Ari Tuckman's ADHD Productivity Specialist Retreat

Struggles with productivity are the biggest complaint from (and about) adults with ADHD. A lifetime of falling short of their own and others’ expectations weighs heavily on self-esteem, adds strife to their relationships at home and work, and drives co-occurring conditions like anxiety, depression, substance abuse, sleep problems, etc. This is why so many clients with ADHD seek treatment to be more effective in their daily lives. It’s a worthy goal, but standard therapy techniques often miss the mark. And simple productivity hacks rarely deliver lasting results.

Clients are desperate for a therapist who really gets it. They want someone who understands the nuances of ADHD and the many ways that it directly and indirectly impacts their ability to get things done—and how that impacts every part of their life. They don’t want to just talk about what’s going wrong. They want the tools and strategies that actually make things better. They want a therapist who has more up their sleeve than just recommending a to do list.

Can you give convincing answers when a prospective client asks you:

• How can I hope to manage time when it’s so slippery for me?
• I don’t want to keep disappointing people. Am I just selfish?
• I hate waiting for the last minute, so why do I keep doing it?
• I’ve tried every calendar system and none of them work for me. What do you recommend?
• I set alarms but then don’t do the job. What’s wrong with me?

Ari Tuckman, PsyD, MBA has done more than 40,000 hours with clients with ADHD over the last twenty-five years and recently published The ADHD Productivity Manual, the only ADHD book that focuses exclusively on productivity. He knows these conversations better than anyone—where clients with ADHD get stuck and what they can do to get the job done. He knows all the bases to cover to identify what is holding the client back and then all the points of intervention to get the client over the hump to not only start but also finish the tasks that they need to. This goes beyond the obvious advice like reducing distractions and gets into more nuanced topics like identifying the goals that generate real motivation, tolerating discomfort, feeling the future, preserving willpower, and accepting one’s limitations with grace. And, since adults need to play well with others, he will even share how to help clients figure out how productive they really need to be, communicate that to others, and negotiate different expectations respectfully. All of this is supported by the driving principle that the goal is to help clients with ADHD live a better life where they can pursue what is meaningful, not just avoid problems.

Helping adults with ADHD be more productive requires the ability to address all aspects of their life—and helping them be more productive will benefit all of these areas. One way or another, treating adults with ADHD is all about productivity.