Pruning

Pruning my business:

Is it critical to the survival of it?

Then it's a no.

Can it be done remotely?

Then it's a maybe.

The "lean" approach has me remaining burnout-free and enjoying being able to pause streams that aren't critical without notice.

Focused hustle, rather than scattered hustle, preserves my right to disconnect from my own business as there are no excuses for not resting adequately with a severe disability especially if it's not a dependent or an issue stemming from my own household, I condense my hours.

There is no total recovery from a permanent disability, there is ongoing recovery though.

When I accepted this reality: that it will never be like it was before, I started owning it and loving it.

It is what it is, it's better to love it. 

Flexibility - except for survival-critical meetings requiring being somewhere at a certain time or extremely critical interruptions or context-switching (stemming from my own household) that do require physical presence - is a mental wheelchair I will continue to guard as insomnia buffers matter. Working with my wiring is a no-brainer, why would I do the opposite of what I need in order to remain burnout-free? :)

I get everything done that I need to get done within a day no matter the order itself which is a "different" method for me... because nothing happens if my insomnia isn't managed first.

The way in which ADHD manifests for me (the inattentive type) is managed (not cured, but mitigated) by major flexibility in scheduling work/business and clarity/heavy structure in "scope" so that it never exceeds the warranted hours and rest is guaranteed (no matter the order).

I do 99.9% of my work over email so that it remains undamaged by the ADHD/insomnia, moving the "order" of the systems we work in, rather than making one way superior is the only way to survive the evolving landscape of the world at large as it becomes more neurodiverse daily. 

Functioning against your innate wiring, even if you love what you do, is not sustainable. Now that I understand my wiring, going against it has a cost I am not interested in even if insomnia was not an issue, it's exhausting to live that way and I am seeing why now that I am no longer going against my wiring. 💯 

I need insomnia "buffers" planned out so it does not push aside household obligations or critical work, so the solution is taking on only needle-moving work and creating automations if I can't pause streams. Managing insomnia is a task on its own so the time has to be set aside. 

Putting sleep buffers as a "task" in my schedule has made me realize how little I paid attention to it before. The baseline of sleep, nutrition, and exercise can't be outsourced or replaced if all else flows from it. And it's definitely working to keep me in my "zone" and focused.

None of what I am doing now fades whether or not the burnout recovery period is over, ADHD in my case is a severe disability so I am not loosening any of the guard-rails, I would rather restructure my business more if I ever feel the need to.

It's about working differently, not avoiding working altogether because that's not the answer to barriers (it's about evolving the structures that confine productivity or work to one way of functioning and introducing innate flexibility where and when possible). 

Organized processes enable partially/fully remote teams to work together without needing the same hours (provided the nature of the work allows for this, don't let pointlessly chaotic workflows get in your way: straighten out the steps so they can focus even more and live more and arrive to their life on time).

I don't work with brands who don't "get" that I work 100% on email. I don't work with providers who don't give me flexible time ranges for my appointments. Unless it's a dependent, a funeral, or a medical operation, I operate my life according to my wiring. I rock neurodiversity.

You cannot be “on” or in learning mode 24/7. Brains require breaks and genuine souls will not look down on boundaries between business and personal time, always remember that. Honour your right to mentally disconnect and enforce it, even from your own business. Recharge. 🔋

Removing needless context-switching (anything that isn't needle-moving or survival-level critical) and removing overstimulation/over-scheduling makes daily ADHD recovery sustainable.

Energy is not necessarily limited, but time is definitely limited... so focusing time in the right direction business-wise (as few as possible) actually *expands* momentum and ever since I've been doing that, I got my beloved Forbes feature and my Adobe sponsorship, so it looks like it's working for me. 

Not dispassionate about my business, but very aware that consecutive time to disconnect is not a luxury, it's basic oxygen: I do not want to be bothered on my time off because I require rest and I would not take on any deal that needed this illustrated with crayons.

The more optimally you want to function in your work, the more you value your time for self-care, mental reset, mental disconnect, and recharge time. Neglecting time off with no notifications or interruptions (except for dependents) will impact work quality, so self-care = being responsible and removing mental overstimulation. 

Do I have a bit of shame around stepping back from my business/finding ways to use AI/digitize it all so I can show up 1-to-many in a way that respects my ADHD /time limits? Not anymore. I no longer go near empty, ever. Those who resonate will appreciate what I am able to do.

Digitizing my business 100% allows me to flow better and give online client service to those who buy online plans without cutting into my own resting requirements. If God gave me ADHD, my wiring and way of functioning (albeit not the norm) will resonate with those meant for me.

Those who deserve you do not require explanations on how you protect your peace or why you need quiet time (we get to decide which segments of our lives we deem as "disconnect" time)...  

Genuine people are encouraging of whatever you need to do for your wellness (you being responsible for you is part of protecting your mental recharge time so that you can function for your obligations): they don't weaponize, or personalize your bandwidth limits or time limits. 💙