Sustainable Business Strategy and Anti Planning Guide

Why Taking Inventory Beats Making Goals for ADHD Brains

This year, instead of giving yourself another 'plan your best year ever' worksheet that ends up half-finished, why not try something radically different: an honest inventory of Energy, Money, and Time.

Introduction: Why Traditional Planning Doesn't Fit Everyone

At this time of year, it's hard to miss the avalanche of content urging us to plan, journal, set goals, and envision our dream year ahead. Vision boards, 90-day planners, accountability workshops—everywhere you look, someone has a new system that promises to change everything… if only you could stick to it. Those frameworks may serve other brains well, but for those with ADHD, all that noise can lead to guilt, overwhelm, and a nagging sense of inadequacy. Let me introduce an anti planning approach that actually works.

If this sounds familiar, take heart. This year, instead of giving yourself another "plan your best year ever" worksheet that ends up half-finished, why not try something radically different: an honest inventory of Energy, Money, and Time? No pressure, no judgment. Let's explore why this approach is a game-changer for building a sustainable business strategy.

Why Your Brain Is Smarter Than the Algorithm

There's a reason you might cringe at traditional goal-setting or find yourself side-stepping new planners.  These tools were created for brains that operate consistently—they pick a goal in January and quietly chip away at it all year. Brains with ADHD, however, operate on peaks and valleys of interest and energy. Forcing yourself to fit a mold designed for someone else won't make you more productive. It just makes you feel "like shit." This is where anti planning becomes not just acceptable, but essential.

So before you internalize the guilt or frustration, acknowledge this simple truth: it's not a character flaw. It's a mismatch of systems. By recognizing this, you open space for methods that honor the way your brain actually works and support a sustainable business strategy.

The Three Inventories—Energy, Money, and Time

Forget vision boards or long reflection journals.  This anti planning approach is refreshingly simple: create three lists to reflect on energy, money, and time, and gather real data from your life. This forms the foundation of a sustainable business strategy built for your actual brain.

Energy Inventory: Energy is the true currency for ADHD brains. Ask yourself: What gave me energy this year? Equally important, What drained me—even if it was lucrative or "successful"? Maybe that high-paying client left you depleted. Maybe you procrastinated on certain projects not out of laziness, but because they were fundamentally misaligned. Conversely, notice the activities that felt effortless and even energizing. Record these observations—no judgment, just data. This is the core of the anti planning philosophy.

Money Inventory: It's time for honest self-reflection around income, too. What actually made you money versus what you thought should be profitable? Many entrepreneurs with ADHD spend months perfecting complex offers but are surprised when the simple ones sell or when clients hire them for things not listed on their website. Where did your real revenue come from—referrals, a podcast, a random DM? Calculate your payoff versus effort, and notice where you might be ignoring obvious wins because they seem too simple. This honest assessment is crucial for a sustainable business strategy.

Time Inventory: When are you truly at your best? ADHD brains often have unique performance windows—early mornings, late nights, or during unexpected moments like right before a deadline. Reflect on your ideal environments, those "flow" times, and patterns that emerge. Did your best work happen late at night, in a car, or after a vacation? Rather than forcing yourself to conform to someone else's schedule, design with your natural groove. This approach honors your actual capacity.

The Power of Subtraction

After reviewing your inventories, pause a moment before taking this one bold move: rather than striving to optimize everything, identify what needs to stop. Let go of draining clients, offers you despise, and projects you never started. Subtraction is strategy—when you prune down tasks and commitments that don't serve you, you redirect your energy toward what genuinely works. This may mean less money or fewer clients in the short term, but the payoff is sustainability, resilience, and joy. This anti planning principle is central to building a sustainable business strategy.

Permission to Continue What Works—No Goals Needed

This process is complete with a simple but profound step that embodies anti planning: choose one thing that's working and commit to continuing it into the new year. Not improving it, not scaling it—just sustaining what fits your strengths and fuels you. Whether it's reserving Wednesday mornings for content creation, working only with podcast referrals, or embracing your night owl creativity, carry forward what already aligns with your brain and business. This is the essence of a sustainable business strategy for ADHD entrepreneurs.

Your ADHD Advantage for the Year

The future will arrive whether you have a plan or not. But this year, enter it equipped with self-knowledge about what drains you, what pays you, and when/where you do your best work. That isn't a typical plan—it's an advantage. No guilt, no pressure, no self-shaming. Just your brain, working with you, not against you.

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