Flexible Planning for Leaders with ADHD: Thriving on Your Terms

0:00 Welcome to Refined Leadership ADHD Lens with Kathy Rashidian. Discover how to refine your leadership through the lens of ADHD. Whether you're advancing toward a promotion or redefining your professional approach, you're in the right place. Join our community for tailored insights that elevate your leadership. Let's dive in. Welcome back to part two of this two-part series with Coach Kathy. If you've tuned in to our last episode, you know we set the groundwork for leaders and professionals with ADHD who might feel stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure about their next steps in their career. We explored how creating a professional mission statement and setting meaningful vision and mission goals can transform the way you approach decision making, boundary setting, building self-esteem.

0:53 More importantly, we talked about how these strategies can help you gain clarity. Stay motivated, and feel aligned in your career and life direction. So today, we're building on that foundation. We're taking those ideas and digging deeper, equipping you with actionable steps to not just clarify your goals and pathway forward, but also sustain progress and keep moving, even when ADHD challenges show up. It's not just about dreaming big. It's about making steady progress that ties back to our purpose. Without this, our minds default to survival mode.

1:38 We spiral into overthinking, chasing tasks that don't serve us, and staying stuck on that endless hamster wheel of reactivity. Sounds familiar? It's exhausting. But here's the thing. To escape that cycle, we don't just need a plan. We need the right kind of plan. One that honors our unique wiring while creating the space to thrive and not just survive. Planning isn't about rigidity or perfection. It's about creating a system that gives us focus and freedom at the same time.

2:19 And today, my hope is to show you exactly how to do that. In this episode, we'll explore why planning and execution are key to unlocking your potential, but not just in a one-size-fit-all approach. I'll walk you through practical ideas, customizable strategies, and most importantly, a mindset shift that could be the game changer for you. Are you ready to move from chaos to clarity? Great! Then we'll start by taking a quick inventory of where you are right now when it comes to planning. It's time to pause, reflect, and figure out your starting point before we map out where you're headed. Let's do this together.

3:05 First, I want you to ask yourself, how do you currently approach planning? Are you someone who wings it, keeping all your to-dos in your head and improvising as you go? Or maybe you lean into planning but often get stuck on execution and overwhelmed by how much there is to do. And then there's those who just have it all together. But do they? And do they really exist? I say this because last time I checked, we lived in a world of constant change. And that change is always there. No amount of planning can be perfect.

3:48 But their secret, that group's secret, is that they have built in contingencies in their plan to be flexible for the unexpected interruptions. So be honest with yourself here. This is not about judgment, it's about awareness. Wherever you are right now is simply your starting point. Once you know your habit and tendencies of planning, you can craft a system that works for you. And here's the thing, I give you no permission to choose the perfect system or to create your forever system because my friends there is no such thing as the forever system often I hear in my coaching practice that my clients want the system that works for them for execution for planning for time management and my response to them always is if I had that I'd be a billionaire by now because there isn't such a system.

4:51 The ADHD mind is so creative and always wants change and so what we want to create is a planning system that is flexible, that is adjustable at any time. Remember those times when uncertainty kicks in? That's when we want to pivot. So I want you to listen to this episode with an open mind and really listen through the lens of how can I make this my own? And that permission that you're building a system for now, for this moment in time that you're in. And six months from now, you may rejig it again. Heck, a week from now, you may rejig the system.

5:33 All right, back to the core of this episode. One of the biggest misconceptions about planning is that it has to be perfect. And perfectionism can be especially tough for those ADHD minds because there's that pull to get everything just right. Here's the truth though. Life is messy. No matter how detailed your plan is, unexpected things will pop up. And you know what? That's totally okay. The best plans aren't rigid. They're adaptable. Think of them like a GPS. The destination is clear, but there are multiple routes to get there.

6:14 For example, imagine planning your week and scheduling time to tackle a big project on Tuesday. Then Tuesday rolls around and you wake up with a migraine or an unexpected client issue comes up. Instead of labeling the day a failure, ask yourself, what's my recalculation here? Maybe that means shifting the project to Wednesday or breaking it into smaller pieces so you can manage across several days. Flexibility allows you to keep moving forward without burning out or throwing in the towel. Here's something I learned the hard way. If you focus solely on outcomes, You're setting yourself up for frustration, my friend. When I lived in performance-orientated world, I was chasing recognition and external validation.

