Focus and Flow: How to Thrive as a Podcaster with ADHD

People commonly associate folks with ADHD with short attention spans and surface knowledge. Conversely, podcasts are associated with long-form entertainment and/or in-depth analysis. ADHD and podcasting may seem like gin and milk, but they actually do go together. In this article, we’ll explore ADHD, its challenges for podcasters, and strategies for podcasters with ADHD so that they can reach their goals.

What is ADHD?

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder isn’t quite what it sounds like. Though it appears to be an inability to pay attention, it’s better described as an inability to control how you pay attention or for how long.

ADHD is caused by a lack of neurotransmitters in the brain, affecting motivation, reward, impulsivity, memory, and emotional stability. To be more specific, ADHD symptoms can be:

• Inattention to detail
• Distractibility and impulsivity
• Difficulty prioritizing, or executive dysfunction
• Poor working memory
• Physical restlessness, fidgeting, or trouble sitting still
• Conversational self-restraint is challenging
• Time blindness
• Difficulty managing one’s emotions, or emotional dysregulation,
• Difficulty finishing tasks, or avoiding tedious tasks altogether
• and hyperfocus, a “perfect storm” of the aforementioned symptoms.

Most people experience one or two of these symptoms situationally (i.e., distractibility after a poor night of sleep). People diagnosed with ADHD experience many or all of these symptoms for years (if not their whole life), starting before age 12.

People who have ADHD may appear spontaneous, creative, and energetic. And they’re constantly struggling with their symptoms. It looks fun, but it’s not.

This article is absolutely not an attempt to diagnose or treat any condition. If you think you have ADHD, see a doctor. The strategies in the rest of this article can help any podcaster.

ADHD and Podcasting: Opportunities and Challenges

People with ADHD often make good podcasters because:

• It’s new (or relatively new), and the technology and industry rapidly evolve.
• Podcasters can use different kinds of creative thinking (writing, visual art, audio editing, social skills) all in the same episode.
• People with ADHD are passionate about their interests. With podcasting, they can research, explore, and promote their interests.
• Communication and creative self-expression are at the center of podcasting.
• Podcasters can work whenever inspiration strikes.

But, sometimes podcasting challenges people with ADHD because:

• People with ADHD love new things, and the newness can wear off.
• Bright lights burn out. Some ADHD podcasters put a ton of work into starting a project, exhaust themselves, and never finish.
• Conversational self-restraint and communication aren’t the same thing.
• Attention to detail, managing time, and deadlines are their kryptonite.
• Podcasting doesn’t have an immediate reward. No reward, no motivation.

ADHD podcasters have made great shows, built podcasting communities, and still manage podcast networks that benefit them and everyone involved. But, they use different strategies and more structure. Systems and strategies, as boring as they may seem, help.

What Strategies Can Podcasters with ADHD Use to Make Better Podcasts?

Here’s a list of strategies that make podcasting easier. I’ll show you how they fit with ADHD symptoms. Though any podcaster can benefit from these strategies, podcasters with ADHD may find them more necessary and can customize them to fit their needs.

1. Use a Physical Notebook or Planner

Never underestimate the power of a physical journal. A University of Tokyo study from 2021 shows stronger brain activity when writing with pen or pencil on paper than when using digital devices. The tactile, dextrous parts of writing on paper make the information more memorable and satisfy some of the need to fidget. You may need two, one for ideas and one for planning, or use separate sections of a bigger notebook.

Start with a brain dump: take unstructured ideas to priorities.

Start your day (or your project or work session) with a morning brain dump (or freewriting session). This helps you avoid distractibility, control impulses, and prioritize tasks. Writing down all the ideas for each podcast episode helps podcasters with ADHD avoid talking uncontrollably while recording. When you’ve got all the ideas out, you can prioritize what’s important to discuss and what’s not. Most importantly, this helps you brainstorm and refine your ideas for your podcast episode or season.

Take Your Priorities and Tasks to Your Planner

Time blocking, or writing down how much time you plan to spend on different tasks, helps podcasters with ADHD prevent time blindness. This also helps you know how much time to budget for each task, or if you need to get help.

Working Memory vs. Task Switching

If you have to use more than one app, website, or software at a time, keep that notebook close by. Working memory is essential in podcasting. This helps you remember, for example, a timestamp while editing your show notes or what dates to add to your interview calendar. Task switching leaves room for distraction and kills momentum.

There are loads of note-taking apps out there, but Dr. Russell Barkley, one of the leading experts in ADHD, says that digital devices aren’t reliable enough. “Let’s go low tech. Let’s go back to paper and pencil.” However, Cal Newport doesn’t want to lose momentum while doing deep work. He keeps a text document titled Working Memory on his computer’s desktop. MacOS Ventura has a similar feature for the Notes app; slide your cursor down to the bottom right corner of the screen, and a note will pop up.

