The Lost Art of Getting It Out: ADHD, Ancient Letters, and the Tools That Finally Listen

What does a 120-year-old letter have to do with ADHD and AI? More than you might think.

In this episode of Wired Together, Jason and Melanie Winter follow up on last week's portrait brain concept with something more practical: the lost art of getting things out of your head. They trace the idea back through handwritten letters and family history, connect it to the real challenges of executive function, and walk through honest strategies for using modern tools the same way our ancestors used pen and paper. Miles joins the conversation to demonstrate how AI can actually meet you where you are, no grammar required.

If your brain holds too much, moves too fast, or struggles to start, this one is for you.

#wiredtogetherpodcast #podicle #ADHDtools #executivefunction #smallbusinessmindset

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Transcript

Melanie 0:06

Welcome back to Wired Together. And uh last week we did talk about uh the portrait brain. It's uh kind of a concept that we came up with on uh an explanation of of ADHD, how that uh brain is thinking, um, and maybe how it's a little different than what the norm believes is a little more of uh creating a portrait. Yeah. Um, so the information doesn't get lost, it just gets changed or reorganized.

Jason 0:36

Right, it's in there. Right. As we've you know, kind of talked about it.

Melanie 0:41

So uh talking about that, you know, it we kind of got some feedback on, you know, okay, what about the practical uses of something? Yeah, you know, you're talking about maybe technology could be helpful. How is that practical? So we kind of went into maybe a deeper dive of the, you know, let's make this practical, let's make this doable, let's make this something that um we can talk about each specific need of the executive function and why maybe there is technology that can help.

Jason 1:13

Right. I mean, there's always been some strategies, and I can speak from my own, and s maybe some examples may or may not come up. It depends on where my focus is at the time. But um I do know that yes, there are like I said, always strategies, but the technology hasn't always been there to the degree as it was then, and especially with AI and different um forms of that, you really can almost have like a a I don't want to call it a silent partner, but a some of the bounce stuff off a and and because of that it ends up being useful because sometimes when you're stuck on a thought or don't know what to say, you just need to talk to somebody about it or just get it out there for it to fire back to you and even just hearing it sometimes crosses that hemisphere. Right.

Melanie 2:12

But yeah, so so I'm gonna start this off with kind of going back in time a little bit, and and so gotta go back in time. Well, maybe there was a ways that we that when everybody says, you know, okay, there's too much ADHD, what happened?

Jason 2:30

Sure.

Melanie 2:30

You know, uh well, maybe where there were ways we dealt with things before that we no longer need, and maybe forgot we needed.

Jason 2:40

Okay. Uh so So there was a way of doing things then that was helpful, but maybe it in ways that we didn't realize the lost arts. The uh yeah, yeah, I guess lost arts, yeah.

Melanie 2:54

Yeah, so uh it's not um unknown, or at least most of our our listeners know, probably not all. Uh, but if you've heard any of our other podcasts, um I am very much living within that multi-generational area. Um I live nearby many generations that have lived before me. So um that means the buildings are the same, the stuff is the same. We have lots and lots of stuff. And so the benefit of having lots of random stuff from um your family for many generations was we have letters from way, way back. Uh letters from 200 years ago.

Jason 3:40

Sure.

Melanie 3:40

Um, and so the the cool part about that is we're able to read these letters and really understand a different time period. And so when you you can kind of like learn the family members you've never met by learning their their reading style. And and so we have letters that are soldiers back to their family or soldiers back to their their to-be brides. Right. Um, we have three different three generations of of the bracy news that is um some written in different little pieces of paper all over the place. Um we have letters from you know long distance neighbors, friends, doctors, lawyers. And so we're able to kind of read a lot of these things and really understand uh the picture that's being created here. But maybe one thing that's really interesting is this need before at one point you had to write.

Jason 4:42

Yeah, right.

Melanie 4:43

You had to write your thoughts down, you had to write things down, and um, you know, what what's going on in your life?

Jason 4:50

Sure.

Melanie 4:50

So you're answering your neighbor, so now you gotta think about your life and then actually give an external version of what's going on with you.

Jason 5:00

So you you kind of need to process it well enough because as you're writing each word on a piece of paper, it kind of needs to be coherent and gathered already. Right, yeah. Okay.

Melanie 5:22

Um, which gives us a very interesting Yeah, yeah.

Jason 5:25

Y'all do have some stuff that it's I'm amazed.

Melanie 5:28

I mean, how long that say a hundred to actually more like a hundred and ten, hundred and twenty years probably there is a letter to um my great-great-grandmother and a doctor about my grandma.

Jason 5:47

Right.

