Episode 22: Andrew Simpson

Focus and Chill - productivity tactics for AuDHDers and other neurodivergent folks

Welcome to episode #22 We’re thrilled to be joined by Andrew Simpson today. Welcome to the show Andrew!

Andrew Simpson is the founder and CEO of Aether Automation Inc., a Zoho expert based in British Columbia, Canada. With a passion for Zoho's efficient systems, he transitioned from being a partner to focusing on development. Andrew has a diverse background, having previously worked as a Marketing Manager at Kingman Industries, where he doubled the company's monthly revenue in six months. He also co-founded 80/20 Media, implementing social media marketing strategies for clients.

Questions

1. JN: Can you tell us about your experience with neurodiversity? When did you realize that you weren’t neurotypical? What challenges did you face? What is it like now?
   1. Late teens? It’s breaking up for me
   2. Tough graduating high school
      1. Math was tough
         1. Because needed to show the steps
   3. Challenges
      1. Dropped out of uni
         1. Studying long hours tough
   4. Audiobooks > reading
      1. Allows for more visual stimulation
      2. 
         
   5. Founder
      1. Suits ADHD because so many new things
      2. When processes set in, becomes more challenging
2. JC: Tell us about your work (anything that isn’t a top secret)
   1. Mostly sales and marketing: Aether Marketing
      1. Very good at programming
      2. Lots of calls with clients - better able to focus than if it’s emails
      3. Internal comms: Zoho Cliq
      4. Clients = other Zoho partners
         1. Deluge/node JS development
3. JN: How about the rest of the time? What do you enjoy doing in your off time?
   1. YT channel
      1. Political protests
      2. Polytopia
      3. John Madden
      4. 
         
4. JC: What does your morning routine look like and how has it evolved over time?
   1. Get up/shower/teeth
   2. Accountability buddy call
      1. Landmark course 3 years ago
      2. What am I resisting?
      3. Who am I going to be?
   3. Walk to the office
   4. Focus Bear office morning routine:
      1. Exercises (squats etc.)
      2. Plan what to do that day
      3. Use Notion
   5. 6:30 wake up
      1. Scroll for 30 minutes
5. JN: What do you do to optimize productivity during your working hours?
   1. Brain dump tasks and then prioritize
      1. Rank by Value per hour
         1. Go into leverage score
            1. 5 high value / 1 low value
               1. Arbitrary
            2. Value / estimated time
   2. Calculate the score at the end of the day
      1. Allows analytics over a given period (e.g. over the last year)
      2. Helps spot trends:
         1. Supplements
         2. Emotions
6. JC: What is one habit that you have removed from your life (either a bad habit or one that takes up too much time)?
   1. Swearing: every 3rd word
      1. Client-facing docs: unf*ck your process
      2. An employee suggested that swearing might not be good
7. JN: How do you switch off at night?
   1. Finds sleep difficult
      1. Supplements
         1. Lunar mind (trypto, serotonin)
         2. Takes a fairly consistent time, via alarm
      2. Without them, he would be staying awake until the next day
   2. Any more stuff on switching off? Mainly talking about the morning routine
   3. Sleep
      1. Fairly consistent sleep time
         1. Motivated by performance tracking
8. JC: What resources (books, philosophies, apps, sensory toys) do you find most helpful for productivity and habit formation?
   1. Notion:
      1. keeping score template
         1. Not necessarily shareable
      2. Goal setting
      3. Grocery shopping template
   2. Philosophies:
      1. Heidiger - honor your word:
         1. Accountability buddy
         2. Increases output
      2. Performance is derived from the integrity
         1. His word drives his delivery. Doesn’t want to break his word
9. JN: Where can people connect with you or find your work?
   1. https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-simpson-aether/
   2. Gumroad profile
10. JC: Do you have any final words or asks for our audience?
    1. Add me on LinkedIn