Targeting the Habits that Limit Your Entrepreneurial Success

Female entrepreneurs with ADHD

The common behavior patterns that get in the way and hold us back from reaching our goals. 

With a keen eye on the unique challenges female entrepreneurs face, especially those with ADHD tendencies, this post offers simple strategies for the six most common behavior patterns that get in our way and hold us back from reaching our goals.  So, let’s name them and tame them, together! 

Battling Distractibility

Distractibility often plagues the entrepreneurial mind, its roots in with our natural curiosity. For the wandering focus and unending task-switching, I prescribe a regimen 

of batching tasks, time blocking, and employing noise-canceling headphones to filter the cacophony of the external world. This helps create zones of undisturbed workflow, critical for those who find their attention easily hijacked by the day's distractions. These strategies may not be new or unique, but before you jump to the conclusion that they won’t work, give them a chance and with practice, you just might surprise yourself. 

Ditching Perfectionism

Perfectionism, the cunning adversary of completion, springs from having high expectations. It is particularly pervasive among women who strive to excel in every aspect of their life. To break the cycle of overrefinement, my advice is to employ the use of empowering affirmations, seek out an accountability partner, and the practical tactic of setting time boundaries using timers, notifications, and other reminders to ensure tasks are brought to completion instead of endlessly being tweaked in the pursuit of unnecessary flawlessness.

Taming Procrastination

Procrastination is not an inherent flaw but a selective response to tasks we perceive as unappealing, complex, or daunting. It's not a mark of laziness, lack of motivation, or intentional self-sabotage.  Tackle productivity by planning tasks ahead, fostering accountability, and building in appropriate incentives for getting things started, as well as getting them done.  Procrastination is very habit-forming and can easily lead to resistance and avoidance, but these strategic moves can help with practice and persistence. 

Curtailing People Pleasing 

People-pleasing behavior is woven into the social fabric of many women's upbringing. To counter this conditioning, I champion the art of boundary-setting and clear, unapologetic communication. It's a learned skill to say 'no' without guilt, but it is one well worth learning.  The benefit is preserving your time and energy for the tasks that align with your vision and contribute to your business growth instead of prioritizing others at your own expense.

Curbing Impulsivity

For entrepreneurs, impulsivity can spark innovation but can also cascade into a series of hasty, regrettable, and stress-inducing actions. I advise my clients to learn to differentiate between fleeting options and genuine opportunities. I also encourage entrepreneurs to foster a leadership style that not only values risk-taking and seizing opportunities but also honoring strategic planning and goals. 

Managing Time Blindness 

Time blindness or as I prefer to say time optimism is a significant hurdle where entrepreneurs tend to underestimate how much time tasks actually take. I like and recommend employing a timer cube for short intervals, and padding schedules with buffer time to prevent the all-too-common entrepreneurial pitfall of lateness and schedule compression.

Whichever behavior habit you decide to start with,  tackle these obstacles one at a time, avoiding the overwhelm that comes with trying to change everything at once. By addressing each obstacle with its corresponding strategy, you build the resilience and self-awareness required to manage and eventually eliminate the habits that stand in your way.

Take the "What's Holding You Back" quiz and receive a tailored series of emails designed to support your entrepreneurial journey. Don't keep this resource to yourself - share it with someone who's ready to get out of their own way and realize their business dreams!

Feel free to DM me on LinkedIn or Instagram @coachdiannwingert or send me an email at diann@diannwingertcoaching.com. I'd love to hear your thoughts! If you'd like to hear the full episode on The Driven Woman Entrepreneur Podcast, you can do that here.