Why ADHD IS Wreaking Havoc On Your Life and Business, and What To Do About It
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Part of the series "Living and Working Better"

As career coach (and former therapist), I've worked with hundreds of professionals who've shared the intimate details of how they live and work, day by day. In these vibrant and detailed descriptions, I can often catch glimpses of how they are operating that they cannot themselves see. For example, I can detect the signs of ADHD in adults who have been "diagnosed" or labelled as other things (often negative and demeaning) by authority figures and family members, including words like "disorganized, distractible, confused, procrastinating, lazy, hyper, impossible, chaotic, 'all over the place,' and lacking commitment." Their challenges with focus have often been grossly misunderstood.

This month, I was excited to connect with Dave Crenshaw, who not only was diagnosed with extreme Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), but has leveraged and refined his natural tendencies and abilities to become a master at helping business owners triumph over chaos. As an author, speaker, and business coach, Dave has helped transform thousands of businesses worldwide. In fact, Dave's Time Management Fundamentals on Lynda.com is considered a definitive course for managing time, avoiding the pitfalls of multitasking, understanding the principles of productivity and making time management easy. Seth Godin has said about Dave's methods, "We live in an ADHD world. And I'm glad we do. But as Dave understands, the secret is to do one important thing at a time, with focus. If you can take the time to focus on his message, you'll be glad you did."

Here's what Dave shares about his own ADHD and what he's learned in terms of time management and focus:

Kathy Caprino: How did being diagnosed as "off the charts" ADHD affect your life and work?

Dave Crenshaw: The day my wife said those two magic words, "I?m pregnant," I knew drastic changes had to be made. I could no longer jump around from career to career like I had been doing. I had been everything from a business coach - which is where I started and what I'm doing now - to a sales executive, to a high school educator. I even tried to be a rock star for a few years while my wife supported me! On top of bouncing from career to career, I was extremely disorganized, with a workspace that more closely resembled a trash can than a functional office.

But when I found out I was going to be a father, I went to see a psychologist and shared my worries about the way I was operating. He gave me a test, looked at my answers and said "Hmmm, interesting. Let's be certain." So he gave me a second test and after reviewing it for a while looked at me and asked, "has anyone ever talked to you about ADHD?" My response was an adamant "That isn't me - that doesn't apply to me!" He added that, statistically speaking, if there were a fifth standard deviation, I would be in it.

Receiving the ADHD diagnosis changed my world in a positive way. At last, I had something to work on. I had a very clear target, rather than being told I was just a creative person and being all over the place is what creative people do. I recognized this was both a blessing and a challenge. I leaned on my original training as a business coach in systems and how important it is for small businesses to have systems in order to deliver consistent results to customers. For me to get consistent results as a human being, I also needed to have systems.

There were a lot of time management and organization training programs available, yet I found they were not adapted to one of the most inherently disorganized people in the world - which was me. They certainly weren't tailored to the needs of entrepreneurs who, as a group, are some of the most inherently disorganized people. That's when I put together my time management program to help myself and my clients get control of their time and get organized and focused.

Caprino: Why do you feel that chaos is the biggest obstacle to business and career growth?

Crenshaw: First, let me clarify that chaos, by my definition, is the haphazard allocation of resources toward things of variable value. You frequently see that in an organization when people are working hard - and occasionally they're working smart - but, they're allocating their resources of time and money all over the place. This is why people trick themselves into feeling successful while in the midst of chaos. They interpret the occasional "good" result as an indication that they are working the right way. In fact, it's just another indicator that chaos rules the day.

Chaos creates a roller coaster ride, one which many organizations fail to survive. Chaos can also lead to business failure because it causes an "all over the place" expenditure of energy, time, and money. It doesn't result in an immediate death - few businesses fail overnight. What most often happens is that they slowly work themselves to the point of failure.

The all-too-common example of this are businesses that sell themselves into bankruptcy. They emphasize the top line and they sell, sell, sell. Yet if they're selling things that aren't profitable, the bottom line continues to bleed money for every item that they sell. This is chaos incarnate. No one took the time to focus strategically on what to sell, how to sell it, or how to deliver it profitably. They just ran with it?an entrepreneurial lemming diving off of a cliff.

Caprino: What do you teach adults with ADHD (and small business owners in general) on how to turn chaos into focus?

