Author: Matt

Founder of Dyslexia Life Hacks

Categories
Habits

Timing with Tomatoes to boost productivity

Find yourself getting really distracted when you need to get a task done, whether it’s the wanting to check and Facebook or look at that email that just came in? Then you can use the Pomodoro Technique, named after a Pomodoro kitchen timer, and described by Ian in Episode 21 of The Dyslexia Life Hacks Show.

This great technique uses short intervals of time with small brakes that help you, 1) get into a tasks when your are struggling with, 2) get some good quality work/studying with full focus. Then in the brakes you can indulge in social media or what ever takes your fancy. It also give you a break from the screen.

How to use the techniques:

  1. Eliminate all distractions (yes that does mean putting your phone on silence)
  2. Set a timer for 25 minutes
  3. Work on your task
  4. When the timer is finished, take a 5-minute break
  5. Get back to work for another 25 minutes
  6. After 4 work sessions take at longer break of 25 minutes
  7. Start all over again

Use this as a start and adjust the timings to suit you.

You can either buy a Pomodoro kitchen timer, or a stop watch and there are lots of apps out there that you can use to time.  

Categories
Podcast

Episode 21 – Ian Sudlow-Mckay on Dyslexia as a Librarian and taking 3 Master Degrees

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Google Podcasts

In this episode of The Dyslexia Life Hacks Show we talk to Ian Sudlow-Mckay, he works as site librarian for the University of Chester.
He has always had a strong interest in history but he was told by a career advisor when at school, that he should go get a trade job. Ian managed to gain the confidence to obtain not just one degree but 3 master degrees including on from the University of St Andrews.
In this podcast you will hear how Ian found his love of history and ignored that careers advisor. He went to a school that has classes set up to help dyslexic people and how he managed to move up to the higher set-in school by doing extra work in his summer holidays. How he works as a librarian, in the world of books he can use his dyslexic talents, being a librarian may not be what you think it is.

Selected Links;
Categories
Podcast

Episode 20 – Building a social media brand, studying an MBA and talking DIY with Emma – Emma Downer

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Google Podcasts

In this episode of The Dyslexia Life Hacks Show we talk to Emma Downer, who is the founder of DIY with Emma which provides DIY hacks, how-tos and follow along projects across social media, with regular video uploads too TikTok and YouTube.

Emma has long had the entrepreneurial spirit when as a child she decided her pocket money was not enough and starting cleaning cars for her neighbours. This carried through to the start of her career running her own textile business before moving into working for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) working as a project manager, before her social media brand started to take off.

During this podcast we talk about her unique way of find out she was dyslexic and what it is like to study and MBA while working full time. Emma has some great experience and insights in leading people and how inclusion show be in a team.

We talk about how she built up her DIY with Emma brand and that prod moment when as a dyslexic person you discover that people what you to write articles for them.    

Selected Links
Categories
Podcast

Episode 19 – Studying a PHD, Assessing for Workplace Adjustments and Dyslexia in Acting with Deborah Leveroy

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Google Podcasts

In this episode of the Dyslexia Life Hacks Show we are talking to Deborah Leveroy PHD, who is neurodiversity and inclusion lead at Dyslexia Box.

Deborah has worked as an actor performing in both London and Edenborough Fringes. As she continued with her acting career, she devolved an interest in how dyslexia can affect actors, this led her to take a PHD where her thesis called Enabling Performance: Dyslexia and Acting Practice.

In this podcast you will her hear the challenges that dyslexic actors can face, an insight into some of Deborah’s coaching technics that are part of Acting with Dyslexia. What she learned when studying dyslexics as part of her PHD and the tools she uses to help her with writing a thesis.

She now works as Neurodiversity and Inclusion Lead for Dyslexia Box, where she develops workplace adjustments strategies for the neurodiverse and has applied some of the lesions she has learned from acting to the roll.

