Growth Mindset Psychology: The Science of Self-ImprovementSam Webster Harris | Growth Mindset PsychologyAll episodes
Faster Than Normal - Living well with ADHD
The peculiar thing about attention deficit is that everybody seems to have it these days, whether they've earned it through proper diagnosis or simply absorbed it from an enthusiastic TikTok video filmed in someone's bathroom.
What I've learned, from my own escapades, and partly through reading Peter Shankman's excellent book Faster Than Normal, is that whatever your brain does, you need to learn how to drive it.
This conversation covers the four rules Shankman uses to turn a supposedly defective brain into rather useful equipment, none of which involve medication or particularly virtuous behaviour.
- Structure your environment so willpower becomes optional
- Eliminate choice wherever possible — routine isn't boring, it's protective
- Exercise before you need focus, not after you've lost it
- Work with your strengths, delegate the rest
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Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail.com
Chapters
00:00 Sam's ADHD Reality Check
03:10 Podcast Intro and Season Kickoff
05:23 Reframing ADHD as Strength
06:17 ADHD Stereotypes Explained
08:15 ADD vs ADHD Breakdown
09:41 The Shy Extrovert Story
10:53 The Supercar Brain Metaphor
12:34 Strengths Over Weaknesses
15:26 Rule One: Eliminate Choice
22:44 Rule Two: Eat Healthy
24:21 Rule Three: Morning Exercise for Dopamine
26:08 Rule Four: Active Lifestyle and Micro Workouts
28:53 Sleep Fuels Focus
29:26 Food as Procrastination
31:07 Tools, Assistants and Tracking
35:23 Ratings and Book Recommendations
36:00 Next Book and Farewell
Topics discussed
- Sam shares his recent official ADHD diagnosis and what it finally explained about his life
- The TikTok self-diagnosis trend and why overdiagnosis drowns out people who actually have ADHD
- Peter Shankman's Faster Than Normal book and the supercar metaphor for the ADHD brain
- Why Sam never held a job longer than nine months and what that pattern revealed
- The difference between ADD and ADHD and how stereotypes miss quiet, inattentive presentations
- Four core rules from the book: eliminate choice, eat well, exercise first, stay active
- The apple versus Doritos rule for distinguishing real hunger from boredom eating
- How to design your life around your brain instead of fightin
