Focus and Chill - productivity tactics for AuDHDers and other neurodivergent folks

Rickey works with high achievers who want to maximise their brain and body's functionality to excel in their career and life. With her background in health education, the fitness industry and recent experience working in an effective altruism organisation, she is merging her skills and knowledge to support the health of the Effective Altruism community and high impact individuals as a force multiplier.

Show Notes

  1. What projects are you concentrating on during your focused hours?
    - health and accountability coaching
  2. How about the rest of the time? What do you enjoy doing in your off time?
    1. Intermittent breaks: 
      1. 5 minute Pomodoro breaks (dancing/yoga/stretching/cleaning house). 
      2. ESR (breathwork, stretching, meditation, body scan, 5 senses)
    2. Bigger breaks
      1. run
      2. reading: YA books. "Loveless". "Clara and the sun" AI best friend
      3. watercolour books
      4. journaling
      5. calling friends
  3. What does your morning routine look like and how has it evolved over time?
    1. Changing routine useful to avoid stagnation
    2. General routine
      1. 7am +/- wakeup 
      2. Curtains/window/changed (active wear)
      3. Wash face
      4. Skip outside in the sun (inspired by Andrew Huberman)
      5. Meditate (consistency over intensity. Minimum 5 minutes. Loving kindness/metta meditation)
      6. Coffee (black) + journaling (gratitude)
    3. Dealing with curveballs
      1. Be flexible
      2. Come back to the habit - one day off is ok
  4. What do you do to optimise productivity during your working hours?
    1. Pomodoro method: physical pig timer
    2. Optimise phone:
      1. Firefox Focus: one tab only
      2. ESR apps
    3. Change contexts in physical environment if frustrated/unproductive: go to cafe/library to mix things
    4. Intermittent fasting: eating window 12-8 - more productive in morning prior to first meal
    5. Vegan diet (9 years):
      1. Initial Motivation: sports performance inspired by brothers
      2. Making it stick: address value conflicts
        1. Social environment - if friends/colleagues look down on diet, hard to stick to it
        2. Animal welfare - bigger purpose
      3. Overall advice for dietary change:
        1. Adopt a Long term perspective 
        2. Monitor your current diet without making changes: take photos (and send it to health coach)
  5. How do you switch off at night?
    1. Sleep: influences ability to eat well and recover from exercise
    2. Not too rigid about evening routine - plenty of time from 8pm:
      1. set the scene: dim lights, candle, PJs, no music/instrumental music
      2. tidy up
      3. get clothes
      4. journalling: including schedule + to do list (but avoid rumination)
      5. friend convos (voice messages)
    3. 10:30pm in bed
  6. What resources (books, philosophies, apps) do you find most helpful for productivity and habit formation?
    1. Books:
      1. "Power of Habit" by Charles Du Higg
      2. "Atomic Habits" James Clear (prefer blog posts)
    2. Podcasts:
      1. Huberman Lab
      2. The Growth Equation - executive coach -> habit formation
      3. ClearerThinking.org (free tools for decision making/habit formation)
    3. Apps:
      1. Habit tracking spreadsheet (off the shelf apps don't have an ideal UI)
      2. ESR (Emotion Noticing: "How We Feel")
      3. Foundations for relaxation techniques (but unfortunately they no longer offer access to the general public). 
      4. Insight Timer: meditation guided/timer 
      5. Sleep Score: Sleep tracking

  7. Stay in touch with Rickey:
LinkedIn 
Website
Email: rickey.healthoptimiser@gmail.com

What is Focus and Chill - productivity tactics for AuDHDers and other neurodivergent folks?

Welcome to the Focus and Chill podcast where we discuss productivity tactics that work for AuDHDers and other neurospicy people.

Every episode we interview guests with lived experience of neurodivergence who also have a solid productivity and habit game and pass the learnings on to you, our wise and benevolent audience.

Want to be a guest?
We’d love to hear from you! If you have lived experience of neurodivergence and have insights, strategies, or experiences around productivity, habits, or executive functioning that you’d like to share, you can fill out our Guest Form to be considered for a future episode.

Guest Application Form: www.focusbear.io/focusandchillform

Podcast sponsored by https://focusbear.io