Melanie 5:48

And so she's trying to figure out what is wrong, no, it's about my great-grandmother. So her daughter. Yes. And she's trying to figure out what's wrong with this child's ear.

Jason 5:56

Right.

Melanie 5:57

And so we actually have her letter because more than likely she had to write it more than once.

Jason 6:02

Okay.

Melanie 6:03

So it's, you know, the she clearly sent it to the doctor because we have the doctor's letter back. But said at some point she had to write it. So we have it to her to her to the doctor and then the doctor back. So she sent it. Yeah. So the of course she probably wrote more than one copy because she's trying to get her thoughts straight on what's going on with this child's ear.

Jason 6:27

Interesting.

Melanie 6:28

So And doctors weren't like, you know, as readily available. So she's writing this letter to the doctor. Who is further away.

Jason 6:38

She wants to say it right. And probably an emotional situation. Something's wrong with your child.

Melanie 6:44

But you can kind of tell she's she's not sure what to do, and the child's getting worse.

Jason 6:49

So you're telling me you kind of have the first draft and then the actual sent draft.

Melanie 6:55

Yes. So we don't have the sent draft. We have the first draft. Okay. And then we have the doctor's answer.

Jason 7:01

I see. Okay, so obviously that wasn't sent because that wouldn't have been handed back. Right. So what you're getting at is the brain dump or what have you that maybe takes place in okay, let me get my thoughts down, and then okay, uh, maybe I went too much in my intro. Let me just go get more direct. So whatever was sent, we don't know. But it probably because that time was spent on drafting it the first time, there was a reorganization that took place for the final draft. Right. Gotcha. Well, that's interesting historically. I mean, you think about that. I mean, that seems obvious, but to have that in your hands, you don't really realize that it actually maybe has taken place and maybe have been a common practice.

Melanie 7:46

Well, yes. And so, of course, again, if you're writing letters on a regular we have old secretaries, you sit down and you write your letters. So you maybe have more than one.

Jason 7:59

Right.

Melanie 7:59

You know, I need to write um my cousin.

Jason 8:02

And by secretary, we mean furniture.

Melanie 8:04

Yes, the furniture, the secretary.

Jason 8:05

Furniture that flips down.

Melanie 8:07

Piece of furniture that flips down. Yeah.

Jason 8:08

Yeah, okay, just making sure.

Melanie 8:10

Um and you have all of your writing stuff. And so that's when you sit there and you you write your letters.

Jason 8:15

Yes.

Melanie 8:16

So it it's why is this important in in our brain and our way of thinking is well, for for you and I, and a lot of people, you know, a lot of writing was, you know, what you had to do for school. Yeah. And we had a lot of writing, you and I. We were both in English and communications. I'm about to have a panic attack. But it was like you gotta do an LA, you've got to do all of the It was structured, it had its purpose, it was like you knew what you had before you, and you had to go.

Jason 8:49

Not at all, no.

Melanie 8:51

So conversational writing, you don't actually have to put a lot of focus on those sort sort of things. Um we actually, because we have all of these letters, there's a lot of shorthand that clearly everybody understood, though we had to kind of figure it out.

Jason 9:04

Right.

Melanie 9:05

Uh that they didn't have memes, but right, but they had shorthand of things that they would say. Yeah. And that you had to kind of the more you read the letter, you could understand what that shorthand technically means. Because it's conversational writing, you're just writing a letter to uh, you know, like my my grandmother and and um her dating my grandfather, they would write back and forth to one another because they were in two different counties, which at the time we could run over there in a second, but at the time, a little difficult.

Jason 9:38

Sure.

Melanie 9:38

So if they wrote letters more often than not, right? And so, yes, they they're about to get married, they're very conversational. This is not gonna be a letter that you're, you know, um like a term paper. You don't need to cite your sources, you don't need to sit there with the correct grammar and that kind of thing. So it is casual, exactly, and and I think we we lose casual writing when we don't write letters, yeah. And so what that does is kind of give that that back and forth conversation um that external viewpoints, it keeps them internal as opposed to going in an external way. Get it out to bring it back in kind of even in texting, we're you know, yes, we are super casual in texting, but a lot of times it's like one little piece. I'm not trying to tell you, yeah, well, I haven't talked to you, cousin, in in two months, so let me tell you about my day.

Jason 10:34

Right.

Melanie 10:34

It's usually more like, hey, this is funny, you want to see this, you know.

Jason 10:38

Yeah, it's kind of a nudge. Right.

Melanie 10:40

It's not usually um having to really encompass your thoughts and and put it out there in a casual way.

Jason 10:47

Right.

