The overwhelm of too many todos
With ADHD, it always comes down to RAM.
You know how when you have too many apps open on an older computer, the hourglass or pinwheel pops up a lot? ADHD brains are like that, too.
Tons of storage. Very little working memory.
For years, I was nearly singularly focused on my web dev education business. But when the tech market shifted and that wasn’t paying the bills anymore, I had to expand.
I start consulting. I got to work with some really cool clients, and it made up for the revenue lost from decline course sales. But consulting is exhausting, and I don’t enjoy it the way I do creating courses.
So I started ADHD ftw!, and it’s doing really well!
But my dev education business grew to a full-time income over a decade. My ADHD courses have existed for less than a year. My audience here is still small. It’s not enough. So I started exploring coaching and other, higher-priced offerings to bridge that gap.
You can probably see where this is going!
I’m now running quite a few “apps” in my brain. And it hurts my ability to think creatively, regulate my energy, and do my best work. And that’s just work! I have a life outside of dev, too!
You may find yourself in a similar situation at some point. You may have been there before. You may be here now!
So what can you do about it? Simple. Quit some apps.
I’ve decided to focus exclusively on courses and education. It’s where I do my best work. I love coaching folks, but I hate the process of finding clients, onboarding, the emotional management, and having to be “on” so that they get the most value for their money. Same thing with consulting.
I’ve reduced my mental apps to the Lean Web Club, ADHD ftw! courses… and one more thing. But that’s a story for another day.