Mastering the Four Key ADHD Drivers to Propel Your Business Success

Being a entrepreneur with ADHD is undoubtedly challenging, especially when we have to push ourselves to do tasks that may not seem appealing at the moment. To overcome this, we need to understand the four primary drivers that stimulate our ADHD brain: interest, challenge, novelty, and urgency. Let’s unpack each of these drivers, discuss examples, and explore how to implement them strategically in your business.

First up is the interest driver. This involves engaging in activities that you find stimulating or exciting, even just a little bit. For those of us with ADHD, tapping into our genuine interests is a non-negotiable for achieving focus and productivity. One of my clients, Janet, who is a marketing consultant with ADHD, often finds herself distracted when attempting to complete mundane tasks. However, she has a deep passion for data and analytics. To harness her interest driver, we designed her day to start with the latest marketing data trends. This fires up her brain, creating the momentum needed to tackle less exciting tasks.

So how can you apply this in your business? Start by identifying your interests. Write them down-this could be in a digital list or a handwritten format. Knowing what genuinely excites you will help you integrate these interests into your work. Make sure to revisit and update this list periodically, as our interests do evolve over time. Incorporating small elements of what excites you into your workday can give you the necessary boost to stay focused and get things done.

Next, we have the challenge driver, which centers on setting goals that push your limits and stimulate your competitive spirit, even if you’re only competing against yourself. One of my clients, Alex, is a software developer who stays motivated by setting personal goals like learning a new programming language in no more than three months. He joined an online coding challenge community that allows him to track his progress, compete, and get recognition. This creates a friendly yet competitive environment that keeps him focused and motivated.

You can use this strategy by setting clear, measurable goals for yourself. Break down bigger goals into smaller, manageable tasks. Celebrate your small victories along the way to keep the momentum going. Consider joining competitions or accountability challenges to add external validation and motivation. Remember, it’s crucial to have clear, specific goals to avoid decision fatigue and keep your focus intact.

Now, let’s talk about the novelty driver. Our ADHD brains are naturally attracted to new, novel, or different things. To keep things engaging, regularly add new elements to your routine or workspace. Samantha, a client of mine who is a B2B consultant, keeps herself engaged by incorporating new training methods into her workshops. She uses interactive platforms or hands-on experiments, which not only keep her engaged but also enhance her clients’ experience, leading to repeat business and referrals.

Regularly introduce new things in your routine to keep your brain stimulated. Change your environment, move around your workspace, or engage in new creative hobbies. These small changes can provide enough novelty to keep your brain engaged and focused. You can even do this by moving from one room to another if you work from home. It might sound silly, but it works!

Lastly, the urgency driver revolves around time constraints and non-negotiable deadlines. While urgency can be a strong motivator, it’s crucial not to over-rely on it. Constantly operating under last-minute pressure can lead to stress and burnout. Instead, balance this driver with the other three by setting self-imposed deadlines and adding consequences if needed. One of my clients, Mark, a conversion copywriter, found that joining a writer’s accountability group helped him meet deadlines without last minute timecrunching. Social pressure from the group provided the necessary urgency without causing undue stress.

To implement this in your business, assign deadlines to tasks and treat them seriously. Use accountability partners to keep yourself on track. Adding consequences for missing deadlines can provide that extra push needed to stay focused.

To maximize these strategies, you can combine the drivers. Let’s take Lisa, an entrepreneur who found creating a business plan totally daunting. By incorporating all four drivers-focusing on market research (interest), setting a two-week goal (challenge), using new business planning software (novelty), and committing to an investor meeting (urgency)-she successfully completed her business plan on time.

Managing ADHD as an entrepreneur requires skill and a strategic mindset. By understanding and leveraging your drivers of interest, challenge, novelty, and urgency, you can overcome obstacles and maintain focus and momentum. Experiment with these strategies and adapt them to fit your evolving needs.

If these concepts resonate with you and you need help implementing them, feel free to book a free consultation with me. Just head on over to the Work With Me page on this website and clicking the button. I’d love to help you create a strategic, ADHD-friendly approach to getting things done in your business. Here’s to leveraging the power of our ADHD brains for entrepreneurial success!

Feel free to DM me on LinkedIn or Instagram @coachdiannwingert or send me an email at diann@diannwingertcoaching.com. I’d love to hear your thoughts! If you’d like to hear the full episode on The Driven Woman Entrepreneur Podcast, you can do that here.

Originally published at https://www.diannwingertcoaching.com on June 13, 2024.