Your Business Isn’t Working Against You, ADHD Is
If you’re trying to learn how to run a business with ADHD, you’ve come to the right place!
Unfortunately, a lot of people with ADHD don’t realize the advice out there is simply not meant for us.
The reason why these strategies, advice, or tips never work is because they are created for people who are neurotypical. It’s NOT because you are broken, dumb, or incapable.
My mission is to EMPOWER business owners with ADHD to work WITH their ADHD and to stop fighting against it.
Here are five typical problems ADHD business owners have, the neurotypical advice that’s usually given (that never works), and then advice from me with your ADHD brain in mind.
Disclaimer: While I can’t promise every ADHD strategy or solution you read will help you in particular, you can at least start to see how you have to adjust typical advice and let go of the shame around not being able to follow through with neurotypical advice.
1. Problem: You can’t get boring tasks (or tasks outside of your zone of genius) DONE
Neurotypical Advice: “Start with the hard thing first” or “Just make a to-do list and check it off as you go”
ADHD Advice: BODY DOUBLING
No one likes to do boring tasks, but people with ADHD have almost a visceral reaction to them which makes it hard to get things done that REALLY need to be done. However, if you pair the boring task with a playlist, podcast, Facetime a friend, or TV show - it makes the task 100% easier to tackle.
Next time you would rather poke your eyes out than to fold the laundry or go through you 482 unread emails (no judgment, mine’s the same!), think of what you can use to “body double” and get the job done!
2. Problem: You can’t stop thinking about a situation which is preventing you from doing anything else
Neurotypical Advice: “Just let it go” or “Think positive”
ADHD Advice: Find YOUR personal ways of stopping RUMINATION
What’s rumination? Rumination by definition “involves repetitive thinking or dwelling on negative feelings and distress and their causes and consequences. The repetitive, negative aspect of rumination can contribute to the development of depression or anxiety and can worsen existing conditions.”
While people who are neurotypical can have negative thoughts and feelings, they don’t succumb to the “spiral” as easily as us with ADHD. It can waste hours, even DAYS, at times, but if you can figure out how to get yourself out of rumination it will help so much!
My favorite ways to break out of my rumination spirals is to listen to my dopamine hit playlist (linked here if you need some inspo to make your own!) full of feel good songs I can scream at the top of my lungs, dive into whatever reality show I’m watching, get into comfy clothes or take a tub to feel physically safer, or make a list of everything going RIGHT.
You are the only person that can figure out what will work best for you, but hopefully some of those can give you a jumpstart!
3. Problem: You’re always late for appointments or meetings
Neurotypical Advice: “Just leave earlier”
ADHD Advice: Utilize timers, reminders, and take into consideration the entire “leaving the house process” into your timing.
It’s not that we can’t tell time, but we often struggle with knowing exactly how long things will take. This is why we are late or running close to it every time we leave the house. Since we can be distracted so easily, using timers and reminders on my Apple watch and phone are the only way I can stay on track and on time.
How MANY timers should you set? The limit does not exist.
4. Problem: You have no boundaries.
Neurotypical Advice: “Just say no”
ADHD Advice: Pause and play the tape all the way through before giving your response. If you decide to say no, remember that everyone won’t hate you.
As people with ADHD, we are IMPULSIVE so we will say yes to things before thinking about the consequences or the situation. Another thing we struggle with big time is worrying that if we say no, we will lose that friend or that relationship. This is called rejection sensitivity dysphoria (like 98% of adults with ADHD have this!).
“Rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD) is a condition that causes people to experience extreme emotional pain or sensitivity when they feel rejected or fail.”
Reminding ourselves that you can say no and people won’t be upset or angry OR they will be upset and angry and that’s okay is the best way to hold our boundaries. Choosing ourselves and what’s best for us is hard, but not choosing yourself is harder.
Here’s a great resource about RSD.
5. Problem: You’re disorganized
Neurotypical Advice: Just buy organizing containers and keep it tidy every day. It’s not that hard.
ADHD Advice: It IS hard. Organizing and tidying are executive function tasks that do not come easily to us. While containers and systems CAN work, it has to work for you, your life, your home, etc. If it doesn’t work, it’s not your fault. You just haven’t found the right system yet.
Organization is a huge issue for people with ADHD for many reasons and I can’t deep dive into it or this blog will be pages and pages! But what I want you to realize is that sometimes we don’t want to put things away, because if it’s out of sight for us, it is GONE. We keep things where we can see them to remember that they’re there. This is a survival system our brain has created to keep us safe and help us to remember where things are.
I will say open bin containers that are labeled help a LOT (because you can still see it!) and also having big containers or bins for “drop zones” help keep things tidy while also not re-organizing the system that’s already working. Example: We keep all our dog leashes by the back door because that’s the door we go out of to take him out or on walks. Instead of keeping them in the laundry room with his other things, we started putting them on this little table in our sunroom, but it looked MESSY. I went downstairs and found a cute basket and now it’s our leash basket! I didn’t try to make up a new place to put them since that was working, I just created a more orderly home for them.
Bottom line, running a business with ADHD is HARD.
To wrap up, I truly believe the more I learn about my ADHD, the more empowered I feel. I think it’s important for us to understand why we have these tendencies in order for us to feel more control AND to help us have a little more grace.
If you are needing more help and support in learning about your ADHD, I encourage you to join HELD, my ADHD Business Owner support program where I will be your guide to learning more about yourself, teaching you all I know about ADHD, and welcome you into our community of other ADHD business owners so you feel less alone.
I hope this was helpful and that you always remember that your brain is NOT broken, it is magical.