Uncertainty and the freeze response
When an ADHD brain is presented with options, and none of them are clearly the best or right one (or at least the one you’re most excited about), a common response is to just freeze up and do nothing.
Right now, I’ve got a handful of different directions I could take my business…
- I could go all-in on YouTube videos.
- I could consult on Web Components and design systems for clients.
- I could deep-dive into ADHD content.
- I could help animal rescues do more with the web.
All of them are pretty interesting to me. All of them have potential to grow. None of them are clearly “the best” choice.
More days than I’d like over the last few weeks, I’ve spent hours staring at my screen or notebook lost in analysis paralysis, unable to move forward because I can’t decide where to best focus my attention.
What can you do when this happens to you?
- Start working on the first item on the list.
- Listen to the signs your body and the world send you.
As an example, I eventually ended up diving into the animal rescue niche.
I researched a bunch of rescue websites, reached out to friends to see if anyone could put me in touch with Executive Directors, did cold outreach, listened to podcasts, and more.
And very quickly, I learned that…
- Connecting with folks in this industry is hard because they have negative free time and lives are literally on the line.
- Even if improving their websites could help them tremendously, it’s not a priority because other things are more pressing.
- I don’t enjoy “speaking the language” of animal rescue.
No amount of staring at a screen could have told me that. I had to go do a little work to learn it.
When you’re faced with a series of equal choices, just pick one and start.
It doesn’t have to be the right one. It probably won’t be. But you literally cannot know that until you try.
The important thing is to be aware of the signals, and have the comfort to bail quickly once they show up.
Or, if you get lucky, switch on that hyperfocus and go warp speed!