Business-owner procrastination: make one admin task smaller

Admin avoidance is not a diagnosis

ADHD can involve difficulties with organisation, prioritising and task completion. Finding business admin difficult does not, by itself, show that you have ADHD.

If a wider pattern affects your life, consider discussing it with a healthcare professional. This article makes no claims about how common ADHD is among entrepreneurs or how it affects business success.

Source: NIMH: ADHD — what you need to know

An invoice-to-follow-up exercise

This is an optional organisation prompt, not accounting, tax or legal advice. Follow your own records, agreements and professional advice for the invoice itself.

1. Choose one invoice or admin item—not the entire backlog.
2. Prepare a draft with the information you already have.
3. Check it against your records and any advice you rely on.
4. Send it through your normal process when it is ready.
5. Write one appropriate follow-up date and where you will find the record.

Source: NHS: ADHD in adults

Review the process, not your worth

Ask which step was unclear or needed outside help. You can adapt or stop an optional planning exercise. No productivity improvement is guaranteed.

If possible ADHD symptoms affect work or relationships, the NHS advises speaking to a GP. Bring specific examples across your life rather than relying on one unfinished task.

Source: NHS: ADHD in adults

Questions people ask