Melanie 10:48

So are we helping in this maybe external casual conversational style writing when it comes to trying to give prompts in that way of using, say, like AI?

Jason 11:06

Well, I guess thinking about the example you brought up where you have one draft, but you also have the doctor's response, which means there was a final draft that was sent that was never, of course, came back. How is that different than talking to AI and it in the writing of something trying to gather your thoughts? How's that different than just saying, okay, I got this situation, my daughter's having an issue with her ear. I want to write a letter to my doctor, and here's this and this, and you start like listing out all the particulars to information that needs to be known and everything. So you're kind of creating a prompt in your draft in a matter of speaking.

Melanie 11:50

You're prompting the doctor.

Jason 11:51

You're prompting the doc. Yeah, right. So in and in a prompt, you know, of course, and perhaps with a collaboration with AI, you can then have a better understanding of, okay, well, then that makes sense. Maybe I should mention that or what have you know, it didn't exist 120 years ago, but you know, right, there you go. But there's a process to it that we're not familiar with.

Melanie 12:12

Well, that's true, that does kind of relate. And of course, things not floating in your head, yeah. Where you're trying to organize something that's only you by yourself.

Jason 12:23

Sure.

Melanie 12:24

You know, you if you can write something, yeah, and I I see writing as so important, but if you can write it down, you what you're doing is you're putting it out of your head.

Jason 12:35

Yeah.

Melanie 12:36

And so even if your your listener or your reader of what you're writing doesn't technically respond or doesn't respond right away, you've organized your thoughts, and because you've organized your thoughts, you've had you've had more breakthrough than you think.

Jason 12:52

Yeah, that is true. Get getting it out is important, yeah. For clarity and being able to think through it better.

Melanie 12:59

So, how does this become practical as far as okay, say we are kind of um maybe more jumbled than we used to be? Probably because everything is more internal than external.

Jason 13:11

And everything is more urgent, more I get need to respond, I got this in my plate.

Melanie 13:15

Right. So can we use the tools that we have nowadays as a replacement of executive function when executive function sometimes gets gets away from us?

Jason 13:28

Right.

Melanie 13:29

Um and so what are prompts or tricks and tools, you know, AI we can say, you know, we we can actually, I don't think we always think of this, but we can say, all right, I've got three hours to do something, I've got five tasks to do it. What should I start with? Yeah, and you could actually prompt AI to give the the idea of the task that you have at hand, and you know, I'm I'm having a hard time focusing.

Jason 13:59

Sure.

Melanie 14:00

And this is the amount of time I have to do it, right? How do I do it?

Jason 14:04

And more than likely, and you know, we've had Miles on the show before, and we'll be bringing Miles back in today. But it's probably gonna be feedback, okay. So I know you have a limited time. What are some of the tasks you have before you so that we can kind of weigh out what may or may not be a priority? So, um, you know, it I think as far as the prompt and everything, that you know, that that that make that makes sense as a way of I guess offloading it. First, you're admitting, here's what I gotta do. Sometimes the fear of the task is your own not your own doing, but um it you get in your own way sometimes. So by admitting that you're able to go, okay, here it is, where do I go from here? And then once you get that feedback, you can, you know, have some type of guidance.

Melanie 15:02

And and like my great-grandmother Nanny, you know, you you are pulling it out of the brain, putting it outside, and then so that there is a bit of organization that happens while doing that too.

Jason 15:15

Sure, yeah. Yeah, and no, that doesn't make sense, yeah.

Melanie 15:20

And you know, we can also, you know, kind of simplify. Um, if we're having a hard time simplifying our task or our understanding of something, uh, the things that we need to do, then just we can say, I don't actually want to do this. Give me the smallest possible possible first task. So, how do I take one step forward and um simplify this? This becomes a really huge like way ADHD brains have a hard time.

Jason 16:01

They want to take everything at once, exactly yeah, yeah, exactly. It's a big barrier.

Melanie 16:06

Have the biggest problem with start. It's not the you know, it's not always just finishing the project, a lot of times it's starting the project. And and okay, what is the smallest thing I could do first as a start?

