Failing at Normal? Why Your ADHD Brain Isn’t Consistent

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“You’ll achieve much more by being consistently reliable than by being occasionally extraordinary.” Sahil Bloom

If that quote made you wince, you’re not alone. For those of us with ADHD, it encapsulates our daily struggle with consistency. But what if I told you that chasing consistency across all areas of your life isn’t just difficult—it might be the wrong goal entirely?

The Hunter vs. Gatherer Paradigm

Think of our evolutionary roots: ADHD brains are like hunters—built for spotting opportunities, hyperfocusing on the chase, and delivering results in brilliant, intermittent bursts. We weren’t designed for the steady, predictable output of gathering berries day after day.

This isn’t a deficiency—it’s a different cognitive advantage. But in a world that prizes consistency above all, our natural operating system feels perpetually misaligned.

The Benchmark Paradox

When you have those moments of extraordinary brilliance that ADHD can fuel, they become the new benchmark against which everyone (including yourself) measures your everyday performance.

Your quarterly presentation wowed the executive team? Now they expect that level in every weekly update. That brilliant 3 AM content creation? Now your audience expects that quality every Tuesday morning.

These extraordinary moments set a standard that becomes your prison—one you continually fail to live up to under normal conditions.

Selective Consistency: Building Bridges to Places that Matter

The solution isn’t rejecting consistency entirely—it’s being ruthlessly selective about where you invest your consistency efforts.

Think of it this way: most people try to build flimsy bridges to every destination. With ADHD, you have limited materials. Instead of building dozens of rickety bridges that collapse under pressure, build a few Golden Gate-quality bridges to your most important destinations.

Identifying Your Non-Negotiables

Be brutally honest about what truly matters in your life and business. For me, it’s:

1. Health and wellbeing
2. Core business commitments
3. Key relationships

Everything else gets my best effort when I have energy, but I don’t beat myself up when I’m not consistently excellent at it.

The Selective Consistency Mindset Shift

From “I Should Be Consistent at Everything” to “I Choose What Deserves My Consistency”

See consistency as a precious, limited resource that must be invested wisely. By deliberately choosing where to be consistent, you take control rather than constantly feeling like you’re failing.

From “My Inconsistency Is a Flaw” to “My Variable Energy Is a Feature”

Your brain’s variability isn’t a bug—it’s a feature. Those moments of brilliance are directly related to your inconsistent energy patterns. You can’t have one without the other.

Building Self-Trust Through Strategic Wins

Each time you fail to meet an unrealistic consistency standard, your self-trust erodes. Instead:

1. Start small: Choose one area for consistency and commit fully to it.
2. Create accountability: Use external frameworks to reinforce your consistency.
3. Celebrate streaks: Acknowledge when you maintain consistency, no matter how small.
4. Analyze breakdowns: When consistency fails, examine the circumstances without judgment.

Communicating Your Unpredictable Capacity

Have direct conversations about:

• Where others can count on your absolute reliability
• Areas where your contributions will be excellent but unpredictable
• How to interpret your variable energy levels

Most people will respect clarity more than they’ll appreciate false promises you can’t maintain.

The Freedom of Authenticity

When you stop pretending to be universally consistent:

1. Your energy reserves increase because you’re not fighting your natural rhythms
2. Your authentic brilliance emerges more frequently
3. You attract people who value your unique contributions
4. You build genuine self-confidence based on authentic strengths

Your Next Steps: Embracing Selective Consistency

1. Conduct a consistency audit: List everything you’re trying to be consistent at. Mark what truly matters versus what society says matters.
2. Define your Golden Gate bridges: Identify 2-3 areas where consistency is non-negotiable.
3. Design systems for your bridges: Create routines and accountability structures for these key areas.
4. Release the rest: Give yourself permission to be occasionally extraordinary in areas outside your core priorities.

Bottom line, you weren’t built to be consistently mediocre at everything. You were designed for occasional brilliance. The world doesn’t need another person forcing themselves into the consistency mold—it needs your unique, beautifully inconsistent contributions.