Hey Reader,

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Today, I’m sharing how ADHD meds changed my life.

I went from detention every week to straight As as a chemical engineer on scholarship at USC. Now, I'm a $10k/mo founder.

Unfortunately, I eventually became dependent on ADHD meds, causing me to fall asleep at the wheel and crash my car.

ADHD meds are a powerful tool, but they are like training wheels.

They started my journey, but later held me back from going faster and farther.

Let’s start from the beginning!

Getting Diagnosed

Middle School was tough. I was the “Bad Kid.” Once I received that title, I filled those shoes.

• I was a class clown,
• I couldn’t keep my mouth shut,
• I had detention almost every week.

Eventually, the faculty suspended me as a final warning and suggested that I get tested for ADHD. I was diagnosed in 8th grade and put on Focalin Xr.

My first semester on meds, I received all As. My friend said to me, “I didn’t know you were smart.” My old teachers and peers were shocked. Shit, I was too lol.

Medication created momentum, and with that momentum, my confidence grew. I wasn’t the “bad kid,”; I just had ADHD.

Meds revealed what I was capable of! Without meds, I’d still think I was a “bad kid.”

With this newfound ability, I graduated from high school with everything I wanted

• Admission to Cornell, UNC, Georgia Tech, Emory, etc.
• Scholarships at USC (Presidential) and UMD (Banneker-Key)
• Attended my dream school, USC, studying Chemical Engineering

So, I stopped taking my meds during the first two years of college. My grades immediately dropped. I got 3 Cs in one semester after not getting one in high school. I questioned if I deserved to get into USC. So I returned to ADHD meds. Here’s what they fixed

• Poor Focus - I constantly zoned out. With meds, I was able to focus for hours.
• Procrastination - I’d get lost on my phone for hours.
• Impulsivity - I blurted out my internal thoughts.

My last two years I broke the curve multiple times and even got deans list all of my Junior year.

Meds revealed my potential. Unfortunately, I became dependent upon them.

Meds became my crutch

I couldn’t function without my meds. If anything, my symptoms were heightened without them.

This happened because I didn’t have any executive skills or systems. My medication was my system. Without my meds, I couldn’t

• Focus
• Be on time
• Stay organized
• Complete projects
• Worst of all, stay awake

Throughout college, I took my medication to study late into the night. When they wore off, I’d pass out. During exams, I’d take 2-hour naps and then take more. On a good night, I would sleep 4 - 6 hours. I became extremely sleep-deprived. My medication was the only thing keeping me awake. Ultimately, I was abusing my medication.

This worked in college because, as long as you get As, no one cares. At a job, you have rules that you need to follow.

It’s ok to fall asleep in class, but you can’t fall asleep in meetings. I did both a lot lol.

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At work, I stood at every meeting and still passed out. When I stayed awake, I had no idea what happened because I was focused on staying awake. It got so bad that I was getting pulled off projects at work. And even scarier, I often dozed off while driving home. That's how I crashed my car. I fell asleep, drove off the side of the highway, and hit a sign.

I faced either termination or death.

So, I had 2 options: double down on meds or build better systems

I wanted to break free from meds because of the unwanted side effects

• Anxiety
• Simple conversations were difficult
• Insomnia
• Chronically exhausted
• Stunted my executive skills

Plus, I wouldn’t have access to insurance or meds when I quit my job and launched my business. Or, if there was a shortage like there currently is. I couldn’t let my dependency stop me from reaching my dreams.

Unfortunately, this was a reality for one of my clients. She couldn’t get her meds and couldn’t function for weeks. She even went through withdrawal.

So I officially quit in 2020

My solution: Habits and systems.

If I had developed stronger systems, my life wouldn’t have fallen apart. Do this before you move away from meds.

Here are the core ones I formed:

• Timeblocking - Schedule everything on your calendar
• Capture my notes in Notion & store my to-dos in Sunsama​
• Plan the next day every night
• Review your day, record your struggles, and set time aside to solve these struggles
• Put your phone away when working
• Work in 30 min intervals so you don’t get distracted
• Prioritize your health by blocking off time to workout, meditate, eat, etc.

If you want more details, read these articles!

• ​Overcoming bad habits​
• ​Prioritizing your health​

These systems are the basis of the scatter-eliminating accountability systems I teach

These systems helped

• Me launch my business and hit $10k/mo
• ​Vickie go from $0 to $7k/mo
• ​Spencer H go from Freelancer to CTO
• Anthony Stano close his first client

So, medication jumpstarted my ADHD journey, but for me to reach my dreams, I had to evolve.

I recommend meds to anyone who is starting their ADHD journey.

• Meds created momentum
• Meds revealed my potential
• I became dependent
• I built my freedom with systems

If you have questions about meds, reply to this email

​Song of the week​

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