How to Choose the Best Business Project When You Have ADHD
Read Time: 5 Minutes
TL;DR:
ADHD entrepreneurs often struggle with too many ideas and difficulty choosing the right project.
The ALIGN Framework helps evaluate and prioritize ideas based on alignment, impact, obstacles, motivation, and feasibility.
Five key steps: Ask Why, Assess Life Impact, Identify Obstacles, Perform a Gut Check, and Narrow It Down.
Helps ensure projects align with goals, maintain motivation, and avoid burnout.
The ALIGN Framework:
A Step-by-Step Guide to Prioritizing Your Next Project
As a business owner with ADHD, you probably have no shortage of great ideas. Heck, your brain sometimes feels like a nonstop idea factory churning out exciting possibilities faster than you can jot them down. We are natural ideators, after all.
So, how do you decide what project to pursue?
How do you avoid getting stuck in idea mode, paralyzed by possibilities, and instead focus on the project that will move your business forward?
What if a simple framework is the answer?
As a certified project manager with ADHD, I needed a solution for myself and my clients to choose a path with certainty. It’s easy to get stuck in analysis paralysis and procrastinate making your dreams come true. Trust me, this business was stuck in limbo for almost two years - learn from my mistakes!
That’s why I created the ALIGN Framework, designed to help ADHD entrepreneurs like you evaluate your ideas, prioritize what matters most, and choose projects that spark excitement, align with your values, and keep you motivated.
Defining a Project
This framework can be used on anything with a clear start and finish point. When narrowing down a project, consider the specific outcome or deliverable(s).
Examples of projects include:
Launching a website
Creating a course
Setting up software
Developing a digital product
Setting up an online shop
How to Prioritize ADHD-Friendly Business Projects with the ALIGN Framework
In my ADHD-friendly guide to project management (you can get it for free here), I recommend starting this process with a brain dump. Clear out your brain of all the awesome ideas you’re dying to execute for your business.
If you’ve squirreled away a list or maintained a parking lot already, it’s time to dust that off! Run each idea you’re serious about through this process:
Step 1: Find Your Why—The ADHD Entrepreneur’s Guide to Project Clarity
Before you dive into the details, start with the big picture. Why do you want to pursue this project?
Write a short, clear “why” statement to defend your idea. This step is important because if your reason is not compelling, you will struggle to stay motivated when the novelty wears off. This is usually why we quit halfway through.
Try these journal prompts to find your Why:
Would I still want to do this if I didn’t care what others thought?
What inspired this idea in the first place?
What personal values does this project support? (Freedom, creativity, vulnerability?)
Am I doing this because I genuinely want to or because I feel like I should?
What part of me actually wants this? Past, present, or future?
Example: “I offer ADHD-friendly project management because I want to help other women build joyful lives as entrepreneurs.”
Step 2: Will This Project Improve Your Life? Key Questions to Ask
Just because we want something doesn’t mean it’s right for us right now. Before diving into a new project, assessing how it affects your day-to-day life is valuable. Inevitably, some labor will be involved after this project is completed.
Will completing this project free up energy or reduce your stress? Will it do the opposite? Do you have the capacity to follow this through long term? Will it improve your financial situation, work-life balance, or relationships?
Still confused? Ask yourself this:
What problem does this solve for me or my clients?
How does this project align with the life I want to build?
What’s at stake if I don’t follow through with this?
How will completing this project make me feel? (Proud, powerful, relieved?)
Example: “I need to say no to other commitments to protect time for my business. But this project (relaunching) will help me quit my day job in the long term.”
Step 3: Identify ADHD Roadblocks Before They Derail Your Business Goals
Incorporating growth into our busy lives can be challenging, especially if you’re already running a business. Now is the time to be real about your capacity, literally and mentally. Highlighting the things that could get in your way isn’t about being negative; it’s about being prepared.
First, think about what potential roadblocks could come up while executing this project. Do you have the time to dedicate to this (consider if the time you can commit = a completion date you’re content with)? Do you have the funds to cover the expenses, including your “time lost” to project tasks? Do you have the tools and support you need to overcome those challenges?
Example: “I need strategies to stay motivated while I wait for results. I’ll track metrics monthly to celebrate small wins and use body-doubling for accountability.”
Step 4: Gut Check - How to Test Your ADHD Motivation
ADHD brains are fueled by interest, excitement, and novelty, so reaching long-term goals is simply more challenging for us. If you’re not genuinely curious or passionate about a project, sticking with it will be an uphill battle.
By now, you should know:
Are you excited about working on this? (Not just the end result)
Has this interest lasted longer than your typical shiny object phase?
Am I filled with energy when I think about it?
Example: “I’ve been thinking about this business for 2 years. It’s time to make it happen!”
Step 5: Narrow it Down - Simplify Decision-Making with ADHD
Now that you’ve evaluated your ideas, it’s time to choose which one to work on first! When in doubt, ask yourself:
Which project is the easiest to start?
Which aligns most with who I want to become?
What will make the most significant, fastest difference in my life and business?
Final Thoughts:
How to Move From Idea Overload to Action
Choosing a project isn’t about picking the “perfect” idea - it’s about finding the one that aligns with your goals, excites you, and meets your current capacity. With the ALIGN Framework, you’ll have a clear path forward, so you can move from idea overload to meaningful progress.
Want a clear, actionable plan for your next business move? Book a Momentum Call today, and together, we’ll break down your goals into easy, ADHD-friendly steps so you can move forward with clarity and confidence. Let’s make sh*t happen!