Selected Links
Categories
Podcast

Episode 18 – Rachel Morgen-Trimmer on How can the hyperlexic and dyslexic work together. Autism and ADHD

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Google Podcasts

It this episode of The Dyslexia Life Hacks Show, I talk to Rachel Morgen-Trimmer, she is a Neurodiversity consultant providing training through her company Sparkle Class. She is autistic and has ADHD, Rachel has won a Rose Award for her poster on Autism.

In this podcast we talk about the relationship between dyslexia (Matt) and hyperlexia (Rachel) and how people with different neurodiversity’s can combine their strengths when working together. This can be a benefit to organisations and highlight how great building diverse team can be.

We also talk about how Rachel come to find out she is autistic in her early 30’s and what it is like to get accessed as an adult. She also spoke for the first time about the mistakes she made when it comes to understand dyslexia, and how she learnt to be less judgemental and more inclusive. We take a dive into what it is like to be autistic and the world of someone with ADHD.

Selected Links
Categories
Podcast

Episode 17 – Dyslexia Show 2022 – Arran Smith

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Google Podcasts

In this episode of The Dyslexia Life Hacks show we talk to Arran Smith who is the founder of Dyslexia Show, this is a live event happening in the Birmingham NEC with the Inaugural event happening on the 25th to 26th March 2022. This event had many exhibiters and speakers on all thing’s dyslexia including Matt who is speaking on the Saturday at 3pm.

As well as understanding the idea and drive behind the Dyslexia Show. We also talk about in this podcast, Arran’s background, and his work with the British Dyslexia Association, as a youth volunteer through to now be a non-executive director. He got made redundant and this changed his life and moved him into entrepreneurship. He has set up many companies all with the aim of helping the neurodiverse these include learning platforms, being a dyslexia consultant to Microsoft and being a governor at his daughter’s school. he calls himself the dyslexia entrepreneur.

Selected Links
Categories
Podcast

Episode 16 – Kelly Monday on Sales in computing, Microsoft dyslexia tools and Thinking Differently about Dyslexia

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Google Podcasts

In this episode of The Dyslexia Life Hacks Show, we are talking to Kelly Monday, who works for Microsoft and has recently been promoted to Consumer Channel Sales Director (at the time of recording she was the Global Account Manager for WPP). She discovered she was dyslexic at 19 years old during the early stages of university studies, this allowed her to get the right support during her studies. Kelly then took a graduate position at IBM and tried out many roles in different parts of the company before moving into sales post her graduate training, where she progressed her career before moving to Microsoft. At Microsoft, alongside her role, Kelly is a mental health ambassador and has run the Thinking Differently about Dyslexia boot camps, aimed at helping children with Dyslexia feel proud of their Dyslexic thinking, skills and learn how to use the Microsoft Learning tools.

In this podcast, you hear how Kelly used tools to help her through her studies, some of the tools that Microsoft has to assist dyslexics, how having the right people to mentor and talk too help her embrace her dyslexia and how she now does the same for other dyslexic’s.   

This podcast is Kelly’s personal stories and opinions; she is not talking on behalf of Microsoft.  

SELECTED LINKS
Categories
Podcast

Episode 15 – From Scientist to Accountant to NHS Strategic Director with Wes Baker

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Google Podcasts

In this episode of The Dyslexia Life Hacks Show we talk to Wes Baker. He has had a diverse career, starting off as a biomedical scientist which he found could put his dyslexic talents to good use, in particular pattern recognition when looking at test results. He realised that he wanted a new challenge and moved in the NHS graduate scheme and retrained as an accountant, gaining his chartership. He now hold a strategic director position where he get to combine the skills as a scientist and accountant.

We talk about the challenges he faced within different jobs telling people about his dyslexia, How being dyslexic has given him advantages as a scientist, being able to spot trends as an accountant and now leading strategy for NHS Merseyside.

Selected Links
Privacy Policy
Facebook Linkedin Twitter

Copyright © 2025 Dyslexia Life Hacks