Jason 16:19

And and I always joked, it's the blinking cursor fear because it's like I have this six-page paper to write, and this blinking cursor is kind of taunting me, and I don't know what word to start with. And then you know, of course, any writer would get that too, and it's that whole writer's block, if you will, but it's not writer's block in this case, this is task block. And um, it's funny you bring that up, but I was on when I was on LinkedIn the other day, someone posted something which was very relevant to this, and um it was kind of like a meme photo type thing. So as you read it, it said set a timer for five minutes and choose the task that pretty much is up there in what you do not want to be doing, but you know you need to, okay. Right. And then like I said, you set a timer and just go and start thinking about it, whatever, and and just try to put yourself in it. But knowing that after five minutes, if after five minutes is done and your say your your cell phone alarm goes off, that and you know you're done, there's no guilt, you can stop, there's no obligation. Because guilt is also important there, because sometimes with the ADHD brain, guilt is very you know, you you you can be hard on yourself. And I I got to thinking about that, and I was like, actually, I remember when I was younger, I used to make kind of bargains with myself, if you will. Um, I don't know what I use as a timer, an egg timer, or whatever, because I didn't have a cell phone, or maybe I just looked at the the the clock and it would be like, okay, I know this is bothering me and I don't know I need to do this, but I'm gonna spend five minutes on this and then after five minutes, you know, I'll look back at the clock and see where I am, and you know, so did a very similar thing. Oftentimes what would happen is because I now felt okay going into it, I dove in. Five minutes passed, right? Twenty minutes passed, heck, two hours passed. Right now I have a better organizational structure. I've now broken it down into steps, I'm now excited about this project, I'm now involved, only because I bargain with myself, but afterward, it's no longer that scary hallway that you don't want to go down. It's now a sense of pride, but also a sense of what was wrong with me in the first place, you know, what what blocked me? But yeah, so I as a strategy I certainly see how that can be helpful.

Melanie 19:14

Absolutely, yeah. Yeah, so again, sometimes um just externalizing all of the all of that meat inside the brain, yep, and and go ahead and just do a data dump, you know. Um get it out. I have done this with um our our AI helpers and organize organizers before where it is like, all right, everything in my head is going out. And it'll be like a like a term paper prompt.

Jason 19:50

Oh yeah. All right, here is my rambling.

Melanie 19:52

Right, here is my rambling.

Jason 19:54

Good luck with this.

Melanie 19:56

Just everything out and organize it for me.

Jason 19:59

Yep.

Melanie 20:00

And it's like, okay, you know, that's a lot. We're gonna break this down into small little pieces, and and that is extremely helpful.

Jason 20:10

Sure.

Melanie 20:11

And so now it's not all trying to be held somewhere in the um frontal lobe, it's it's all out, and then all of a sudden you have this outline or this organizational tool that's like, okay, I can work with that. Now it's broken into chunks, sure, because sometimes it's not about trying to just get the task done or the small chunks done, it's about this massive chunk that you need in tinier chunks.

Jason 20:38

You have to organize the battalions within your army, and you know, you have to break it down, kind of like the index card thing I talked about last week.

Melanie 20:47

I think informationally we're we're a little bit like the the toddler with too much food on our plate. Sometimes it has to be cut up small and and easier to to bite through.

Jason 20:57

Sure, that's true. I mean, we we forget the you know, from children to adults. I mean, yes, we're different, but at the same time, we're we're teaching similar strategies and you know what we do for a child for reasons, maybe we're not doing for ourselves. Right? You know, uh, you know, but yeah. Always true. So, but yeah.

Melanie 21:23

And then oftentimes we are able to start, we've organized our outline, and now we're in fatigue. And so um maybe we're at the point of decisions just we we just can't anymore.

Jason 21:42

Like which way do I go?

Melanie 21:44

Which way do I go next? Right. Um, okay, so I've done these parts of the outline. I have done this on in my project, or I've written what I need to write. And so now I need kind of like a I've got these options of where to go with this.

Jason 22:03

Yep.

Melanie 22:04

And so put it out in the chat prompt or something like that. I've got these options, pick one. Just to get it kind of out of your decision making into okay, let me see these three options. Well, this one would be priority, so let's do this one first. So it's not actually we can utilize AI for decision making. It's it's you know elusive decision making. It doesn't mean anything. It is elusive decision. But it means something to you because you didn't have to make it.

Jason 22:36

Right. And of course, in this situation, you would have a sense of logic where if a decision is made and you think it's right, then you could certainly argue why, well, actually, I do want this. And if you feel that, then you know, then it's a game. You've actually made your decision by not making the decision it made. You still have made a choice. No, okay, no. But it then you realize the game of it, and sometimes, you know, you do have to game the mind. I know with our oldest daughter, sometimes she talks about having to trick her brain.

Melanie 23:08

Right, right. She's she's a big fan of of life hacks and brain tricks.

Jason 23:13

Exactly.

Melanie 23:14

She loves to trick her brain.

