Jesse J. Anderson Talks About ADHD, Extra Focus, and Finding Flow

In this episode of A Productive Conversation, I sit down with Jesse J. Anderson, a writer, speaker, coach, and ADHD advocate whose work has resonated with countless people navigating life with ADHD. He’s the author of Extra Focus: The Quick Start Guide to Adult ADHD and the voice behind the popular newsletter of the same name.

Jesse brings a mix of humor, honesty, and lived experience to the conversation. We dive into the challenges of attention, time, and motivation—and the strategies that can help not only those with ADHD, but anyone who wants to work with their brain instead of against it.

Six Discussion Points

• How Jesse’s diagnosis at 36 reframed his past struggles and opened new possibilities.
• The concept of the “clockless mind” and why time feels so different for those with ADHD.
• The oscillation between friction and flow—and how to recognize both.
• Jesse’s “4Cs” framework (Captivate, Create, Compete, Complete) for unlocking motivation.
• Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) and how it impacts relationships and self-perception.
• Why strategies like adding action verbs to tasks and “eating the ice cream first” can help create momentum.

Three Connection Points

• Jesse's Extra Focus newsletter
• Get Jesse's Book
• Listen to APC 164: Faster Than Normal with Peter Shankman

Talking with Jesse reminded me that productivity isn’t one-size-fits-all. Whether you live with ADHD or simply want to work more effectively, strategies like the 4Cs and reframing how you view time can shift the way you approach your day. I hope you’ll check out Jesse’s work and experiment with some of these ideas yourself.

This episode is sponsored by Nexos.ai. Nexos is the all-in-one secure AI platform for enterprise—bringing workspaces, model access, and governance together under one roof. Try it free for 14 days at nexos.ai/apc today.