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September 29
Burnout was Skye Waterson's PhD companion.
She'd switch majors—psychology to law to sociology—convinced each time that she just hadn't found her passion yet. The truth was simpler and more complex: she was trying to outwork her undiagnosed ADHD, and no amount of grinding harder was going to fix a brain that needed different systems entirely. By the time she finished her master's thesis, she was so burned out she couldn't even process being offered a guaranteed PhD scholarship. Instead, she worked at a bakery and took art classes until her now-husband asked the obvious question: "Wait, you did a master's? You have a scholarship? What's going on?"
The ADHD diagnosis came at the perfect time—right as she was starting her PhD. Instead of seeing it as a limitation, Skye turned her academic brain toward understanding how her mind actually worked. She started researching, writing articles, and building the productivity systems that traditional advice couldn't provide. What began as survival became her calling, and eventually, her business grew so successful that her supervisors encouraged her to leave academia entirely.
Now, as founder of Unconventional Organisation, Skye helps entrepreneurs, founders, and executives scale their businesses without scaling their stress. In this conversation, she and Tracy dive into why neurotypical productivity advice fails ADHD brains, how to prioritize when everything feels urgent, and Skye's game-changing approach to delegation using AI. They explore her "recipe" method for breaking down tasks, why the Pomodoro technique wasn't designed for us, and how understanding dopamine timing can revolutionize your work flow.
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"Sometimes you can’t do both things. When you have two giant opportunities in front of you, you have to choose and focus."
- Skye Waterson
"You don’t need more willpower. You need the right system."
- Skye Waterson
"I use the recipe metaphor a lot. When you break a task down into a recipe, your brain knows what to do next instead of trying to hold it all in working memory."
-- Skye Waterson
"ADHD brains don’t get the same dopamine kick at the start of a task. That’s why waiting until the end for a reward often doesn’t work. We need to shift rewards to the beginning to get going."
-- Skye Waterson
"I tell my clients: you are a business owner the moment you sell something. That’s the only definition that matters. Everything else can come later"
- Skye Waterson
"Prompts and projects—that’s the heart of using AI well. Keep a prompt log so you’re not repeating yourself every time you start fresh."
-- Skye Waterson
"My favorite part is watching clients realize: I can build systems that fit my brain, and they actually work. Suddenly they’re tripling revenue or feeling stable for the first time."
-- Skye Waterson
- Skye wasn't suspected of having ADHD as a child despite a "spiky profile" of excelling in some subjects while struggling in math, with family believing more tutoring would fix everything.
- Developed the belief from a young age that you "just outwork any problems," switching between psychology, law, and other majors through repeated burnout cycles until being told she couldn't change anymore.
- Was diagnosed with ADHD at the beginning of her PhD after her university's learning center suggested testing—this was her first exposure to the concept of ADHD in adults.
- Started researching ADHD extensively after diagnosis, using her academic background to dive into original research papers and create evidence-based content about how ADHD brains work.
- Built a successful business teaching ADHD-friendly productivity systems while completing her PhD, ultimately choosing to leave academia when her supervisors encouraged her to pursue the business opportunity.
- Realized business offered the financial stability and creative freedom that academia couldn't provide, allowing her to help others achieve the same stability while doing work she loved.
[00:35:00 - 00:50:00] ADHD-Friendly Business Systems and AI Integration
- Debunks productivity myths like the Pomodoro Technique (designed for neurotypical students) and teaches reward-based systems that work with ADHD brains—providing dopamine at the start of tasks rather than the end.
- Teaches a "prioritization filter" where entrepreneurs list everything, identify truly urgent tasks (usually 5 or fewer), then focus only on those plus the important 80-20 revenue-building activities.
- Uses AI extensively for delegation, having clients voice-record task explanations to AI, then give the rough draft to assistants who refine the process and become empowered leaders in those areas—"you never have to do the task again."
ADHD isn’t a productivity problem. It’s an identity problem.
That’s why most strategies don’t stick—they weren’t designed for how your brain actually works. Your ADHD Brain is A-OK Academy is different. It’s a patented, science-backed coaching program that helps you stop fighting your brain and start building a life that fits. 👉Learn more here
- Website: unconventionalorganisation.com
- Instagram: unconventionalorganisation
- LinkedIn: skye-waterson