Crenshaw: Focus, by my definition, is similar to chaos, but the differences are critical. Focus is the strategic allocation of resources toward that which is of most value. In other words, when we work, we work only on things that have the best payoff in terms of time, money, and well-being. Focus leads to consistent, steady growth.

When I received the ADHD diagnosis, my initial reaction was not to let people know my struggle for fear they would think less of me. But, I found the opposite to be true. The more I have been willing to let people see my weaknesses and idiosyncrasies, the more successful I've become.

When I created the Time Management Fundamentals program, I received a lot of positive feedback not only about the course, but about exposing my history and struggles. People commented that it gave them hope knowing that if I can be successful in turning chaos into focus, that they can too.

Start with yourself first. The business is the mirror of its leadership. Begin by developing personal focus, and that personal transformation will impact a small business in big ways.

Caprino: What's the one biggest challenge that small business owners face with regard to organization?

Crenshaw: The biggest challenge is focus, especially as it relates to the use of time. I often say time management is dead; in our day the true struggle is focus management.

Small business owners suffer from opportunity addiction - they see bright and shiny opportunities around every corner. Potential clients, potential side jobs, potential add-ons - the list goes on and on! The allure of it all can be intoxicating. Yet, the businesses that make the leap from being small to medium are the ones that stay the course and are consistent for seven to ten years.

#1 They focus on their Most Valuable Business. Rather than pursuing multiple ventures at once, focus on the one thing that is bringing the most profit to you until that business reaches the point of mastery. By master, I mean that it runs without you having to do really anything.

#2 They focus on their Most Valuable Line. Choose one most profitable product or service and learn to sell the heck out it before you start diversifying into other products and services. Don't try to become the "one-stop shop." Amazon focused on books first, before they began the process of diversification.

#3 They use a "Perhaps" list. One of your strengths may be idea generation. Yet this can also be a weakness and distraction if it pulls you away from working on what is most valuable right now. Keep a "perhaps" list of what you might do at some point. Review that list on a quarterly basis. They may be viable business ideas after you take your business to the point of mastery.

Caprino: How does working with someone who is inherently chaotic differ from those who are not?

Crenshaw: In brief, highly chaotic people have a greater need for simplicity. Those who aren't challenged with chaos - I call them Focus Masters - have a high tolerance for complex systems. But Chaos Masters like myself instinctively know that unless a system is brainless and automatic, they are unlikely to follow it.

The irony of this statement is that in the 21-st century information-saturated world, there are few true Focus Masters left. Based on field experience, I estimate about 2%. This means that the remaining 98% are now so chaotic that almost all require simple, effortless solutions to get on top of it all.

Caprino: Dave, finally, what is your best advice for adults today who feel disorganized and unfocused, and unable to reach their potential, regarding an increased understanding of ADHD as it might relate to them?

Crenshaw: If you think you have ADHD, first make sure you have diagnoses from both a licensed psychiatrist and clinical psychologist. They each serve different roles, and I'm a big fan of the tandem of the two. Please do not rely on a general practitioner to diagnose or give you drugs, as this can lead to significant problems. Many psychological issues resemble ADHD in a few ways, and it's easy to get a dangerously incorrect diagnosis.

After diagnosis, I recommend you work with a trusted, referred psychologist and see if you can get positive results with lifestyle changes and cognitive behavioral therapy. Make a long-term commitment to meet regularly, not just here and there. Find someone who helps you grow, and then meet no less than two times per month.

Sleep, exercise, diet and other life changes can make a huge difference for most. My Time Management Fundamentals course has organizationally helped many people who have the ADHD diagnosis, among others. That's a great place to begin making some important lifestyle changes. You may also find Ed Hallowell's book, Delivered from Distraction, to be helpful.

If lifestyle changes and therapy are not enough to get you functional, meaning your relationships, career, and personal life are still damaged or badly imbalanced, then I recommend you take the next step and seek out the medical help only a psychiatrist can provide. They are doctors. They can provide you with a more consistent regimen of physiological help, including drugs and regular blood testing. There is no shame at all in this: the brain is an organ, and just as one would take heart medicine for a heart condition, medicine may be necessary to help your brain function in a healthy way.

The good news: No matter what your challenge, you can leverage the growth that comes from your personal struggle and turn it into your greatest strength. I've experienced it in my own life, and seen it countless times in the careers and lives of others.

To learn more about Dave Crenshaw and his work, visit www.davecrenshaw.com.

Click here to read the original article on Forbes.