Take Back Your Time
As an entrepreneur with ADHD, I struggled for years with managing my time effectively and finding any semblance of work-life balance. Like many neurodivergent business owners, I was caught in a vicious cycle - attracting clients with ease, then quickly becoming overwhelmed and burning out from lack of structure.
I'd overcommit, ignore my basic needs for breaks, food, or sometimes even a wee! My boundaries would start to slip and I’d struggle to ‘put work down.’ Ultimately, I realised the crux of the issue was my dysfunctional relationship with time itself. It turns out ADHD have a very spongy elastic experience of time - it’s less like a regular ticking metronome, and more like a car that can suddenly speed up or slow down. Armed with this new knowledge, I developed a framework for changing not just how I used my time, but my whole perception of it.
It’s TIME to shift your mindset
The first part of this framework focuses on important mindset shifts regarding time. It might be uncomfrotbale, but it’s necessary to get curious about the disempowering language we use, for example "I don't have time" or "I wasted time on X." This all-or-nothing self-talk convinces your brain there's no possibility for choices or positive change.
Instead, try using intentional phrases like "I can make time for X" or "I choose to spend time on Y." Be warned - this is not a quick fix! Making this mental shift takes practice.
Next, show yourself empathy about how your ADHD brain uniquely experiences time perception. We often have a compressed time horizon where the near future feels impossibly far away. We can also drop into hyperfocus and lose track of time passing altogether. Remember that spongy relationship your brain has with time and give yourself some grace!
Finally, it's about fully accepting that your time perception is wired differently from the norm - and believing that with the right strategies and adjustments, taking control of your time is 100% possible.
It’s TIME for an audit
The second part of the framework is conducting a thorough audit of how you currently use your time, in order to find pockets to ringfence for priorities. I use the acronym TOAST:
Template any repetitive tasks that require consistency.
Outsource lower-impact tasks that drain your time.
Automate whatever processes you can through systems and tools.
Standardise recurring tasks by bundling them together.
Throw out any tasks not fully aligned with your goals.
Throughout this process, be prepared to get brutally honest about what's truly in your zone of genius as an entrepreneur vs what's just busy work. If it ain’t bringing you joy, or making you money, you ain’t got time for that shiz!
It’s TIME to make it work for your brain
In the podcast episode below, I share how this framework helped me reimagine how I view and experience time through an ADHD-centric lens, plus many of the little shifts that finally helped me adjust to an ADHD-friendly time management style and feel more on top of my day, my week and my to do list! I truly believe that once you transform your mindset and approach time in a way that's sustainable for your neurodivergent brain, you'll be able to finally find focus, freedom and balance as an entrepreneur. Is it time to try something different? Check out this podcast episode and let’s help you take back your time!