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I was recently re-diagnosed with ADHD (after having been initially diagnosed in my mid-20s and then deciding maybe it was just anxiety — I'm 37 now) so when I got some Kindle credit I decided to check this book out. It's full of tips for how to not just deal with ADHD but make the most of its benefits (yes, there are some!).
Interestingly, a lot of the things Shankman suggests are things I figured out on my own, just not realizing they were ways to cope with ADHD. For example: always planning to be early to appointments, etc. (I was previously chronically late to EVERYTHING until I made this change), waking up early to get as much done first thing as possible, including exercise (again, I was previously entirely nocturnal; I now usually get up around 5-6 am of my own volition), trying to stay on as much of a routine as possible, writing things down/keeping lists of everything, minimizing choice, etc. These are all things I have found to massively help my anxiety and depression, but as I didn't know I actually had ADHD I hadn't made the connection there.
One of the reasons I doubted actually having ADHD is because I don't really have some of the common symptoms like having a terrible memory or being interpersonally impulsive (blurting stuff out, etc.). Actually, that last one is something I VERY much had as a kid but learned to suppress to please others and am now trying to get back because I overcorrected! My point here is that not all of what Shankman says here, or the generalizations about "people like us", etc. apply to me so not everything in this book jumped out as super useful.
Some of his other tips are also not that useful if you either aren't a billionaire or have a zillion frequent flyer miles, since more than once he talks about "just hopping on a plane to Tokyo" to beat procrastination. However, he does acknowledge that what works for him (and the other people he brings in anecdotally) may not work for everyone, but you can still apply the basic ideas even if his methods are a little (by his own admission) extreme.
The book is written in a very conversational and open way. That makes it very easy to read and relate to. However, his whole "ADHD isn't a diagnosis" and "it actually means we're better than everyone" attitude was a bit annoying to me. I get his points, and I'm all for focusing on the positives of ADHD, which this book does well (and it does also acknowledge the not-so-great parts). However, it just comes across as gratingly overcompensatory to talk over and over about how lucky we are to not be NORMAL like those BORING neurotypical NORMIES. Especially since he also says a bunch of times how "everything in this book could be useful to people without ADHD too! Tell them all to read it!" Maybe don't insult them all then?
That said, I did enjoy the book. While the fact that I already do a lot of this stuff means it didn't totally blow my mind, it also means I think Shankman is right on with a lot of his tips and I think this book would be very useful and eye-opening to anyone struggling with some of the aspects of ADHD. And I did get some new ideas from it and I've already implemented some of the apps and other tools he recommends.
Interestingly, a lot of the things Shankman suggests are things I figured out on my own, just not realizing they were ways to cope with ADHD. For example: always planning to be early to appointments, etc. (I was previously chronically late to EVERYTHING until I made this change), waking up early to get as much done first thing as possible, including exercise (again, I was previously entirely nocturnal; I now usually get up around 5-6 am of my own volition), trying to stay on as much of a routine as possible, writing things down/keeping lists of everything, minimizing choice, etc. These are all things I have found to massively help my anxiety and depression, but as I didn't know I actually had ADHD I hadn't made the connection there.
One of the reasons I doubted actually having ADHD is because I don't really have some of the common symptoms like having a terrible memory or being interpersonally impulsive (blurting stuff out, etc.). Actually, that last one is something I VERY much had as a kid but learned to suppress to please others and am now trying to get back because I overcorrected! My point here is that not all of what Shankman says here, or the generalizations about "people like us", etc. apply to me so not everything in this book jumped out as super useful.
Some of his other tips are also not that useful if you either aren't a billionaire or have a zillion frequent flyer miles, since more than once he talks about "just hopping on a plane to Tokyo" to beat procrastination. However, he does acknowledge that what works for him (and the other people he brings in anecdotally) may not work for everyone, but you can still apply the basic ideas even if his methods are a little (by his own admission) extreme.
The book is written in a very conversational and open way. That makes it very easy to read and relate to. However, his whole "ADHD isn't a diagnosis" and "it actually means we're better than everyone" attitude was a bit annoying to me. I get his points, and I'm all for focusing on the positives of ADHD, which this book does well (and it does also acknowledge the not-so-great parts). However, it just comes across as gratingly overcompensatory to talk over and over about how lucky we are to not be NORMAL like those BORING neurotypical NORMIES. Especially since he also says a bunch of times how "everything in this book could be useful to people without ADHD too! Tell them all to read it!" Maybe don't insult them all then?
That said, I did enjoy the book. While the fact that I already do a lot of this stuff means it didn't totally blow my mind, it also means I think Shankman is right on with a lot of his tips and I think this book would be very useful and eye-opening to anyone struggling with some of the aspects of ADHD. And I did get some new ideas from it and I've already implemented some of the apps and other tools he recommends.