Intrinsic Motivation and Magical Unicorns

The art and science of time management.

by David D. Nowell, Ph.D.

Students Inquire Regarding Procrastination

In the past several weeks I've received inquiries from two high school students, both preparing reports on the theme of procrastination. Here are the students' really good questions, along with my responses. Read More

Don't Expect Me To Do What's Typical If I'm Not Neurotypical

What are you expecting your child or student with ADHD to do, right now, that’s harder than a “three out of ten?” And what strategies can you generate, right now, to make it less difficult for him or her, to increase the likelihood that he or she will demonstrate mastery? Read More

Q: What does time feel like for people who don't have ADHD?

Time is not a "real thing" but rather an abstraction we use to describe the executive tasks of planning and sequencing as well as the felt experience of various units of time. What does time "feel like"? Read More

Boundaries and Time Management

If we do the painful work of saying no to an opportunity or relationship or commitment right now, it frees us up to say yes to something even better which might be just around the corner! Read More

Who Has Time to Meditate 5 Times a Day? You do, already!

Stopping throughout the day to ask, "Have I done the one most important thing today that will make the biggest advance towards my most important goal? Am I on target?" Read More

Ask for What You Want

If you ask your family member with ADHD, in advance, with specific behavioral criteria, does it guarantee that you will get what you want? Nope. But it increases the likelihood, and it gives your partner a chance, a fighting chance, to “just barely meet threshold.” Read More

Online Peer Support for Adult ADHD

ADD Coaching not in the budget right now? How about peer accountability? Learn how almost 7000 Reddit users are supporting each other for time and goal management. Read More

The 3 Time Management Tips That Have Made the Biggest Differ

There are lots of great time-management strategies out there and finding the ones that work best for you is a fun and lifelong quest. I'll give you my Top 3! Read More

Developing Patience: One 8-Year-Old's Recommendations

You can learn a lot about executive functioning by talking with someone who's in the early stages of mastering those important skills. Read More

Procrastination and Dopamine Receptor Density

Our brains are wired for goal-visualization and sequencing and “stick-to-it-iveness.” But it’s not easy, and we’re surrounded by seductive distractions. So if you really want to support a student or family member with goal-managment challenges, do this. Read More

Little Miss Pumpkin 1992

For the next week, you and I have to reign together. Read More

The Shabbas Box

How one family uses an old shoe box to support positive behaviors at home. Read More

What's Your "One Thing"?

The real problem with procrastination is that it can - if we let it - keep us from doing the "One Thing." That one decision or choice which, if we followed through, would make the biggest difference in our lives right now. Read More

Do I "Wiki-Meet" Diagnostic Criteria for ADHD?

I read an article about ADHD and seem to have many of those symptoms. Does that mean that I have the disorder? Read More

Pills and Skills: What Can We Do While We Wait Out the Stimulant Medication Shortage?

Stimulant therapies are among the best-researched treatments for ADD/ADHD. But with recent shortages of these medications, what else can we offer those who struggle with focus and concentration? Read More

Dopamine and Circular Discussions of Dopamine and...

The logic in explanations I'm reading about dopamine and the human brain seem circular. Can you help? Read More

The Ruination of the Likert Scale

The Likert Scale is one of the great tools of psychological and social science research. Save it from death by misuse! Read More

Different Kinds of ADHD, Different Kinds of Coaches

What does an ADHD coach do? Read More

Lost in Transition

Notre Dame researchers describe emerging adults' approach to moral decision making. What's the role of individual happiness in making right decisions? Read More

We're All ADHD Now

The challenge of deciding how to invest our energy and time and attentional resources - and resisting everything else - is not specific to ADHD Read More

The Cloud Is Here to Set You Free

Distractible and disorganized adults -- the cloud is here to set you free! Read More

Ways the Reward and Planning System Can Go Wrong Part 3

If my brain has this intricate reward and planning system, then why aren't I getting exactly what I want all the time? Read More

How the Reward and Planning System Can Go Wrong Part 2

If the brain's reward and planning centers are in ongoing intimate communication, then why is it so hard for me to reach my most important goals? Read More

Ways the Reward and Planning System Can Go Wrong - Part 1

So why am I not getting exactly what I want all the time? Read More

Understanding - and Maximizing - Your Brain's Reward and Planning System

two hands playing chess You probably know that dopamine is the neurotransmitter of motivation and reward. But do you know how to activate your brain's own reward system? Read More

What Your Body Already Knows

You know that reward and motivation are driven by the neurotransmitter dopamine. But what does dopamine feel like, exactly? Read More

What's Your Dunbar Number?

Our ability to understand others' motivations is directly related to volume of a specific region of the frontal lobe. And, maybe, to our Facebook friend count. Read More

Brain: The Inside Story

A review of "Brain: The Inside Story" at American Museum of Natural History through August 14. The tour ends in the gift shop. Read More

If It Feels Good Do It?

Maybe, like me, you're just barely old enough to remember this expression. To my father, a minister, this dictum summed up everything that was wrong with the emerging values of the 1960s and 1970s. Can you imagine? If everyone just did what felt good? Anarchy! Ribaldry! Read More

ADHD is not FRED-PG13 (updated 1/23/13)

How do clinicians distinguish pediatric Bipolar Disorder from ADHD? Read More

David D. Nowell, Ph.D., is a clinical neuropsychologist interested in motivation, focus and fully-engaged living.

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About Intrinsic Motivation and Magical Unicorns

A blog about time-stewardship, self-regulation, and the ongoing pursuit of sustainable and deep happiness. Written from the perspective of a clinical neuropsychologist.