Thoroughly ADHD

The Life-Changing PSA Technique for Managing ADHD

• Alex Delmar Coaching

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Have you ever experienced that sinking feeling after locking yourself out, misplacing something important, or saying something you immediately regret? For those with ADHD, these mishaps can accumulate into significant wasted time, money, and emotional energy. 

In this episode, I share what might be the single most powerful technique in my ADHD toolbox: Pause, Scan, and Ask (PSA). This deceptively simple three-step approach creates intentional checkpoints throughout your day that counteract the ADHD brain's tendency to rush through transitions without awareness. By pausing at doorways, before leaving spaces, or prior to switching tasks, you give yourself the gift of a moment's reflection that can prevent hours of frustration later.

The beauty of PSA lies in its versatility. I demonstrate how to apply this technique to prevent common challenges like forgetting items when leaving home, losing possessions in public places, and showing up unprepared for activities. Beyond physical items, the method extends surprisingly well to social situations by helping you "read the room" before speaking and maintain awareness of others' reactions during conversations. This social application alone can transform relationships by allowing you to consider others in the moment rather than beating yourself up hours later for saying the wrong thing.

With regular practice, PSA becomes second nature, creating a powerful safety net for your ADHD brain. Whether you're newly diagnosed or have been managing ADHD for years, this straightforward technique could be the missing piece in your daily management strategy. Try implementing it this week, and let me know if it saves you from a locked door, a forgotten wallet, or an awkward social moment!

Alex Delmar:

When's the last time you locked yourself out, forgot some crucial item at home, misplaced your debit card or left behind your sunglasses, blurted out something you immediately wished you hadn't? The time, money and energy wasted retracing your steps or replacing things, arriving unprepared and alienating people because of ADHD-related impulsivity and distractibility can really add up. But I have a simple solution. It's to pause, scan and ask, and I think it's the single most powerful technique in my ADHD toolbox. I'm Alex Delmar, a certified life coach and person with ADHD. Welcome to Thoroughly ADHD, where I share what I've learned to help other people with ADHD enjoy better lives.

Alex Delmar:

While suffering the many unpleasant consequences of untreated ADHD, I developed some hacks to make my life less stressful and I realized recently an awful lot of them come under the umbrella of pause, scan and ask. You can remember the steps as PSA, like a public service announcement. You are the user of the information, but everyone around you will benefit benefit. So here it is. Every time I move from a spot, I stop, look around, around and ask myself if I have everything I should. That's all. But it changes . everything And and you can use it all day long and in any situation.

Alex Delmar:

When you're first learning this technique, thresholds or doorways can act as a concrete invitation to Pause pause, Scan scan and Ask ask, but it's useful at any sort of transition, such as switching from one task to another, and with practice your brain gets to the point where it recognizes ooh, here's a transition. Let me Pause pause, Scan scan and Ask ask.

Alex Delmar:

So here are some examples. To stop forgetting things at home or locking yourself out, pause at the door and scan your possessions and ask, "do I have everything I need to leave the house. For years I kept a checklist next to the door, but it's useless if you don't pause, scan the list and ask yourself if you have all the things.

Alex Delmar:

To stop leaving things behind after a meeting or a class or a movie or dining out, riding the train or catching a lift from a friend. You should pause and look above, under and around your seat before you leave. Ask yourself "did I have a jacket, sunglasses, bag, hat or earbuds, or whatever you normally carry, when I arrived, and do I have them now? Where are my keys? Where is my phone?

Alex Delmar:

You should ask similar questions at the end of the workday while scanning your workspace. Additional questions you might ask before leaving work are "what do I need to take home tonight? Did I secure sensitive information. Did I put away the things I'm done using? Is everything set up for tomorrow and did I lock the door?"?

Alex Delmar:

The technique is very helpful to avoid everyday inconveniences Like, instead of forgetting to pick something up at the store, you can periodically pause and scan your shopping list and the items in your cart, ask if you have everything on your list, ask if you need something that you forgot to put on the list, and anytime you are supposed to pay for something, whether it's at the store or a restaurant, pause before leaving and ask "did I pay and did I put my wallet away?

Alex Delmar:

Before getting in the shower, pause, scan and ask "did I replace that empty shampoo bottle? Is there a towel within reach? If it's always a pleasant experience, maybe it'll be easier to get motivated to actually get in the shower

Alex Delmar:

Before cooking, pause and scan the prep area and ask if you have all the ingredients in sufficient amounts. If something is missing, can you do without it? Did you preheat the oven or soften the butter or whatever else needs to be done ahead of time?

Alex Delmar:

You can also use the PSA to keep your home in order. order.

Alex Delmar:

Every time you get up, pause and scan the area around you and ask is there anything here that needs to be somewhere else, put away, thrown out or move to another room. You can even use it to have more . positive interactions with people mouth, you slightly more complicated in"is that you need to pause and scan before you speak and continue scanning throughout the conversation. Basically, you're using this strategy to read the room Before opening your mouth. You might ask yourself is it my turn to speak or will I add something new that benefits this conversation?

Alex Delmar:

While speaking, scan for body language and ask yourself things like "is someone stepping back, crossing their arms or looking away from me, or does anyone look upset? If so, you know you've spoken long enough or are on the wrong path for this audience and you can change tack. And if you've accidentally offended someone, you have the opportunity to smooth things over right away. This technique can help you make and keep more friends and build stronger relationships, because it forces you to give consideration to those around you in the moment, instead of thinking of it two hours later and then beating yourself up for months afterwards that you said the wrong thing.

Alex Delmar:

The more you practice the Pause, Scan and Ask, the more it becomes second nature to do it. You can make things even easier on yourself by consolidating all your things into one bag or area, having routines, knowing where things belong, and by keeping the space around you as uncluttered as possible. These extra steps will minimize the number of questions you have to ask yourself.

Alex Delmar:

I'm Alex Delmar and this has been Thoroughly ADHD. I know your time is valuable, so I hope you find the Pause, Scan and Ask method as helpful as I do and that you'll like follow or subscribe and come back next Tuesday. Thank you!