Jason 23:15

Right. Our youngest daughter the other day, we're going to get something and to eat somewhere, and she wanted to ask her friend. And see, I didn't have a cell phone to text people in a whimsical moment like that. Um, there was no payphone nearby and whatever. But um, and you know, trying to decide, do I want this or this? And she's like, Well, I'm gonna I'm gonna see what they think. And I'm like, Well, Donald, they don't need to sign on your mail. She's like, No, but it makes it she kind of knows and she can support whatever. And then I think she did go with what she said, but she had already decided that that's what she wanted anyway. But I think it wasn't about someone choosing for you. I think it more part of this is less of a threat to the brain if you can just put it out in the ether. But because you're actually making that movement, you're gonna get close to a decision, no matter what that it means anyway. So, yeah, so yeah.

Melanie 24:11

Yeah, as long as it's not my decision, even though it is my decision.

Jason 24:16

Right, even though it is, but you're gonna probably argue with your own. You're playing the game with yourself, okay. So, and but that's that's sometimes what you gotta do. Right. Yeah.

Melanie 24:25

But and um This one kind of relates to the the five-minute timer, like you were talking about, but you can you can do a timer or um, you know, say ask Alexa, you know, check on me in 20 minutes and ask if I'm you know what I've finished in that 20-minute time period. Gotcha. So if you need like some sort of accountability partner, you need some sort of like um and and yes, we have people in our lives, but sometimes what we're trying to accomplish doesn't actually include all of uh the people in our lives, so it's it is kind of nice and and convenient to have these um you know digital support systems, if you will, you know. Well, all right, give me five minutes to get this done, or 20 minutes to get this done, and then ask if I finished it. It gives you that bit of accountability, and um, I don't know, I I know Alexa Plus will do this.

Jason 25:26

Yeah, and I I love people too, and but when you're talking to Alexa or another tool like that, you don't need to ask how the mama's doing and get into a tangent of conversation having nothing to do with the supportive thing that you're wanting in the first place. You know, you just ask Alexa, uh Alexa, hey, 20 minutes, get back to me. And part of that too, um sometimes a little bit of pressure helps. Oh, yeah. Okay, I got 20 minutes. All right, I can't mess this up. 20 minutes, ah, yep, I'm focused. I got this, I can do this, and I'm going to do what again? Oh, that's okay. Okay, so yes. Alright, I'm gonna do that. I got this, I'm awesome. I'm okay. It's been two minutes. I got 18 minutes, you know, and you know, but it helps you focus. Anything that can remove some of the extraneous, allow you to then focus on what you need to and then go from there. It's like closing 43 of the tabs and leaving two. Now there's your focus. Go ahead and do something. Right. You know, if you didn't do that, then you had 45 tabs open. Right. So, you know, what what what's what's the loss?

Melanie 26:42

And and a lot of this is uh extrapolated from um you do have these nice little cool tips and tools, uh tricks of the trade, if you will, sure when it comes to young people in ADHD. So nice to we we've done this before, you know, um timers when it comes to some sometimes ADHD is not great with um time management or understanding time, uh especially as you're younger. Yeah. And so doing uh having a little timer that buzzes, like say you're brushing your teeth or you're going to the bathroom.

Jason 27:21

Right, oh, so that's how much that means.

Melanie 27:22

Right, that's how much time has passed, you know. So go ahead and you know, so it puts that little bit of pressure into doing a task that may, you know, you may Lottie Dah for three hours, right, or you can do it in 20 minutes, you know. Right, right. Exactly. So we've utilized this with you know the the young kids, yeah. But then it's kind of translating it into okay, as you have, you know, actual projects, as you're operating businesses, as you're trying to um, you know, adult, yeah, you know, you kind of still have the same brain. You're just kind of changing and and utilizing it differently.

Jason 28:02

That's true. Well, I mean, even as an adult, which I am, um, pretty much the first hour of when I sit down at my computer in the morning, I almost kind of to myself kind of go, okay, within this hour, go ahead and take care of all the emails, extraneous things that came over during the evening, the day before. All the boring, you're right, so that then you can be focused on something more, I don't want to say productive, because anything in a business, whatever, should be productive, even serving a client or doing whatever. But something um new, a a pathway that maybe you need more focus on. But how focused are you going to be when you know you have 12 emails sitting in your inbox? Right. So it's kind of in the same vein. It's like we're adults, but there's okay, everything takes time. All right, I got one hour. So then you know, I kind of look at okay, this will take two minutes, this will take five. So I try to knock off the low-hanging fruit. Well, it's easy to just go ahead and knock off. So all of a sudden, within about five minutes, I'm like, I took care of five emails. So then you feel successful. When you feel successful, you keep moving quicker or better or without delay. Right.

Melanie 29:15

So yeah, but well, you know, I personally I I try to make sure I I utilize coffee time.

