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If you struggle to stay consistent with launching or growing a business, I want you to know something important: you’re not alone. I’ve been there, done that, and have a long list of failed businesses to prove it.
But here’s the good news: change is possible. I’m living proof that even someone infamous for starting things and dropping them like a hot potato can turn things around.
In this post, I’m going to share the steps, skills, and structures I’ve developed to not only start something but actually finish it and feel proud of where I’m going.
The Foundation of ADHD Consistency: Clear Intention
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty, let’s talk about the cornerstone of success: intention. You need to be crystal clear on where you want to go. I know this can be overwhelming, which is why I created tools like Vision to Action and Distraction to Action to help organize your thoughts and set meaningful goals.
But let’s assume you are super clear on what you want, but you still can’t stay consistent with your actions? Let’s get into that next.
Takeaway: Clarify your vision and break it down into daily intentions. What specific actions will you take each day to achieve your goals?
Building Systems and Rhythms to Keep You Consistent
The game-changer for me in terms of staying consistent has been building systems and rhythms into my routine. This is crucial for sustaining any big change in your life. Here’s how I’ve implemented this in my business:
1. Regular Planning Sessions
I plan on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis, both personally and for my business. This helps me structure my focus and put my intentions into action.
Takeaway: Start a consistent planning process. The tool doesn’t matter as much as the habit itself. But if you want a helpful planning system for your business, check out The Organized Business or The Coach Hub. Both are designed to help you set up systems for managing the back end of your biz, and plan for the months and quarters ahead.
2. Reflection
Alongside planning, I make time for deliberate reflection. This serves two purposes:
- It helps me gauge how long tasks actually take, improving future planning.
- It shows me if my actions align with my overall intentions.
3. Maintaining Emotional Connection
For those of us with interest-driven brains, maintaining an emotional connection to our work is crucial. If we disconnect emotionally, our interest wanes, making self-motivation much harder.
Here’s some of the practices that help me stay connected to the heart of my business:
4. Revenue and Expense Tracking
One of the most significant changes I’ve made is meticulously tracking my revenue and expenses. This isn’t just good business practice; it’s a behavior that keeps me emotionally invested in my business.
I use a simple template to set quarterly revenue goals and track monthly progress across different revenue streams. At the end of each quarter, I compare projections to actual results, asking myself logical questions about any discrepancies.
Takeaway: Start tracking your business numbers regularly. Use this data to inform future goals and stay connected to your business’s performance.
5. Digging into the Analytics
As my business has grown, I’ve started tracking more detailed metrics:
- Website visitors
- Landing page views
- Product page views
- Conversion rates
- Revenue per product
Now, it’s important to know that I am not a data or numbers person at all. However, I think of this practice as understanding the needs and behaviors of my customers. Seeing the numbers helps me know what’s resonating and what’s not. That keeps me engaged and interested in the business’s progress, but also I’m able to look at things objectively and not get caught up in rejection sensitive dysphoria when things aren’t going right.
Caren Magill, ADHD Coach
Looking at data helps keep emotions out of the business in order to make clear goals and sound decisions.
6. I Leverage Templates – EVERYWHERE!
Possibly one of the biggest things that has helped me is to leverage existing templates rather than recreating the wheel all the time. Whether it’s finding templates online or adapting others’ methods to fit my needs, this approach saves time and mental energy.
Each template represents a process I do in my business at a regular interval. I create content every day, I plan every week and month, and I also track numbers every month. That means, there are recurring to-dos on my list with links to each of these templates, so I never have to look for it, and I never forget to get those things done.
👉 Snag the list of my favorite AI tools (both free and paid) that I use daily in my business.
Takeaway: Don’t reinvent the wheel. Look for existing templates or systems you can adapt to your needs and let that create the structure for what you do in your business every day.
7. Set Realistic Goals
Prior to tracking data in my business, I would set goals without any real indication of whether or not they were achievable. This is normal as you’re just getting started, but I went far too long not knowing what “realistic” looked like in my business.
When I started collecting and using in my business, I set much more realistic goals. I now have a solid understanding of how long it takes to reach certain revenue milestones or create and market products. This awareness allows me to set achievable targets that I can actually attain! I can’t tell you what a confidence booster that has been for me.
5. Embracing AI
AI has become a powerful tool in my business arsenal. It helps me:
- Generate ideas faster
- Clarify concepts
- Increase productivity
- Improve customer experiences
But here’s the thing about AI – it will never replace the humanness of a business. Personally, my business growth has come not only from being consistent, but also because my community resonates with me. We have a connection because I share from my own experience about what’s going on in my heart, in my life and in my business. AI can never replace that.
It’s worth sharing that, because we never want to make consistency the goal of our business. Consistency just keeps the wheels on the bus. But service and impact is what actually makes or breaks a business.
Takeaway: Explore how AI tools can support your business processes and idea generation, but never let it replace the human connection that makes your business what it is.
The ADHD Entrepreneur Consistency Trap
One of the biggest roadblocks for ADHD entrepreneurs is that we are so terrified of failure and judgement. So finding ways to practice emotional connection to your business, without letting failures take you down personally is a fine line to walk – but an important one. I hope these suggestions help you reduce overwhelm (which can lead you to avoiding your business) and to help you see your business venture as something that is a reflection of you, but separate from you.
Building a sustainable business, especially with ADHD, also means that creating systems that work for your brain is critical! A lot of the cookie cutter advice out there just won’t work for you, and that’s ok. You’ve just got to take what works for you, leave the rest.
Good luck!
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