ADHD and Self-employment
Many ADHDers tend to be self-employed, because being their own boss, in charge of their own ways of doing and approaching things tends to work best. This could also be connected to the fact that people with ADHD have a huge sense of justice, also known as justice sensitivity. This means they can’t help but speak up when they disagree with something that doesn’t feel right to them. Whilst this is an amazing trait to have, it can of course lead to conflict in the workplace when the delivery of those opinions isn’t carefully crafted.
Whilst being able to make decisions for your own business, your clients, your services and whatever you may offer can work better for someone with ADHD, there are some symptoms that might be harder to manage when being left to your own devices.
This tends to be problematic for:
Motivation, structure and focus
Rejection Sensitivity
Perfectionism
Motivation, Structure and Focus
When there is no such thing as clocking in or out of your job (to a team or location) and you most likely work from home, it can be very hard to have the drive and motivation to stick to a traditional 9 - 5. It’s easy to get sidetracked and do something that has nothing to do with your job, because you can.
It also often comes with putting things off until late in the night, the next day or even week or and worst of all - the weekend. I always challenge my self-employed clients to keep their evenings and weekends sacred, motivating them to get their work actions done within the workdays of mon-fri.
There’s a few recommendations I give to my clients (besides working with me to create an agreed routine):
Create an “official” workspace, that isn’t your sofa, dining table or even bed. Somewhere that can facilitate focus and be your “business” location. It also means curating this space to its highest potential such as an ergonomic chair, screen set up, and whatever items will bring you joy and dopamine on the daily (be that pictures, colourful stationary or plants!).
Decide what your working hours are and allow yourself a lunch break to do whatever it is that brings you joy and breaks up the day
Ensure to-do lists distinguish from life admin and work admin and allocate specific windows of time to either or so they don’t blend and mean you don’t focus on either properly
Rejection Sensitivity
Working for yourself also means winning business for yourself by putting yourself out there. You are dependent on your own drive and confidence to sell to others in order to earn your livelihood. Unfortunately this will also inevitably lead to times where the answer is no and this feels like rejection.
Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria is now a term that is much more known than it was even just a year ago. It is when someone feels extreme emotional pain from rejection, criticism, or even the possibility of disappointing others. It’s not just being a little upset—it can feel overwhelming, like a deep, intense sadness, embarrassment, or even anger. Not being part of a team can mean that there is no one to talk to when this happens, resulting in a spiral that can make you feel not good enough or even like an imposter.
Additionally when you are your own boss and team mate, any feedback will only be coming from your clients, the people you provide your relevant services to. This means there is no sounding board, no one you can air grievances to or ask for a second opinion (of course you may have a version of this in a partner or friend). This can lead to overthinking any feedback or words used by your clients over and over again.
In order to aid this, it’s important to find people that you can confide in or sense check things with when it comes to these moments. This could either be in the form of a friend who you trust, connecting with other self-employed people in similar fields or having an ADHD coach who can help to rationalise.
Perfectionism
Perfectionism is a trait that is very common in people with ADHD. It’s also referred to as the “Stickler” saboteur. It’s great when it serves your clients, because they are getting an excellent service, but it can also mean overworking and burnout. Not knowing when to stop finishing a task, possibly redoing it over and over again will take more time than it should. It also uses a lot of energy and brainpower to not know when something is complete.
Many ADHDers don’t even start a project, because they are already predicting that they won’t be able to make it perfect so there is no point in starting it at all. They stand in their own way by having these high expectations on their work, these could also lead to delays in the delivery of services to clients which comes with its own repercussions.
However with the right structure, habits and support in place, self-employed ADHDers can truly thrive thanks to the full freedom to be themselves and not mask or feel overwhelmed.