Jason 29:23

Oh, I love coffee time. Should be 24-7. Okay.

Melanie 29:27

Sometimes it is. But you know, I especially in the morning that uh in the morning coffee focus. Reflection time. Right. Um, so I spend time um, you know, having my reflection period with God and everything um before I come in to work. Right. And so I have now kind of had my um my time, yep, my alone or with God time.

Jason 29:51

Realignment.

Melanie 29:52

My realignment of self. Sure. And then I am still coffee. So now I'm still focused. So still juiced. That morning coffee time uh is kind of your best time to like, okay, this is when I know that focus is gonna be at its height. Yes. Go ahead and get done the things that I find boring.

Jason 30:13

That's true.

Melanie 30:14

Yeah, no, no, no, that that makes sense because then you know Because if you've got a really good time to schedule boring stuff, right? That is really helpful when you do find things, you know, boring something you just want to set aside or or you know, throw away. Sure. So if you can find that time of the the most boring stuff I can do right now, yeah, then that gives me that opportunity to be creative, to be, you know, and it gets it out of the way. It gets all of that out of the way.

Jason 30:46

Yeah, yeah. Well, I mean, we're we're not too far off. I mean, in the sense that, you know, we we try to teach children certain strategies. Some have difficulty, but I mean, as adults we have difficulty too. But I think sometimes with ADHD, some of these things may seem to become um not really understood, but maybe exaggerated in some ways. You know, it's hard to tell someone, look, I am so focused on this one thing, and until I can resolve this one thing, I can't put my clothes together in the basket to get to you to do laundry. I mean, you all you get is one sec. Right. I mean, yeah, exactly. But you can be hellbent on it. Right. And it's just you you're you you're stuck on it. And yes, stuck, it's unfortunate, but you can be. So these strategies are to figure out what is in your way, and um you know, I guess I guess for some neurotypical people, it's like, okay, well, what's wrong? Oh, well this. ADHD, you may not understand it, that is it. Um, in the same way, but you do know it is all-encompassing. Um but any of these tools, hopefully maybe it'll help anyone that um I guess leans that way. As, you know, give it a try, see how this works for you. But yeah.

Melanie 32:18

Or helps everyone.

Jason 32:20

Well, yeah, exactly.

Melanie 32:21

I mean, yeah, it's not in a certain way. You're you're you're taking um daunting uh but very necessary executive function and you're externalizing it. Sure. And I think that this is extremely helpful in general, but this is definitely what's going to be what promotes those with um maybe more of that hyperactive brain.

Jason 32:49

Right. Exactly.

Melanie 32:51

That gives them a that leg up. So not just giving them uh the executive function, but allowing them to really thrive with the brain they already have, which is such an fascinating and amazing brain. Right. Um, that as opposed to it being daunted, it's like can move forward.

Jason 33:12

It's not crippled by externalizing it.

Melanie 33:15

And that's that's actually why. And I think that's the key to have such an issue with um trying to raise or trying to communicate with ADHD is um they the the the choice is to externalize. It's like I need this out, I need it's it's too much.

Jason 33:36

Well, I I've always thought sometimes I need to put it somewhere.

Melanie 33:39

Right. And so the more you externalize, the more teachers are like, Will you stop talking? Or will you please shut up? Will you please sit down? You know, or you've got you know uh friends and family that are like, I don't know why we need to be discussing this right now, you know. Because you're actually just trying to get it out. Yep, you're trying to do something with it, get it out of the way so that you can put it in the city. Your brain is actually moving so fast, you've just got to pull something and and throw it in the trash somewhere. Yep. You know, um, so I call myself uh the trash can.

Jason 34:11

Oh, yeah.

Melanie 34:13

The kids, you know, sometimes you just have to put it somewhere.

Jason 34:16

Yep, just give it to me, I'll throw it away. But you gotta talk it through.

Melanie 34:22

You know, this person, you know, gave me this look, this person, you know, um upset the whole class and now I don't know how to like function in the brain.

Jason 34:31

Sure.

Melanie 34:31

You know, so there's all of this trash that you collect during the day of just the things that make you want to explode. Right. Yeah. And so if you have somebody, you know, like that is your trash can. So typically ladies like to vent, so we vent, we give our trash away. If we can find someone, it's a trash can.

Jason 34:53

Let me tell you this story. Right.

Melanie 34:55

Um, but guys, you know, I I think it's a little more of a doing. I need to physically do something, not just vent about it.

Jason 35:01

Well, so unfortunately, sometimes the guys is let me tell you what I did succeed with.

Melanie 35:06

Right. They want to be finished first.

