrated. I just like, see it as like, okay. Like, I’m, I’m extending, I’m extending myself.
Usually it’s like week three my brain has to remember how to do it first, and then my body starts to remember by like going through the motions, and then by week three I’m kind of like marrying like the mindset and the motion, and I’m like, starting to successfully follow through on like more of those things.
And then like by week four I’m like, yeah I’m back to you know, whatever the thing is, but like I just can’t go from zero to a hundred in like one week It’s just not possible. There’s too much ADHD. I need time, right?
[00:20:25] Ash: Dusty, I love that. And I love your example of like small disruptions, right? Running shoes wearing out, a water bottle being misplaced. So when you branch that out and think about a bigger disruption, my last year of life has been sort of navigating a massive series of disruptions.And a big part of that for me, even with what I do for a living, has been learning to be patient with myself when it comes to getting back on routine. And it’s been uneven for the last year. It’s been some success, then it feels like, like you said, ebb and flow, I start to be successful. And then, and then it starts to falter again. And coupled with this frustrated feeling of how do I get back to, how do I get back to where I was before all of this happened?
I just want to notice that your, what you just described, it’s not just about practice, right? But it’s also about awareness. Not just awareness of the missing routine, but also as you’re aware of oh, I stayed up until 3 a.m. again. Oh I didn’t meal prep like you’re also becoming aware of the impact on you of not doing the thing of not having the routine.
So there’s that positive motivation that you can connect to why is it that I do like to get up early? Right? Why? And why does this have my attention now? Right? Because I’m not doing the thing, and that’s having an impact on me. And so that alone can be really helpful, right? Giving you the positive thing to connect to.
And that’s been something that I’ve really looked for in the last year is like, what is the positive motivation that I can connect to when it comes to getting back to routines? More so than just laundry sort of magically takes care of itself when I’m on its laundry routine. What’s the impact when I’m not on the routine, right?
Well, now I’m losing a whole Saturday to doing laundry because I’m responsible not just for my own laundry, but for another human being in this house, so it eventually, like there’s eventually a forcing mechanism. And doing it that way where I’m waiting for the forcing mechanism is never fun, and I never enjoy it. But when I do just one load of laundry, especially after spending a whole day doing laundry, it feels really good and really easy, right? Oh man, one load of laundry is cake after spending an entire Saturday doing every bit of laundry that exists in our house because almost everyone’s entire wardrobe was dirty.
[00:22:57] Dusty: Yeah, that’s it. You know, it’s, I think what we’re both talking about here just comes back to that idea of like curiosity awareness and, and like non judgment, because, like, I think it was a game changer for me to realize that, like, I could have a routine to plan for, like, routine disruption. Right?And so, you know, it never feels good when you get to that point where the laundry’s piling up or like you, you know, whatever the case may be. Like you’re behind in everything and like kind of knowing where to start and like how to how to like get momentum going in small ways. It’s like such a game changer.
And one of the things I see the most commonly with my clients is like travel; travel is so disruptive because what we never unpack our suitcase. And I don’t know about you, but like I only have one toothbrush, one moisturizer. And so when those things are in my suitcase, and I don’t unpack them, it means that I will like go a straight week without brushing my teeth, because I’ll go into the bathroom to brush my teeth. Oh, guess what? Toothbrush isn’t there. Oh, I don’t have time to like go, and I don’t want to pull everything out of my suitcase. Like, oh, I’ll do that like later tonight. Then I, then of course later tonight, I forget, and then that happens like, Multiple days. So, like, for me, I recognize, okay, when I walk in the door, before I take off my shoes, before I do anything, that suitcase gets unpacked.
But also, I will, like, take a little bit of extra time before I travel, and, like, throw all my sheets in the wash, and, like, have a, like, make my bed fresh, and empty out all the crap from the fridge, throw stuff away that’s gonna expire, and then, Either before I leave or while I’m wherever I am, I’ll like, actually load up my Instacart with like, the groceries that I’ll need for the next week.
And then, when I’m like, on my way home from the airport, I’ll hit like, order. So that like, I get home, and there are groceries there. Because that’s the other thing, I’ll come home, oh, fridge is full of like, rotten fruits and vegetables. So I’m eating McDonald’s all week, there’s so many little things that are all dependent on each other that I realized that, like, there’s a couple little things I can do to minimize the negative impact.
And then there’s a couple little things I can do when I’m in that, like, place where I feel like everything’s sort of swirling chaos that, you know, just, like, here are the things that are important to start with. Here’s what’s not important. The week that I get back from anywhere, or the week that I’m back from something hard, I’m not working out.
Like, and I’m not, I’m not trying to, like, tackle you know, whatever. I’m just doing like the bare minimum. And now that I know that it really helps me move in the right direction instead of being like, ah, too much of everything, so I’ll just not do anything and all of a sudden it’s two months later. The point is just that the rules are all made up.
