Episode 42: Shane Thrapp

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

Welcome to episode #42 Our guest today is Shane Thrapp. He is the founder of Creating Order From Chaos and an ADHD coach and business consultant. He works to empower people with ADHD to find their authentic selves and collaborates with companies on neurodivergent inclusivity and accommodations. He also works as the Operations Director at the nonprofit Men’s ADHD Support Group, as a driving force furthering their mission of supporting men with ADHD. Welcome to the show Shane!

Questions

1. Can you tell us about your experience with ADHD? When did you realize that you weren’t neurotypical? What challenges did you face? What is it like now?
   1. Felt different as a child
      1. Grew up on a farm but wasn’t into farming activities.
      2. Loved to read
      3. Socializing hard
      4. Smarter than other kids
      5. Family very harsh
   2. Son got diagnosed with ADHD when Shane was 30
      1. Researched it a lot to support his son
      2. Saw a lot of puzzle pieces
   3. Difficulty getting diagnosed
      1. First psychiatrist said ADHD is not possible in adults
      2. Second psychiatrist diagnosed him with bipolar
      3. Third psychiatrist actually did an assessment but also noticed autistic trends
   4. AuDHD
      1. Dealing with lack of order hard, e.g. if someone touches his desk
      2. Learned body language by watching Oprah/online
      3. Learned to mask - took it too far
   5. 2018 burned out
      1. Developed fibromyalgia
      2. Couldn’t do corporate contracts anymore
2. What "work" projects are you concentrating on?
   1. Found it hard to keep a job
      1. Kept proposing process optimizations - bosses didn’t like it
   2. Discovered that contract project management was the perfect role for him
      1. 3-8 months long contracts
      2. Turning chaos into order (easy to do it for other people)
      3. Fitted in long breaks
   3. Turned self-improvement into a project
      1. Discovering values
      2. ADHD/Autism became a special interest
         1. Read all the things (neurobiology)
         2. RSS feeds for ADHD
   4. After burnout in 2018 started “Creating Order From Chaos”: ADHD coaching and business consulting
      1. ADHD coaching for people from 25 to 55
         1. Help them build rituals and routines
         2. Help them find values and accommodations
         3. Accountability
      2. Businesses:
         1. help them figure out where processes are broken and what accommodations would help the team members
      3. Speaking
         1. Educate people on ADHD and autism
   5. Men’s ADHD support group
      1. Facebook group exploded after COVID
      2. 2022 formed non profit
      3. Weekly Calls - peer support
3. How about the rest of the time? What do you enjoy doing in your off time?
   1. Video games: RPGs
   2. Dungeons and Dragons
   3. World building - book series
   4. Board game
   5. Reading
   6. Play with kids
4. What does your morning routine look like and how has it evolved over time?
   1. Alarm app
      1. have to unlock by solving Math problem
      2. Then scan barcode on mirror - take meds
      3. Meditation + journaling
   2. Alexa
      1. 9.30am check tasks + calendar
5. What do you do to optimize productivity during your working hours?
   1. Checking tasks + calendar morning and evening
   2. Scheduling in rest
   3. Dealing with too many tabs
6. COMMERCIAL BREAK
7. What is one habit you'd like to remove from your life (either a bad habit or one that takes up too much time)?
   1. Marijuana: not great for ADHD
8. How do you switch off at night?
   1. Brain dump - write thoughts out
   2. Alexa reminder:
      1. Check the calendar and tasks
9. What resources (books, philosophies, apps, sensory toys) do you find most helpful for productivity and habit formation?
   1. Support group - real people
   2. Therapy
   3. Mechanical multitasking: clean while listening to a podcast
   4. Figure out learning styles
10. Where can people connect with you or find your work?
    1. Creatingorderfromchaos.com
    2. https://www.mensadhdsupportgroup.org/
    3. Creatingorderfromchaos on socials
11. Do you have any final words or asks for our audience?
    1. Group coaching available

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