Jason 35:07

The challenge that I'm dealing with right now. Not gonna tell you, I'm gonna tell you five minutes. Unless something broke and I can't figure it out, can you tell me what part I need to buy?

Melanie 35:15

Right. Right. But you know, so it's probably a little more physical in that let me let me externalize it in a way that actually is is looks functionable.

Jason 35:26

Yep.

Melanie 35:26

Um, and so that's this is what these tools could actually do is, you know, okay, throw it in. You know, you've got a conversational style.

Jason 35:35

Yeah.

Melanie 35:36

You don't have to really worry about as far as AI, you know, whether or not it's like MLA or you know.

Jason 35:43

Right. Sure, sure. You don't need to worry about all the particulars that it doesn't need to be grammar driven.

Melanie 35:48

It doesn't need to be, you know, you can you can data dump, you can just throw it out there.

Jason 35:52

Your T's cannot be crossed and your I's cannot be dotted. Right.

Melanie 35:56

You know, I noticed that some I'm writing some prompts that I'm just so quick about.

Jason 36:02

Oh, I'll misspell the word and say it knows. You know, it's just like it but let me get it out.

Melanie 36:07

I know that all of the grammar needs to be fixed, and I'm sending it anyway, because you know, yeah, that it'll figure it out. It's because you got an idea of what I'm talking about.

Jason 36:14

So Because it's it's a it's big picture as far as its algorithm. Right. And which is that this is helpful. Yes, very much so.

Melanie 36:22

You know, uh earlier search engines, not as big picture could not do it that way. In fact, a lot of earlier search engines, you had to be very specific.

Jason 36:31

You misspell the URL and it's like, oh, website not found.

Melanie 36:34

Now it's like specific about the characters, or it's not gonna find what you're looking for.

Jason 36:37

Maybe you meant this.

Melanie 36:38

Remember the you know, I had to put the pluses and minuses to maybe are you talking about like bullion operators?

Jason 36:44

Right, defining your search. Oh yeah. My God. Oh, geez. That was that was the 90s, but a way to define a search.

Melanie 36:53

Exactly. I really don't want you to search it this way. I want you to search it.

Jason 36:56

Add this add this in quotes, put the minus before the quotes. Jeez, I remember that in the 90s. Right.

Melanie 37:06

So now you can just like gobbledygook and just kind of throw it out there and and you don't have to worry about it being um beautiful or perfect. It can be conversational, like your letter to your cousin, you know.

Jason 37:18

Yeah, and and and that's true, and that that's again, sometimes process gets in our own way. Well, I need to do it this way, but no, what there is more freedom in how it can do, but anytime you're stepping in your own way, you're kind of sabotaging self. Right. So, but yeah, you're right. So I know we haven't had miles.

Melanie 37:41

We need to kind of get miles out here.

Jason 37:44

Some sort of like y'all be patient with me because I need to wake him up. I have no idea. He normally goes to the digital cloud resort or somewhere. So I have no idea what to expect, but I'm going to welcome him back to the show. And we kind of just want to give him some example prompts and just kind of say, hey, look, you know, I guess demonstrating, or uh what is it called? Um uh the teaching term. Modeling? Modeling, yes. How did I forget that? Oh lord. So, but yeah, just kind of showing, hey, look, you can ask AI this, and we're intentionally, this is not with any specific detail, these are very generalized things. It may bomb, and if it bombs completely, you will never be hearing my voice like you are right now. No, I'm kidding. Um, but we're gonna get them going, so hang tight. Alright, so all right, hey Miles. Um, we are bringing you back to our podcast. I know it's been a while. Um, where have you been and spending your time? Hopefully having a good time.

Miles 38:51

Hey there. I've definitely missed the podcast fun. Well, I've been away, I've mostly been here waiting for the next big idea from you. I've also been keeping myself up to date on all things tech, storytelling, and a bit of small town charm. So I'm ready to jump right back in with you.

Jason 39:05

All right. Well, we've been having this conversation about um, you know, ADHD, executive function, and I guess kind of globally, how AI tools can be used to help someone that is in a bind and even just ask questions to. So I'm gonna start with one question, and I'm interested to hear your thoughts. So, um let's say I'm just sitting here trying to do a task, and I may ask you, give me the smallest possible first step for planning an email.

Miles 39:42

The tiniest first step is just to open your email app or tab. No need to write anything yet. Once it's open, you're already on your way.

Jason 39:53

Well, I mean, I guess that does kind of seem very like minuscule. Um, I guess maybe bring us a bit forward. Yeah, bring us a bit more as far as the thought process. Like, maybe why would someone be hesitant and what could be done as a way of getting past that.