7:05 I was after the doing, not the being. I worked long hours, harder and faster than anyone else, convinced it would lead to great success. And yes, it did. But it also led to burnout and some serious health scares in my mid-30s. The shift to a mastery orientation saved me. With mastery orientation, the focus isn't on external results, but on internal growth. Instead of obsessing over crossing the finish line, you start enjoying the process of becoming better along the way.

7:48 Stay with me here. Let me give you an example. Instead of thinking I need to get through the presentation flawlessly, try shifting to how can I learn to better connect with my audience while presenting. Mastery approach means progress over perfection. Every mistake, it's just another learning experience. Every step you take builds your confidence one break at a time. This mindset is a game changer. Speaking of game changing, I want to share a tool that I've been using in my professional life and also with my clients and also inside our quantum thinkers community with the professionals that are our members.

8:34 It's called the Matter Framework. I learned this framework back in the day in my coach training at ADD Coach Academy. And I love this framework. It works so well for my brain. It's a way to take all these ideas and make them actionable. So remember last episode, you did your plan, your mission, vision, all of that good stuff. So now here's a quick way to break it down. And here's how it goes. MATTER framework stands for Milestones, Attitude, Tasks, Team, Evaluation, and Revision. So let's break each one down. Milestones, it's about picking a small, clear benchmark to track against.

9:19 For instance, if your goal is to improve public speaking, a milestone might be delivering one presentation at a time this month in a team meeting. Now, the next piece, A, for attitude, this is about mindset. Mindset is everything. Celebrate effort, not just outcomes. Acknowledge the progress you've made, even if it's just a single step forward. T is for tasks. Break your goals down into manageable chunks. Instead of write a book, try write 500 words a day for the next week.

9:59 And when we say manageable chunks, if this is new to you, if planning you want to revise, I start doing planning one week at a time, three days at a time. I don't, when I'm in extreme overwhelm, I don't go into planning for the month ahead. I really get a little bit closer to two days ahead, three days ahead, one week ahead. And that is totally okay. And that is breaking things down into manageable chunks. All right, the next T is team. And this is, you know, by now, if you've listened to me speak anywhere, I always say don't do ADHD alone.

10:39 So I say to you, don't do planning alone. Who can support you with this? Maybe it's a mentor, a peer, or a coach, or somebody who keeps you accountable and move you forward. And also others that contribute into the project that you're working on. Oftentimes, we like to do everything ourselves. And believe me, that doesn't work very well in the long run. So really identifying a support team that you can lean on is a game changer as well. Now, E is evaluation. And in this case, check in regularly. Write what's working, what's not working. Adjust your approach instead of abandoning it altogether.

11:24 Remember what I said about the system doesn't have to be your forever system or your planning forever doesn't have to be it. It can be modified. It can be adjusted so that you don't get attached to it. The data out there gives you more information to how to adjust, and this is important to really sit back and reflect on adjustments. And last but not least, the R of Matter Framework is revision. Be prepared to tweak your plan as needed. Remember, flexibility is your superpower, is to see it from different perspectives, different ways of approaching. The beauty of this framework is how customizable it is. It's designed to guide you without confining you, letting you build a strategy that fits your unique needs.

12:17 So the framework at a high level is milestones, attitude, tasks, team, evaluation and revision. And in each of those, you can address it in whichever way you want to. So let me give you a case study of how Jennifer, one of our clients, has used the framework. I'd like to introduce you to Jennifer, a product manager at a tech company tasked with launching a new product in four months. Overwhelmed by the scope of the project and her ADHD tendencies to hyper-focus on details, Jennifer decides to take a mastery-orientated approach using the matter framework.

13:01 And remember, by mastery, what we meant is to be in the process and not attached to the outcome that she has four months to deliver a project. So here's how it goes. The way she applied the framework. In the milestone section, Jennifer breaks her big goal into phases, Finalizing the design, creating the marketing plan, testing the product and launching it. Instead of aiming for perfection, she focuses on steady progress, using each milestone as an opportunity to improve. The next piece of the framework, which was A for attitude, Jennifer adopted a mastery-orientated mindset.