Our Podcast Host Planner Journal can go anywhere you go, won’t try to distract you, and never needs recharging or the wi-fi password. But any notebook will do.

2. Use Project Management Software With a Calendar and Reminders

Any project management software, like Trello, Asana, or Google Calendar, something tied to a calendar that actively reminds you, is essential. Your paper notebooks are for idea generation. The project management software helps podcasters manage time, deadlines, and reminders.

Asana shows you how to make a podcast planning template with their software. Trello shares the template for the board they use to produce their company podcast. There are hundreds all over the internet. Find one that’s right for you. Think of this as the highway your podcast drives on and the journal as a wilderness trail.

3. Get Away From Your Screen Regularly

Podcasting can involve a lot of time spent staring at a screen and clicking. This tires you out and encourages distraction. You should get up and stretch, walk around, and rest your eyes periodically. Podcasters with ADHD particularly benefit from working away from the screen. For example, listen to your raw audio while taking a walk. Walking helps with brain stimulation for the editing stage (not to mention fidgeting), and you can use a phone app like EditPoint to prepare notes for your next editing session.

Recording your podcast outside alleviates complacency and adds an extra layer of ambiance. And, obviously, being outside in nature benefits your mind and body, boosting the neurotransmitters that podcasters with ADHD need.

Getting away from your screen doesn’t always mean moving your body outside. Exercise mindfulness techniques to slow down, take stock, clear your head, and maintain perspective. Mindfulness can help podcasters with ADHD manage their emotions, whether it’s from a bad review or an exciting opportunity.

4. Practice Active Listening

Podcasting attracts people who like to talk. People who have ADHD often struggle to manage how much they speak or about how many topics. Learning to practice active listening helps podcasters with ADHD by leaps and bounds. Listening rather than speaking encourages dialogue with guests to converse effectively. This practice also helps you generate ideas for future content: by listening more attentively, you will pick up information you hadn’t considered. Active listening on the part of the podcaster makes for a more informative experience for the audience. Let there be occasional silence; let people be interesting on their own.

5. Dedicate Time and Space to your Creative Work and Make It Rewarding

Schedule your podcast work sessions like it’s a second job. Treat this as the time to do something special for yourself. When you do what Cal Newport calls Deep Work, don’t multitask. If podcasters with ADHD switch between different apps, websites, and software, their working memory is taxed, and there’s room for distraction.

Build reward into the habit of your podcasting work sessions. This is a two-fold process. You have to have a reward while you’re working and a reward after the task for getting it done.

What are some ways to make podcasting tasks more rewarding?

Use tools that make it easy and enjoyable to do your work. Use reliable podcasting gear so it doesn’t distract you from the work. Tactile tools help podcasters with ADHD; try a video game controller or a Stream Deck to help with editing. Body doubling, working in parallel with another person, helps podcasters with ADHD feel less complacent. Listening to music with binaural beats can help with focus, though you don’t want to use this while recording or editing. If there’s a podcasting task you don’t enjoy, an all-in-one podcasting software like Alitu or one of its alternatives can shift some labor.

Again, when you finish a task or a work session, reward yourself. This restarts your productivity cycle and helps you stay motivated to work on your podcast. The rewards don’t have to be huge. Watch a clip from a favorite movie, play with the cat, do five minutes of yoga, whatever makes you feel good.

Rewards Help Prevent Podfade

We know that people who have ADHD tend to have short time horizons. If an experience isn’t rewarding, podcasters with ADHD can lose interest. Design your podcasting time and space with that in mind. Think of this as the time you spend exploring a topic you love and learning more about it while sharing it with people who care about it. Don’t wait for someone else to validate you.

Podcasters with ADHD: Uniquely Suited, But Need More Preparation

Creative enterprises tend to attract people with attention deficit disorder. They can use their symptoms as tools, instead of coping with them as obstacles. Podcasters with ADHD can find connections between ideas that others are unlikely to, which makes them ideal interpreters for society. But, people with ADHD are easily derailed by the nearest or latest dopamine pumping system, and the Internet is full of them. Traditional productivity methods are more necessary for people with ADHD than for neurotypical creators. Podcasters with ADHD need to rely on productivity methods, tweak them to their needs, and include rewards. With a little extra work up front, they can help others be more productive and continue to share ideas, inspire with their stories, and amplify others’ voices. As Gustave Flaubert said, “Be steady and well-ordered in your life so you can be fierce and original in your work.”