I have ADHD. I also fly airliners. Here's how that works.
I have ADHD, and I fly airliners. The focus isn't willpower — it's the cockpit: an environment that removes distraction plus a system of SOPs. Build your own cockpit.
Why Every Goal Framework Forgets the Debrief
You set the goal, made the plan, did the work — and it still fizzled. It wasn't your willpower. Every goal framework hands you three-quarters of a loop and drops the one step that compounds: the debrief.
You Already Meditate. You Just Call It the Scan.
If you think you can't meditate because your mind won't sit still, you're wrong. You already run the exact skill every flight — pilots just call it the scan.
In Defence of the Good Follower
The whole market sells leadership; almost no one defends following. But a good follower keeps the leader honest — and in a cockpit, that's the difference between a safe flight and a smoking hole.
30 Days of Ship 30 for 30. Here's What Actually Stuck.
A pilot's wrap-up after 30 essays in 30 days: the system beat motivation, the data beat my taste, distribution is its own system, and 30 was never the number.
You Don't Need More Willpower. You Need a System.
Thirty cockpit methods, one operating system. Pilots aren't calmer than you — they run a system that makes calm the default. Here's the whole cockpit, for your life.
Just Culture: Build a Team That Reports Mistakes, Not Hides Them
Punish mistakes and people hide them; learn from them and safety soars. The no-blame culture that made aviation safe — and any team better.
Currency vs Proficiency: Legal to Fly Isn't the Same as Good
Legal to fly isn't the same as good. The quiet, dangerous gap between ticking the boxes and actually being sharp — in the cockpit and your craft.
The Go-Around: Why Quitting the Landing Is the Pro Move
Quitting a bad landing isn't failure — it's the pro move. The go-around, and why walking away is sometimes the strongest decision you'll make.
The Stabilized Approach: Set the Criteria, Not the Outcome
Decide what 'on track' looks like before the pressure hits — or abandon the approach. The pilot's rule for pre-committing to your standards.
Always Have an Alternate: The Plan B Pilots Never Fly Without
No pilot takes off without a backup airport — it's the law. A named Plan B turns a crisis into a decision. How to carry an alternate through your own life.
The Startle Effect: The First 3 Seconds That Decide What Happens Next
When life shocks you, your brain goes offline for about three seconds. Aviation was forced to train for that gap — borrow the drill that turns reaction into response.