ADHD & Working Memory Challenges Affecting Your Business

How Understanding Your ADHD Strengths and Struggles Builds Better Business Systems

Understanding your ADHD strengths and struggles is the first step toward building systems that work with your brain, not against it.

Unlocking Sustainable Success by Moving Beyond Your Brain's Limitations

If you've ever lost a million-dollar idea somewhere between the shower and your notes app—or found yourself blanking on a client call, unable to juggle all the details thrown your way—welcome to the club.  I’m digging into the neuroscience of working memory, why it's a particular challenge for entrepreneurs with ADHD, and, most importantly, what actually helps. Understanding your ADHD strengths and struggles is the first step toward building systems that work with your brain, not against it.

Let's break down what working memory is, why it matters so much in business, and how you can thrive because of your brain—by building smarter systems, not by relying on unreliable brain power.

What Is Working Memory (and How Is It Different from Short-Term Memory)?

We often hear about "time blindness" in ADHD circles, but working memory flies under the radar—despite being the real culprit behind many daily frustrations. But working memory isn't just about holding information for a short period (like memorizing a phone number); it's your brain's scratch pad, your mental RAM, responsible for actively holding and manipulating bits of information. This represents one of the core ADHD memory challenges that entrepreneurs face daily.

Think about doing math in your head, having a conversation while planning your response, or comparing business scenarios to make a decision. For those with ADHD, it's like running heavy software on outdated hardware—you need 16 gigs of RAM, but have to make do with four.

The Working Memory Deficit & Why Planners Won't Solve It

Research is clear: ADHD brains can hold fewer things at once—and for less time—than neurotypical brains. This isn't about not caring, being lazy, or "just trying harder." It's a hardwired limitation. And since business strategy, client conversations, and project management all demand robust working memory, you hit a bottleneck—one of the key ADHD memory challenges every entrepreneur must address.

So why aren't the endless time management tools, planners, and productivity hacks working? Because no planner can compensate if your brain can't juggle the steps, ideas, and processes in the first place. That's why you forget the steps in onboarding, botch time zone conversions, or lose brilliant ideas between conception and execution. Understanding your ADHD strengths and struggles means recognizing when to stop relying on willpower and start building external systems.

Real-World Scenarios: How Working Memory Sabotages Your Day

It shows up everywhere:

• Client Conversations: Forgetting middle details, blue-screening when it's your turn to synthesize information.

• Time Zones & Scheduling: Losing track when converting times, leading to double bookings.

• Process Drop-Offs: Skipping steps in onboarding or forgetting why you opened that software tab.

• Mental Math Fails: Freezing or undercharging in sales calls because you can't juggle all the numbers and scenarios simultaneously.

• Idea Evaporation: Losing creative ideas before you capture them.

If any of this sounds familiar, you're not alone. The "I have a bad memory" excuse doesn't capture the pattern—and once you see it, you can't unsee it.

The Bad News (and the Good News)

Here's the tough pill: You can't dramatically expand your working memory capacity through ADHD brain training alone. Brain games and apps might help you get better at that particular game, but the benefits rarely transfer to real-world business challenges. Traditional ADHD brain training approaches focus on strengthening the brain, but the evidence shows limited real-world impact.

But don't despair. The real power move is reducing the load on your working memory and building systems that do the heavy lifting for you. As Diann Wingert says, "The goal isn't to fix your brain… It's to build a business that doesn't require you to hold everything in your head in the first place."

Actionable Strategies to Outsmart Your Working Memory

Build External Systems:

• Use voice memos obsessively to capture ideas instantly.

• Write everything down—client notes, tasks, processes.

• Use checklists for multi-step processes, every single time.

• Offload information for others; don't be their external hard drive.

Automate and Template:

• Batch similar tasks to minimize context switching.

• Use templates and SOPs for recurring processes and emails.

• Automate scheduling, reminders, and follow-up wherever possible.

Optimize Your Cognitive Capacity:

• Prioritize sleep, exercise, and stress management—your working memory tanks when these are out of whack.

• If you take ADHD medication, schedule your heavy-thinking work when it's at peak effectiveness.

• Try meditation to increase basic focus and reduce mental noise.

The Hidden Advantage

When you externalize your business systems out of necessity, you actually get a competitive edge: your business is more scalable, reliable, and ready to grow than those that rely on memory. Systems don't forget, get tired, or lose ideas in the shower. This is where understanding your neurodivergent traits as assets rather than deficits transforms your approach.

So, pick one task you've been holding in your head, and externalize it today. Create that checklist, template, or voice memo. Your brain will thank you—and your business will thrive.

For deeper support on building ADHD-friendly business systems, check out my coaching program and explore more of the ADHD-ish podcast.

Your working memory may be limited, but your potential for success isn't.

If you'd like to hear the full episode on the ADHD-ish Podcast, you can do that here.