From chaos to clarity: Transforming ADHD's Creative Chaos into Focused Brilliance.

People with ADHD are very suited to running businesses and the entrepreneur life because we're often blessed (and sometimes cursed) with creativity and ideation as our core strengths. Having a million ideas alllll the time can be exciting and fun but also incredibly overwhelming and intrusive. So when you spend a lot of time in an unplanned brainstorm, how do you control the impulse to act on every new idea?

Get the thoughts out of your head!

I don't know about you, but most of my good and terrible ideas decide to hit whenever I try and sleep. It's 2 am, you're wide awake, and your brain is buzzing with a million and one thoughts. What do you do? Instead of lying around getting increasingly frustrated, grab your phone and email yourself! Okay, using your phone in the middle of the night isn't ideal for a good night's rest, but getting the thoughts out of your brain and onto the screen can help. I've lost count of the times I've woken up to a deluge of emails... from me! (Whatta dick)

While some swear by a notebook and pen by the bed, it's easy to forget to check it in the morning. So, why not cut out the middleman and send those late-night brain trumps straight to your inbox so you've more chance of doing something about it the next day?

By emailing yourself or writing the thoughts and ideas down, you give your brain permission to let go making it easier to rest, knowing they'll be waiting for you in the morning.

What's the why?

At my marketing and PR agency, we're all about the why and it's where we start for every client project. Clients are often excited and full of ideas, some good, some not so good, so starting with the 'why' as a foundation brings focus.

This approach works for people with ADHD, too, because, let's face it, not every "genius" idea is worth pursuing, especially when your mind is an ideas universe with endless possibilities. I wish I'd used this strategy when I was younger instead of starting businesses in all sorts of random sectors, including a Moroccan plate eBay business....🤔

So ask yourself, what is my purpose with this? Be honest about why you want to do it. Do you have the resources to support you in delivering your next big thing when the novelty wears off? (more on that in a bit)

Set goals

Like the 'why,' ask yourself your goals; if you can't answer, then it might not be worth pursuing. Setting goals, even just a few, so as not to complicate things will help you stay motivated and excited.

Examples of this might be a financial goal, helping others, or self-development. Adding goals to an idea gives it a sense of purpose and will motivate you to take it forward.

Bonus tip, write your idea and goals down and put them somewhere you can see them, like on a whiteboard, notice board, or even the fridge! Seeing this every day massively helps retain the enthusiasm versus being hidden away in a notebook or on your laptop and forgotten forever.

Sit on it!

It's time to sit on those hands! If you've decided your idea is worth pursuing, sit on it for a few days before acting. For someone with ADHD, this can be excruciating; why wouldn't you get on with it, for godsake!? But trust me, even 24 hours can give you a bit of clarity about why it might not be a good idea or needs more thought.

This is where friends and family or an accountability buddy or coach can be SO helpful. Run your concept past as many people as possible, listen to feedback, and then see how you feel in another 24 hours or more if you can.

Managing ideas from concept to completion

Once you've decided if an idea is a goer, how do you simplify the process of seeing it through to completion?

My mind works in pictures, so if I can see a visual representation of something, it makes it much simpler for me to understand than a lot of written information. I prefer platforms like Pinterest and Instagram to Twitter (ugh) and complex project management systems, which are very copy and data-heavy.

I've been experimenting with different options to find the best all-in-one system that doesn't feel disgustingly overwhelming when you log in. I love Basecamp, but I've tried Monday.com, Asana, and Trello. Basecamp is unbelievably simple to manage and has everything you need to start and manage a project, including to-do's, events, scheduling, asset libraries, and loads of other integrations.

If you've never tried mind mapping, I highly recommend it, especially for the more visually-minded ADHD folks. It helps boost focus by organising thoughts and ideas, and the vibrant and structured layout makes it easier to remember things. Breaking down complex concepts into bite-sized pieces means feeling less overwhelmed. Plus, some of the software available now is very easy to use, super fun, and colourful, which keeps that dopamine train going. Have a look at XMind

Get help!

Project Management software can only do so much. One of the hardest things for people with ADHD is the consistent, tedious next steps needed to execute the latest idea. Tech, admin, finances.....ugh, it's a lot. Don't get me wrong, ADHD'ers can also be incredible, detail-focused project managers when we go into hyperfocus mode and under pressure, but consistency and losing interest can be a problem.

Once that buzz from buying yet another domain, setting up the socials, and creating the first lot of content wears off, you can be guaranteed that an ADHD'er is losing interest. So what can you do? Delegate!!!

Funds are tight for everyone right now, but a VA or other support doesn't have to cost the earth. This is where platforms like Fiverr and Chat GPT are your best mate. Website tech support, SEO help, email database management, content creation, task management, and admin...the list of things you probably hate that you can outsource very cheaply is gigantic.

I am so excited about how Chat GPT can help people with ADHD. I've been using it for various things, and it's a game-changer for neurodiverse people. Whenever you get that stuck, overwhelmed feeling, you can ask Chat GPT to do the task for you or give you an answer, so you can go to the next stage of your project instead of abandoning it! I'll do a separate blog on this as it's too big a topic for here.

Learn to laugh and take a break when you need to

Having a million ideas can be exciting, but having a relentless stream of thoughts can be intrusive and morph into anxiety. This is because we simply can't action everything; there aren't enough hours in the day! Regardless of how much a person with ADHD accomplishes, there can be a nagging sensation of never being good enough, even after smashing a 12-hour day or launching a new business.

This unceasing flood of ideas and thoughts can sometimes lead to total paralysis and overwhelm, so it's crucial to hit pause and step away.

Take a break, go outside, and do your best to switch off and zone out.

And remember to laugh! When you think about it, having a brain in a never-ending brainstorming session and the subsequent ridiculous ideas AND FUCKING GENIUS ONES, is pretty funny! So instead of beating yourself up, be grateful for the chaos and think how boring life would be without it.

Get in touch if you’d like to find out more about our plans here.