Tips for the “ADD Entrepreneur"

I’ve often joked about how most entrepreneurs have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). And it’s no wonder. With the proliferation of instant communication and entertainment gadgets, addicting e-mail, YouTube and video games, TV, billboard and banner advertising, it’s amazing that anyone has time to focus on the families we need to raise, clients we need satisfy, learning we need to undertake, news to keep up with, exercise and diet programs we’re trying to maintain, a business we need to run and vacation we want to plan. 

You may be asking yourself, “Am I an
'ADD entrepreneur?' What me, nah!
Why do you say that?  Yes, I’m often juggling phone, e-mail, client and
employee issues. But I’m not unfocused, disorganized or distracted. I’ve just
learned how to multi-task and focus
on so many things in order to cope with how rapidly the world is changing.” 

Let me ask you. Do you have a plan for your business? If you don’t have a plan,
is that because you don’t know how to create one or you are too disorganized or too distracted?  You’re in pretty good company if you’re an "ADD entrepreneur." Others who would certainly be considered entrepreneurs in their own right have
made their mark on the world and have been said to have Attention Deficit Disorder, for instance Alexander Graham Bell, Beethoven, Michael Jordan, Thomas
Edison, Walt Disney and Tom Cruise. 

Many businesses are run by owners who could not follow someone else’s rules or time clock, so they created their own. They had to carve out their own path. For many, carving out your own path may seem more difficult than simply getting a job with a steady paycheck. This is the only way, however, that many of these “ADD entrepreneurs” can function. They don’t know how to follow the beaten track, even when the road less traveled may seem more uphill.

Here are some questions to ask yourself if you’re wondering if you’re an "ADD entrepreneur:"

1) Do you sometimes focus extraordinarily well, even super-focus?
2) Do you do your best work under a deadline?
3) Are you embarrassed by what a mess your purse, desk or office is?
4) Do you find you can get more done in 20 minutes in an airport, than you can in six hours working in your office?
5) Do you have millions of new ideas, but have trouble turning them into reality?
6) Do you do your best work maybe because you are your own boss?
7) Do you find that you focus better in the midst of a crisis or an emergency than when all is peaceful and calm around you?
8) Do you prefer to work in intense bursts rather than prolonged intervals?
9) Do you wonder why so many other people refuse to take the chances you have taken?
10) Have you always been an entrepreneur by nature?

There are several key ways to prevent distraction and keep your business moving forward. The following techniques worked for Blake E. S. Taylor, author of “ADHD & Me: What I learned from Lighting Fires at the Kitchen Table.”  

1. Be Organized. Organization leads to clear thoughts that prevent distraction. If your desk, books, work, etc. are organized, your thoughts will be more structured and clearer because your inner thought process reflects the outside environment. This is why many people find being on a quite beach mentally soothing. When you prepare for a project, mentally plan the sections of the project you must complete with deadlines for each phase until the final deadline is met.

2. Create a distraction-free environment. It is important to create an environment that is simple and soothing. Do not create a background with bright colors, pictures and decorations because this will easily distract your eye. On the other hand, avoid working in a blank, white-walled room. It helps to have something pleasant to stare at in order to generate thoughts. Your workshop should be mildly interesting but not so interesting that it distracts you.

3. Work in a quiet room. Some common examples of distracting noises are cars honking, dogs barking and little children shrieking. (This would include distracting conversations and got-a-minute interruptions from employees.) Generally it is better to hear soft music playing, birds chirping or soothing ocean sounds, for instance. A good indicator of the balance between too much and too little noise is that if you start paying attention to the noise, it’s too loud. 

4. Be well rested and take breaks. Being tired causes you to be more distracted because it takes a lot of effort to concentrate. It’s important not to exhaust your mental energy during an important project. Prioritize your to-do list, decide what you need to accomplish and promise yourself a break as a reward.

5. Find a routine or pattern of work. Routines are good for your body as well as for your mind. Routines reinforce what you’re trying to do. If you set up a pattern, you are training your mind to think, “Okay, now I am ready to work.”

Jonathan Goldhill, The Growth Coach, is the owner of The Goldhill Group in Los Angeles, a business consulting and coaching company providing distance learning Webinars for owners and managers of contracting firms and service businesses. Jonathan can be reached at 818/716-8826 or Jon@TheGoldhillGroup.com. To learn more about his coaching programs and services, visit www.TheGoldhillGroup.com.