Sarah Jane Keyser

Be an Entrepreneur : Work From Home with ADHD

You have great idea! Making jewelry, children's games, or the bestwidgets ever,  and you want to do it from home.  But what happens if you have ADHD? Organizing, planning, deciding, managing time, it sounds like a mine field for people with ADHD.

I worked at home for years.  I dropped the kids at nursery school,drove to the office, ran my programs on the computer, grabbed mylistings, collected the kids and studied my results at home for thenext day.  My work as a computer programmer was ideal fortelecommuting.

Today with the internet,  creating your own business right from home isa real possibility. It means less time wasted in commuting hassles(saves gas too), and precious time used more efficiently, but it's alot of work.

What does it take to start your own business?  First of course you needan idea but it takes more than an idea to create a business. Successfulentrepreneurs have strong internal motivation. They are able to setgoals, schedule time, meet deadlines and communicate regularly withpartners about problems and progress.

But what happens if you have ADHD? Organizing, planning, deciding,managing time, it sounds like a mine field for people with ADHD.

Hey!  ADHD is where you get all those ideas, enthusiasm, energy,. thevery ingredients you need for success. Yes you still need goodstrategies for organization and time management just like everybodyelse. Here are some more tips to keep ADHD from turning dreams intonightmares:

1. Set boundaries. The whole family must respect your work time.Children have difficulty accepting that Mom is home but not there; geta baby sitter if you must. Keep a clear division between home and workpapers including bills and financial documents and material such astelephone and computer usage. Your accountant will love you.

2. Get started. Do you waste a lot of time messing about? That nastycommute you want to avoid is actually a useful transition from home towork. I plan fidget time; it helps me get started in the morning orwhen switching to another task.

3. Curb perfectionism. Know when to stop.  When in doubt, ask a partneror a colleague to do a reality check on what more you need to do.

4. Stay on task. Do you wander from one task to another and find at theend of the day that you haven't done half of what you planned ? Set atimer to go off every hour. When it rings, check that you are doing thetask planned and review the agenda for what's next, or try a vibratingwatch to refocus your attention. With practice you will learn tocontrol your attention without the fireworks.

5. Delegate. One big problem for many entrepreneurs is trying to do itall. Everything is in your head and it's difficult to trust others todo it the way you want it done. With ADHD, it's important to recognize your weaknesses and  find someone who is good at doing what you cannot like accounting.

6. Regulate your energy level. Accept that you aren't always in racingform. We all have good moments and less good moments. I have to taketime to recharge my batteries with a cup of tea or by walking the dog.These are the moments when I get my best ideas. Schedule time to eat,exercise, sleep and relax. You'll still have time to succeed.

Now you are all set. On your mark, Go.

In a nut shell :

1. Set boundaries: keep work and home separate
2. Getting started: allow time to warm up
3. Curb perfectionism: know when to stop
4. Stay on task:  do what works to stay focused
5. Delegate: Let others do things you are not good at
6. Regulate energy: respect your natural rhythm

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