Sydney Twichell LLC

My ADHD has made me who I am today. It’s shaped a lot of my personality, influences the decisions I make, and generally affects my daily life the same way it does with anyone who is neurodivergent. As I started my business I figured I’d be able to stay on top of things, but boy was I wrong. 

Trying to run a business can be a lot, especially if you have other plates spinning. For me, I was engaged when I launched my business and had also just gone back to school online on a full-time basis. That is a lot to be on one’s plate. I found myself drowning, and the burn out was worse than when I was 19 and taking on extra shifts at Starbucks. 

I know I’m not the only one who struggles with this. It can be very difficult trying to stay focused, and when you have so many dreams and ideas for the future you can easily get lost in the “what ifs” instead of staying grounded in the “right now”. I began to struggle to keep up, and eventually got very depressed because I couldn’t just get up, do what needed to be done, and run the business how I wanted. So after some frustration, and struggles, I went back to when I was 19 to try and remember how I managed it all back then. 

My late uncle was a therapist, and a good one at that. When I was 19 I was going through it. I had my first job as a barista at Starbucks, I had graduated school and wasn’t sure what I wanted next, I had just gotten away from a very abusive man, and had so many ideas with little to no focus to actually achieve them. So every Thursday morning, my uncle and I would video call each other while drinking our morning coffee just to talk. 

After a while, he figured out that I had ADHD, and needed a guide to sort through my daily and weekly schedule in order to accomplish what I wanted to. So he laid one out for me: Urgent, Necessary, and Important. Those all sound like the same word, but I promise they’re different. By organizing my tasks using this method, I was able to accomplish the goals I had at 19. And now, 26 and married, it helps my husband and I run my business and our home. 

Urgent

When a task is urgent, it means it has a deadline coming up very soon. That could be something that needs to be done in a few hours, or a day or two. Either way, it is urgent that you finish that task quickly and efficiently. 

Necessary

Necessary tasks have a deadline, but they are still a ways away. You need it on your radar, and if you can finish it you should, but it isn’t the end of the world if you don’t finish it today. These tasks will eventually turn into urgent tasks if they aren’t finished, and that’s okay! 

Important

These tasks have value, they are important to complete, but they have a fair amount of time to get done. Perhaps even no hard deadline. They are on your list so you remember to do them eventually, but if you don’t finish any this month, that is okay! These tasks may eventually move to necessary, but you don’t have to do them if you no longer have the energy for the day.

So what does this list look like? Here is an example of my real life UNI list:

Urgent 

• Pay Insurance Bill
• Schedule Newsletter
• Draft Q3 Goals and Plan
• Submit Science Discussion Post 
• Finalize Travel Dates for Wedding in August

Necessary

• Purchase Podcast Equipment
• Find Dress for August Wedding
• Create Packing Strategy for Moving
• Finish NSLS Course

Important

• Pick Paint Swatches for House
• File Taxes
• Finish Reading “Worthy”

Making the list doesn’t have to start out crazy or complicated. You just need to write down what needs done, and when. From there you can organize where the tasks should go. I recommend taking note of anything you remember to do in the moment you remember. If you’re driving, have your spouse take note or use voice to text. If you are shopping, take a moment just to write it down. And then at the end of the day, check your notes and arrange your list for the next day. 

Organizing my week this way has allowed me to stay on top of things without burning myself out or buzzing with anxiety because I suddenly remember something I was supposed to start weeks ago. Have any other tips or tricks for running a business with ADHD? Comment on my Instagram post about this article and spread the word! We’re all in this together, and the more we help each other the more we will all succeed.