384 Do It the Easy Way (The Hard Way Is Keeping You Stuck)
I Have ADHD Podcast
Kristen Carder
4.8 • 3.1K Ratings
🗓️ 10 March 2026
⏱️ 49 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What if the easiest version of the task is actually the smartest one?
In this episode, we’re talking about the path of least resistance — and why for ADHD brains, it’s not laziness. It’s strategy.
The path of least resistance is the version of a task that:
- Requires the least activation energy
- Uses the least executive function
- Hurts the least
- Gets you moving the fastest
Not the A+ version.
Not the neurotypical version.
The version you can actually do.
So why don’t we take it? Perfectionism.
Russell Ramsay calls perfectionism the number one cognitive distortion in adults with ADHD. It sounds like, “If I’m going to do it, I have to do it right.” But “right” usually means the hardest, most optimized version — which often means we don’t do it at all.
We’ll talk about:
- Why 70% done changes your life
- How all-or-nothing thinking keeps you stuck
- The moral layer that makes “easy” feel like cheating
- Why the hard way is often the never-finished way
Plus, I’ll give you a simple coaching tool to use when you’re stuck:
What is the easiest possible version of this?
Because forward motion builds momentum.
Momentum builds self-trust.
And self-trust changes everything.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This episode is sponsored by Marley Spoon. Every year I tell myself, I'm going to get better at meal |
| 0:06.2 | planning. And every year, life happens. And it all falls apart. What finally clicked for me is |
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| 1:37.2 | That's Marley Spoon.com slash offer slash I have ADHD for up to 25 free meals. Marley Spoon. Meals reimagined for real life. |
| 1:53.5 | Welcome to the I have ADHD podcast, where it's all about education, encouragement, |
... |
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