The ADHD & Productivity Course

with Prof. James Brown

James introduces the biology of adult ADHD: how the brain develops over 25 to 30 years, how neurons, synapses and neurotransmitters such as dopamine shape attention, mood and motivation, and how that development differs in ADHD. He explains why “attention deficit hyperactivity disorder” is a misleading name, frames ADHD as a lifelong difference in executive function, and follows the executive functions through an ordinary day, from the morning alarm to bedtime.

• Why no two ADHD brains are alike
• How neurons and neurotransmitters shape attention and motivation
• Why “attention deficit” is misleading, and where hyperfocus fits in
• The executive functions ADHD affects, from working memory to emotions

with Prof. James Brown

James sets out the three presentations of adult ADHD and what a diagnosis actually requires, then turns to the experiences most adults with ADHD recognise that aren’t in the diagnostic criteria — emotional dysregulation, rejection sensitive dysphoria, time blindness and sensory overload. He shows how symptoms “stack” to derail everyday tasks, and why ADHD in women and girls is so often missed.

• The three presentations of ADHD, and how common each is
• What a diagnosis requires: symptom count, severity and impact
• Rejection sensitive dysphoria, time blindness and sensory overload
• How symptom stacking derails tasks, and why women are often missed

with Prof. James Brown

The heart of the course: what productivity really means beyond hours worked, and why ADHD makes it so inconsistent. James works through each ADHD-specific barrier in turn — prioritisation, distractibility and mind wandering, time blindness and procrastination, reward-driven motivation, and stress and burnout — including what Adam Grant’s research on givers, takers and matchers means for ADHD at work.

• Why ADHD is a performance issue, not an ability issue
• How impulsivity and choice overwhelm derail prioritisation
• External distractions versus spontaneous mind wandering
• How emotions, time blindness and reward drive procrastination

with Prof. James Brown

Turning understanding into a personal toolkit. James starts with two golden rules — try one thing at a time, and set realistic goals — then works through practical tools for each problem area: master task lists and the Eisenhower matrix, chunking and mind mapping, the Pomodoro technique, the 50% rule, golden hours, time blocking, body doubling and routines built on cues. He ends with boundaries, the three-step “positive no”, and the basics of sleep, food and exercise.

• How to prioritise a master task list with the Eisenhower matrix
• Chunking, mind mapping — and when to ignore the Pomodoro timer
• The 50% rule, golden hours and time blocking for time blindness
• Setting boundaries without guilt with the “positive no”