Why traditional planning often fails ADHD brains

As we wrap up 2025, it seems like everywhere you look, it's all about reflection journals, vision boards, 90-day planners, and goal-setting frameworks.

If you're feeling absolutely nothing (or, let's be real, maybe a little guilty it's not working for you), I’m right there with you.

So, instead of one more system to make you feel “less than,” I’m serving something totally different—a simple, honest inventory. Just three lists: Energy, Money, Time. Here’s the breakdown:

Energy Inventory

1. What gave you energy this year? What absolutely drained you—even if it was profitable or “successful”?
2. Which tasks, clients, or projects left you jazzed up… and which made you want to flee the building?
3. Notice the patterns. Pattern recognition tends to be a skill that ADHD brains excel at.

Money Inventory

1. What actually made you money, versus what you thought should make you money?
2. Which offers did people really buy? Where did revenue flow in from? What’s gathering dust (subscriptions, courses, tech) in your digital library?
3. If most of your money came from one thing, but you spent all your time on everything else—this is info, not failure.

Time Inventory

1. When did you do your best work? Was it in performance windows that don’t match “normal” business hours?
2. Was your magic at 10 pm in the car, Friday mornings, or after a walk or shower?
3. This is about gathering intelligence, not shaming yourself. Design your days around your actual brain, not someone else’s ideal.

Subtraction is Strategy

Every time I let go of what wasn’t working, the good stuff got even better. So maybe your “stop doing” list is more important than any “to-do” list. Eliminate the clients, offers, or systems that drain you, no matter how much they pay. Permission granted to not start that newsletter, podcast, or YouTube channel you’ve been “planning” for two years.

Final step:

Commit to ONE thing that’s already working and carry it forward. Whether it’s sticking to your creative window or leaning into your night owl energy, just one thing that fits your brain. For me, it’s this podcast.

No pressure, no massive goals, no breakthroughs required. 2026 is happening no matter what. Go in knowing what energizes, pays, and fits your unique brain—and that’s your built-in advantage.

Mic Drop Moment:

“We're great at building these complex offers that we think people want. We spend months perfecting the positioning, creating the fancy framework, building out the whole fricking thing. And then we're genuinely shocked when that simple little thing we threw together in an afternoon is the one that actually makes more money.”

About the Host:

Diann Wingert (she/her) is a seasoned coach, consultant, and the creator/host of ADHD-ish. Drawing from her many years of experience as a former psychotherapist, business owner, and someone who thinks "outside the box," Diann is known for her straight-talking, no-nonsense approach to the intersection of neurodiversity and business ownership.

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Have you been enjoying ADHD-ish in 2025? Leave a review and let Diann know what resonated, challenged, or inspired you. Your feedback helps ADHD-ish reach more listeners who need to hear more honest conversations about being a neurodivergent entrepreneur.

© 2025 ADHD-ish Podcast. Intro music by Ishan Dincer / Melody Loops / Outro music by Vladimir / Bobi Music / All rights reserved.