How to create an ADHD Friendly Business

As I was supposed to sit down and write this blog, my brain decided we weren’t going to do that and we were actually going to put together my boxing bag. It took two days to write this, which is the longest it’s taken me to write any post at this point.

So, I have [untreated] ADHD and I’m also a full-time entrepreneur. For some, that might sound like a recipe for a disaster, and to be honest it was. Then I figured out that instead of trying to run my business ignoring my mental illness (ADHD being only one of the few), I decided to have my business run while acknowledging the fact that sometimes I get distracted for three hours.

So how the heck does one make their business ADHD (or any other mental illnesses that you may have) friendly and still be successful?

Keep reading.

First thing, I make a realistic business schedule for myself. I know on average I can only do 5 tasks a day without turning my brain into mush, so my to-do list never hits 6 things. Now, of course I may work on other things throughout the day, but knowing that I only have to do 2–5 things today makes it a lot easier for me to get work done.

And with those five things, I make sure I mix and match large tasks and small tasks. So, that means I’ll have a task that takes 1 hour followed by a task that takes 10 minutes and repeat. That way I’m giving my brain rest without actually resting.

I also have one day a week where I do a lot more work than other days, so I have mentally prepared myself every week to do more work than usual.

A normal Tuesday for me looks like:

Write and send weekly business to email list

Post weekly blog to website and Tweet it

Schedule Instagram content for the week.

Do any client work that I have

It may only be four tasks, but they are more on the heavy side. And I know this is all my brain can handle in one day.

In a perfect world, these four tasks would only take me 4–5 hours to do. But with ADHD, it can take up to eight hours because I get distracted and decide to work on other things. But because I didn’t put a timeline on things and just know I need to get it done by the end of the day, it takes away the stress to do the things.

I also breakdown what I need to do to finish each task. So, for Scheduling Instagram content for the week, I write create graphics in Canva, pick photos to use, write captions, and schedule in Tailwind.

Doing this makes my tasks seem more doable and digestible when I see the breakdown of it.

Another thing is, I used to try to have eight hour work days, five days a week, from 9–5. (Yes, I tried to replicate the 9–5 in my own business and of course it failed miserably) So, now I work about 11–5, five days a week and work occasionally on Saturday mornings and Sunday evenings. I also have a lunch break and dance breaks built in my schedule because I need fun in my workday. My lunch break is 45 minutes to an hour and I don’t sit at my desk when I take it. That’s key!

Secondly, I set realistic goals for myself. I’m a business coach and a lot of times, I have projects and client work that has deadlines on it. Deadlines can seem scary, especially if I only have a short amount of time to get something done, but I work around it.

For example, one of the services I offer in my coaching business is that I create a personalized Instagram Strategy Plan for clients. In a perfect world, I could complete this in about 2 days, but the client gets told that they will have it within 10 days of sending the invoice.

I still have a deadline, but it is a realistic deadline that I know I can hit. I usually do the plans within five days, but I give myself that buffer just in case life happens.

Lastly, I give myself grace. I know my weaknesses and instead of punishing myself for not doing something, or getting it done in time, I recreate my schedule to prevent it from happening again. I know I’m going to slip up and make mistakes, but why beat myself up over it like a mean boss? Isn’t that part of the reason we all became our own boss in the first place?

When you stop expecting perfection and just regroup and move on, you become more successful because you’re not staying in one spot trying to make things perfect before moving on.

I want to leave you with this. Running your business and treating yourself like corporations run their business and treat their employees is the worst thing you can do.

You are your own boss, creating your own company. There is no right or wrong way to do it. If you want to have two hour work days and it doesn’t affect the success of your business, DO IT. You don’t have to sit at your desk for hours to be deemed productive and successful, okay?

Changing the culture and changing the world starts with you and how you run things. Be nice to yourself.