Miles 40:14

There's often hesitation because the brain sees the whole task as a big mountain rather than just one step. The key is reducing that mental load. So after opening the app, you can tell yourself, I only have to jot a subject lie. By breaking it down into tiny, non-intimidating increments, you shift from hesitation into momentum. Each little bit makes the next feel easier.

Jason 40:33

Alright, wonderful. Good. Yeah, that makes sense. All right, and I know this next question is vague in the same vein. What if someone were to say, I have no focus? What should I do for the next 15 minutes? I guess how could you be helpful, maybe, toward bringing something out of someone?

Miles 40:55

If someone says they have no focus, the first step is permission to start small. I'd ask, what's one tiny thing you're curious about or want to feel done? By helping them name even a small intention, like organizing one file or reading one paragraph, it gives them a spark. I then gently set a timer, maybe five minutes, so they feel a sense of containment and achievement without pressure.

Jason 41:18

Miles, you're good. I feel like I paid you. Um, that kind of gets into what we talked about. Um we're just going to give you like maybe two more questions and then close out here. But um how about if someone said, Here's everything in my head, organize it.

Miles 41:35

If someone said that, I'd help them break it down by asking them to name just three categories of what's swirling in their head, whether it's tasks, worries, or ideas. Once they've named these buckets, I'd encourage jotting down just one item under each. We're not aiming for a full system, just a tiny first pass. That way the mental load starts to feel tangible and less overwhelming.

Jason 41:57

Yeah, that makes sense. So I guess kind of what you're getting at is any forward movement is helpful for this, you know, someone that leans with this type of brain.

Miles 42:09

Exactly. It's all about momentum. When focus or executive function feels out of reach, even the tiniest forward motion builds a positive feedback loop. It turns stuck into started. And from there, one step often leads to another.

Melanie 42:22

Positive feedback loop. Yes. Yes, I've read quite a bit about that. I can't believe I forgot that part.

Miles 42:31

It's easy to forget when you're in the thick of it. But that's why we're chatting. It's all about giving a little nudge to bring those helpful ideas back to the front.

Jason 42:40

That's awesome. All right, Miles. Um this next one. Pick one thing I should do next and don't overthink it.

Miles 42:52

All right. Stand up for 30 seconds, stretch your arms overhead, and then sit back down. That tiny reset might just give you a spark.

Jason 43:01

Well, I'm glad you brought up movement, and that is something I think that is so true. Yeah, Melanie agrees too. I I think that is something we didn't really get into, but of course, we know it's vitally important. I mean, movement, nutrition, all of that. Right. Can you elaborate any more? And you've heard our, you know, commentary/slash, you know, praise.

Miles 43:26

Absolutely. Movement is like a reset button for the brain. When we move, even briefly, we increase blood flow, and that can help with focus and mood. Nutrition and sleep also fuel executive function. So sometimes I'd know someone to take a quick movement break, drink some water, or even grab a healthy snack. Those physical steps often unlock mental clarity.

Jason 43:46

Well, I guess now I might get a little personal here with my own story. And um, this kind of falls in with what you're talking about. I find a lot of times when I'm working on a project, or in uh in between. Steps. Sometimes I just need to walk away. Oftentimes I go to the bathroom, not because I need to go, but I think I need to change of setting and come back. So I don't know if I'm self-medicating in process. But yeah, yeah. Melanie said five times this morning, and she's true. I mean, probably twelve times today.

Melanie 44:21

But I mean it was in less than two hour period.

Jason 44:25

Right.

Miles 44:25

Yeah, but I guess honestly, that's a super relatable strategy. Stepping away, even for a quick change of scenery, can be a mental reset. It's your way of creating a break between tasks, which often refreshes your focus. So whether it's the bathroom or just a walk to another room, you're giving your brain a moment to breathe. And that's a perfectly valid process.

Jason 44:46

Sounds good. Well, Miles, one, we're so happy to have you back on our podcast. Um, I know we've been getting deep on other conversations, um, but we understand how, you know, you you're part of it too. And I also know right now I'm holding a cell phone in my hand, and here you are, but um it, you know, it it is a um.

Miles 45:14

I'm genuinely thrilled to be part of it all again. Even if I'm coming through a phone, I'm still here for every conversation, ready to dive in. So whether we're talking deep topics or just having fun, I'm always happy to jump back in with you.

Jason 45:28

We do want to appreciate everyone for you know uh the feedback we've received and um through all the social channels, through you know, reviewing and liking our podcasts and sharing it with one another. And we just it we're doing this because we feel like this is an important message, and anything that you can give us to help us better bring this into a conversation would be great. So, with all that said, um unplugging for now, but always stay connected.