Katie McManus, a business strategist with ADHD, shares five strategies she uses to run her business: quitting alcohol to sleep better, building naps into her day, keeping separate task lists for high and low-energy days, and doing flexible daily exercise without judgment.
Here are five things that I do to manage my ADHD in my business and hi I help ADHD business owners make more money in less time with fewer distractions. Through my build your own business method. I teach my clients how to find a profitable niche, create an offer that their clients are excited to sign up for and that they love providing. And I teach how to sell and market your services in a way that you won't want to vomit. I'm Katie McManus, business strategist and money mindset coach. And I too have adhd. So number one's kind of funny because I used to be a sommelier and I used to work in really high end restaurants and I knew a lot about this, but I don't drink anymore. About a year and a half ago, I realized that every single time I'd have a glass of wine with dinner or a beer out with friends, the next two days my anxiety would be so spiked. So I made a goal of giving it up for 100 days. And at the end of 100 days, I just wanted to keep going. I get so much more done, my sleep is better, my skin is clearer, and all those healthy habits that I always struggled to stick to. Well, I'm not perfect at sticking to them now, but it's way easier. I now number two, no one told me this was a part of running a business. And maybe it's not by other people's rules, but I nap like that is a main part of my day. Because here's the thing, if you're running a business and you have to think strategically and you have to think creatively and you have to provide like a top level service to your clients all day long, you're not going to be able to do that if you're tired. So I always make sure that my day is spread out in a way that if I need to lay down for like 30 minutes, I can. Now this next one is really important. I keep a list of things that I need to do when I have a high level of dopamine in my system. And on this list are all the massive projects that like, you really just need one of those high energy days where you feel inspired to get it all done. Because I realized that I would have those days and I would spend the first few hours trying to figure out what I wanted to work on. And by the time I figured out what I wanted to work on, the day was half gone. So I didn't really have like a whole day to work on it. I just kind of had A half a day. And. And the worst feeling is when you start a big project and only get halfway through because, like, you know you're not going back and finishing the rest. Right? So having that high dopamine list has been an absolute game changer for me to get those big projects done. Likewise, I have a low dopamine list. So for those days where I have absolutely no energy, my executive dysfunction is just through the roof. I have a list of things that if I do these bare minimum tasks, the day is still a win. I used to do that classic ADHD all or nothing thing where you make like an every single day, complicated workout plan for yourself and then you start it and you get two days in, then the third day you don't do it and then you feel like a failure and then you kind of drop off, then you have to remake the plan and then you start the plan. Then again, two days in, the third day you drop off. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Yeah, I don't do that anymore. I have a list of three different types of exercises that I can do every single day. One is walking my dog. Two is doing some kind of yoga or pilates and it doesn't have to be terribly long. And three is actually going to the gym and doing a high intensity workout. And regardless of which one I do, it counts because I realized that with my adhd, what really matters is that I get my body moving, I get my blood flowing, and most importantly, I'm spending time away from my desk and out doing something different. And of course, this is the list that works for me. And if you have ADHD and you're running a business, I want you to know that, like, this list may not work for you. Um, there's no one way to run your business. Run your life. You're not losing the game. If you're not in the 5am Club. You get to figure out your top five things that are gonna work for you to support you in being the best version of yourself in your business. And don't let anyone tell you you're doing it wrong. If you feel like you're winning, then you are. And if you like this kind of content, then please go ahead and like this video and follow me.
