ADHD Productivity Tips for Entrepreneurs With Big Goals (and Busy Brains)

Let’s be honest, traditional productivity advice doesn’t always work for ADHD entrepreneurs/business owners.

You’ve got a million ideas, a few half-written emails, 87 Chrome tabs open in multiple browsers, and a podcast you forgot you were listening to. Sound familiar? Yeah, same.

As a web designer and brand and messaging strategist who works with a lot of ADHD entrepreneurs, I know that productivity is more than just time management. You need to create systems that work with your brain, not against it.

Now I’ll be the first to admit that systems are not my strong suit. But there are a few things that I’ve discovered help me be more productive in my business, so I wanted to share. So if you’re an online service provider, coach, or creative entrepreneur who wants to start being more productive in your business, here are a few ADHD-friendly productivity tips that may help.

1. Brain Dump

If you struggle with all your thoughts and ideas and mental to-do list tasks and “oh yeah, I was supposed to email that client” swirling around in your head and making it hard to concentrate and focus, then I’ve found it can be helpful to first get it all out of your head. This way you can (hopefully) actually focus on what you’re supposed to be doing once you’ve gotten everything else out. It’s not fail-proof, but really, what is? The goal is to figure out what works for you.

To help with this, I do a brain dump and write everything that comes to mind down on a piece of paper. Business tasks and ideas, client stuff, home/personal to-dos, random “remember to check…”, etc. thoughts. No structure. No judgment. Just get it all out and write it all down, whatever comes to mind, no matter how random or chaotic it is.

Then it can be helpful to organize it into categories. For example:
Client work – Admin – Content – Personal/life/home – “Will future me care about this?”

Then you can decide what needs to be done first, what doesn’t need to be done at all, and make a plan for the rest of the list if you need to. Or not. Sometimes it’s just helpful to get all the thoughts out and written down, even if you don’t make a plan for it after it’s written down.

ADHD brains need visibility. If it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind, so external systems can also be sanity savers. Tools like Trello, Notion, or even plain ol’ sticky notes can help. Just use whatever works for you. (And whatever you’ll actually use.)

2. Focused Work Sessions

When it comes to time management, the Pomodoro Technique gets mentioned often. Probably because it can be a good technique for a lot of people. With the Pomodoro method, you have short periods of focused work followed by short breaks, which can help ADHD brains get started, stay focused, and avoid burning out.

But I know this method, just like any method, doesn’t work for everybody or every brain. I strongly suggest if you’re going to use this method, that you make it work for you. Maybe 25 minutes is too short. Maybe 45 minutes is your sweet spot. Maybe you need to start with 10 minutes, just to help you get started. The key is starting, not being perfect.

When you’re ready to start, first decide what it is you’re going to work on, then set a timer and work until the timer goes off. As soon as it goes off, you can then take a short break. Then repeat for another work session. But if you’re in the zone and really focused, then you don’t have to take the break if that’s going to throw you off and mess up your focus. Whatever works for you. I find this method helps me at least get started, which is often the hardest part.

If you get distracted and other thoughts and ideas pop up while you’re working, I like to keep a sticky note by my computer so I can write those ideas down really quickly and get back to my current task. Otherwise I would end up just chasing each squirrely thought and not get anything done.

3. Repeatable Systems

You don’t need a color-coded calendar from Pinterest. And if you’re like me and only use a planner for a few days or weeks then forget about it the rest of the year, then don’t even bother buying one.

But you likely do need some sort of repeatable structure or system (even if you resist structure), especially for things like content creation, client onboarding/work/delivery/offboarding, and other business tasks.

This is probably going to be different for everyone, depending on how your brain works. Maybe you create a weekly workflow with themed days (i.e. Monday: content, Tuesday: client calls, Friday: admin, etc). You can also use templates for things like content creation, proposals, onboarding/offboarding emails, etc. It’s also helpful to keep everything in one spot (like Notion or a Trello board).

The goal here is to get more organized with systems that work for you so you can reduce decision fatigue and be more productive.

4. Batch & Automate

Batching works great for some ADHD brains because you can get in the zone and stay there awhile. It can be good for things like content creation, graphics, onboarding tasks, client work, replying to DMs, etc. Sometimes it can be hard to get started, so once you do, keep working on that task while your brain is in the groove.

Final Thoughts

Productivity doesn’t have to look like hustle culture, color-coded calendars, buying new planners that you won’t actually use or even inbox zero. (That last one will probably never happen for me.) For ADHD entrepreneurs, it looks like figuring out systems and tools that support your creativity and work with, not against, your unique, individual brain.

If your brand, business, or brain feels a little scattered right now, don’t worry – mine too.

If your systems feel scattered and your content feels off, it might not be a productivity problem. It might be a clarity problem. While I may not be able to help with your systems, I can help you realign your brand and your message, so everything flows easier, and makes sense for your brain.

If you want to learn more about my Reclaim Your Brand VIP Day brand strategy and messaging intensive, then I invite you to book a heart to heart consult call with me and let’s chat about how I can help you get clarity in your brand and message. ❤️