13:46 Jennifer let go of chasing flawless results. When receiving critical feedback about the product design, she reframes it as a chance to grow and deliver something better. She celebrates her effort, like completing a task rather than fixating on the 20 other tasks that are still due. Under tasks t for tasks jennifer turns her milestones into small manageable to-dos so remember in the beginning the milestones are higher level and the tasks are the sub to-do lists if you will that go under that so for example for the testing phase she lists tasks like scheduling beta tests gathering feedback analyzing results by tackling one task at a time she keeps a momentum going. She keeps it steady.

14:41 She keeps the eye on the target versus overwhelming her with all the other milestones that also need to be addressed. For team, Jennifer leans into her team for support. She collaborates with the marketing for messaging and relies on her developers for refining the product. Delegating effectively helps her focus on pieces where she adds the most value. I cannot emphasize this enough on the delegating part and really leaning into the team. You'd be amazed how people would want to support you and see you succeed. E for evaluation. Every two weeks, Jennifer reviews the progress against her milestones.

15:24 When beta testing reveals a bug, she calmly re-evaluates and revises her timelines, shifting focus to debugging without derailing the project. And finally, in revision section of the framework, she adapts her plan as needed, viewing each change as part of the process. She treats pivots not as setbacks, but an opportunity to refine her approach and improve the launch strategy. You see, by focusing on progress out of perfection, Jennifer stayed motivated and flexible.

16:07 The Matter Framework keeps her organized while reinforcing a growth-oriented mindset. Each step, large or small, moves her closer to a successful product launch and a deeper professional growth. Jennifer's story is a reminder that mastery isn't about flawless execution or sticking to a perfect project plan. But it's about continual improvement. With tools like the Matter Framework, Mastery Orientation, you can take on goals in a way that is structured but adaptable, helping you stay focused and centered.

16:49 How might you start shifting your own approach to align to this mindset of mastery and incorporating the Matter Framework? All right, let's recap this. At its core, mastery orientation is about shifting your focus away from the pressure of perfection and toward the power of progress. You see, ADHD minds love a good stressful situation. They actually thrive in it. But what if we started to unlearn that? Because over time, that's exhausting.

17:31 That creates burnout. Now, when we put mastery mindset that prioritizes learning, growth, and adaptability over the drama, the constant hustle of execution, we're able to see that there are different ways that we can do planning and be flexible. And we're able to show up in the process and not just be attached to the outcome, but really enjoy every step of the way and have fun with it. Within the matter framework, this mindset serves as the foundation. It reminds you to celebrate your effort, lean into challenges, and view setbacks as a stepping stone rather than a roadblock.

18:17 The master orientation encourages you to ask, what can I learn here? What's the opportunity? How can I move forward, even if it's just one small step? I almost wanted to call this podcast episode Mindful Way of Project Planning, if you will. Because underneath of all of this, doesn't it sound like mindfulness to you? Whether you're tackling your big project, navigating personal goals, or building routines that stick, adapting to this mindset allows you to thrive. Not because you're perfect, but because you're committed to growth.

18:59 And that commitment is what transforms how you plan, prioritize, and ultimately create a career that feels meaningful and manageable. And who wouldn't want that? All right, we just covered a lot of ground and I went all philosophical on you. Sorry, not sorry. But we talked about how understanding your current habits can set the foundation for change. So here's an action step for you. Take five minutes to reflect and write down where you are right now when it comes to planning. Do you wing it? Do you over plan and get stuck?

19:41 Or are you somewhere in between? This awareness will be your jumping off point as we continue building on your personalized roadmap. Remember, this isn't about perfect. It's progress. You're not just learning to plan better, you're learning to live better one step at a time. Celebrate each win, no matter how small, and keep your focus on the bigger picture, building a life that lets you thrive. If today's insights sparked something in you, I'd like to personally invite you to the Quantum Thinkers ADHD community. This private, growth-focused space is designed for leaders like you with ADHD who want to refine their skills, deepen their self-awareness, and lead with confidence, all through the ADHD-friendly lens.

20:39 Inside, you'll unpack strategies like the Matter Framework. We explore mastery-orientated approaches and connect with others who understand your unique leadership journey. Quantum Thinkers is a space for learning, sharing, and celebrating progress, no matter how big or small. Remember, you don't have to do ADHD alone. Let's take the next step together. So until next time, my friends, keep on shining and keep on leading with integrity.