Battling ADHD in Business

I’d like to make it very clear I am by no means great at managing my ADHD & it is something I’m working really hard to support myself thru.

It is extensive to receive an official diagnosis & therefore have access to the right meds.

I’ve had a multitude of appointments with my therapist & physician, I have another big appointment/evaluation coming up in March I cannot wait for.

I’m hopeful to get the stamp of approval for medication that will actually help my brain.

Discovering I struggle with ADHD has been incredibly empowering.

It has helped me see that I am not dumb or incapable, but actually the opposite.

Understanding how ADHD effects the brain has helped me see myself in a new light & actually be amazed at all I have accomplished & The businesses I have built over the years.

That said, it’s still an ongoing daily battle & I believe it feeds into my depression + anxiety.

Here are 3 ways my therapist & I have set as goals to help manage my ADHD as an entrepreneur:

✔️ Prioritize my day. I have to do this IMMEDIATELY or I won’t do it. I get sucked into all the incoming thoughts & lists & things so easily. It has to become a part of my routine. Prioritizing by writing it out.

3 categories help me prioritize:
•time: is there a hard deadline coming up? Time sensitive tasks get priority.
•impact: if a task is left undone today, what happens? What’s the actual impact to me & others? This is an important one because with adhd EVERYTHING feels incredibly urgent.
•complexity: thinking thru how complicated or difficult —read: distraction and procrastination prone – the task is. I Assign the highest-rated tasks to times when I’m usually most productive.

✔️Hyper focus: Psychology Today defines hyperfocus as a fixation on a specific event, task or topic and notes that it’s a common symptom of ADHD.

This can be one of the hardest things for me. I’ve been setting a timer for x minutes before I need to stop what you’re focused on to transition to other tasks.

✔️Distraction management: OOF. This could be a whole post.

Using the do not disturb feature has been helpful. But distractions from adhd aren’t just external but TONS of internal.

Do you battle adhd?