[00:25:22] Ash: I like that. [00:25:23] Dusty: Time is fake. [00:25:24] Ash: So Dusty, I love this energy that you’re bringing in terms of the rules being made up and time being fake, right? Because that alone is such a huge thing for those of us with ADHD to not fall into this trap of, okay, new year, new me, and it’s all got to happen right now. And I actually love that we got onto this topic of routine and routine disruptions, because I think that speaks to the bigger theme of progress is not the goal.It’s never linear, right? Even under the best of circumstances, progress is going to be up and down. I see it with my clients all the time. I see it in my own life all the time. And learning to kind of recognize your own patterns, to roll with those punches, to Let go sometimes right here. I was talking about laundry earlier for a while.
I just made it okay for my kid and I to live out of the dryer. Like they don’t care. They genuinely do not care. And I didn’t care until the impact of having to run downstairs every time I needed an article of clothing became frustrating enough and at the forefront enough to tackle that routine and get back on it. It was okay for us to live out of the dryer for a while and for laundry to just be a thing that got done when it absolutely had to get done.
So I think the kind of themes and morals that we’re bringing out here is number one, journey thinking, right? Progress is not linear. So whatever, however you treat the new year, just remember that you, you can adjust later just because you set intentions today, be they new year’s resolutions, a word or something else doesn’t mean that that’s what you have to stick to for the rest of the year. You can decide to reorient at any time.
And number two, your progress there is not going to be linear and that’s okay. That’s part of why I do like the word is I’m unattached to it. There’s no action attached to that word. It’s just a reminder of the intention and where I’d like my focus to be.
And so it can be a great way to reorient or to look for the opportunities, without beating myself up if that’s not what I’m doing, If I am choosing to get engaged in something engrossing today and spend all day, or a good portion of my downtime, not being bored. All right. Like that doesn’t, that doesn’t make that word go away.
And I’m not going to beat myself up about it. It’s still there. That intention is still there. And I’m going to keep moving towards it and I’m not going to expect myself to nail it every single day or every single time I have downtime. Anything you want to add before we wrap, before I wrap us?
[00:28:04] Dusty: Yeah. You know something that’s I think really inspiring about your like word of the year is that it comes down to like how you add value to your life. And I just want to remind everyone our resolutions or when we’re trying to make changes this is all about productivity or optimization. You can have a New Year’s resolution that you want to be more of a bitch to people, or you want to like, fart in mixed company more, or that you want to eat more Twinkies, or that you want to wear more fuzzy socks. Don’t forget that, like, the things that you want to have resolutions about or do more of this year can be, like, absolutely bonkers.Nobody is stopping you from setting the most insanely ridiculous New Year’s resolution. Or just fun, right? Asher’s trying to have more fun this year. What if your New Year’s resolution is just that you want to, like, light, purchase and light more really nice candles? That’s valid, right?
Let’s, get out of this late-stage capitalist hellscape productivity grind and we can set some really entertaining goals. Those are, inherently motivating. I know I’m motivated to fart more in mixed company myself.
[00:29:07] Ash: I don’t even know how to respond to that, Dusty, but I love the spirit of it. However you’re setting intentions, if you’re doing it at all. And not doing it is just fine, by the way, because time is arbitrary and made up. So nobody says you have to do anything just because it is a new year.But if you are setting resolutions or goals or intentions in some direction, make it about you and your who and what matters to you, not about what you should be doing or what you feel like you’re failing. Right. Because the work we do is all about connecting to positive motivation.
And I had a client a lot like you, Dusty, who, if we could find the humorous way to connect to positive motivation, that was always the winner. I mentioned her on a podcast, but very briefly, many moons ago. I don’t even remember what the coaching topic was, but there was some thought pattern or behavior pattern she wanted to disrupt at work. And the activity became huffing a candle that sat on her desk because it smelled good, and the thought of her coworkers catching her with this candle in her face huffing it was entertaining to her because it was so ridiculous. And the combination of the two is really powerful. So I love that idea of like bringing levity and a sense of humor to whatever your intentions are and on
[00:30:23] Dusty: It was not lit, right? [00:30:25] Ash: No, it’s not lit. She was not putting a lit candle in her face. It was an unlit candle. But yeah, the idea was, it just smells really good. So like it was, you know, a comedy. It was just like, it was so unconnected to whatever the thing was, other than the candle was there and the thought of picking it up and smelling it came to her. And then the thought of how that would look to other people just made her giggle so much that there was like that was the practice for her for a while. And it was completely silly and completely arbitrary, but it also for whatever it was we were trying to disrupt, like it worked because it was silly and arbitrary.We are out of time for today, Dusty. So listeners until next week, I’m Ash.
[00:31:08] Dusty: And I’m Dusty. [00:31:10] Ash: And this was the Translating ADHD podcast. Thanks for listening.
