This is the time of year when every business book, coach, and podcast starts telling you the same thing: “You should be planning next year.” Now, usually I hate the word should. (It carries pressure, guilt, and a side order of shame — I’ve written about that here.) But… in this case? They’ve got a point.
If you want your business to grow, evolve, or just feel easier next year, you do need a plan. It’s like saying you want to visit the Outer Hebrides and then just… hoping you’ll wake up there one morning. Lovely idea, but without planning the route — ferries, flights, timings, logistics — it’s not going to happen.
Your business is no different. Planning isn’t a “should” — it’s a must-do.
But here’s the thing, I know that…
🧠 Planning can feel incredibly hard for an ADHD brain
🧠 Getting started can be even harder
🧠 And getting stuck in procrastiplanning (all planning, no doing) is VERY easy!
This guide tackles the planning part— and we’ll tackle “starting and keeping going” very soon.
✅ 1. Start with a Brain Dump (Get Everything Out of Your Head)
Before you plan anything, you need visibility.
ADHD working memory is a nightmare for holding multiple things at once — so get everything out. Externalise the ideas and allow your brain to process them.
All ideas, goals, half-projects, “should I…?” thoughts → out of your head and onto a surface.
✅ 2. Group Your Ideas Into Themes
Once everything is visible, group it. It removes chaos and reveals patterns:
- Revenue / income goals
- Offers & services
- Systems & operations
- Marketing & content
- Client experience
- Professional development
- Lifestyle goals
- “Fun but later” ideas
You can’t prioritise until things are categorised. And don’t forget to have a “Park” list – not everything needs to be or should be actioned right now (and some ideas shouldn’t see the light of day).
✅ 3. Choose the Right Priorities (Not All Priorities Are Equal)
This is the part where ADHD brains get stuck. We want the interesting things and can lose sight of the actual priorities.
Here’s where we apply a little structure:
Ask yourself:
- What would have the biggest impact on my income or ease next year?
- What supports my wellbeing?
- What aligns with my long-term direction?
- What sounds exciting but isn’t strategic (yet)?
You want 3–5 true priorities, not a 47-item plan.
Everything else → “Not Now, Not Forgotten.” (A great time to use your “Park” list)
✅ 4. Use Quarterly Blocks Instead of a Full Year
You have an overarching 12 month goal, great, but let’s break that down. This will reduce the overwhelm, make things feel more achievable and bring in the oh so important deadlines throughout the 12 months so we don’t leave everything until month 11.
🕊 Jan–Mar → Foundations & Clarity
Set yourself up: confirm goals, tidy offers, reset systems, re-establish routines.
📣 Apr–Jun → Visibility & Growth
Your “outward” quarter: marketing, launches, networking, collaborations.
⚙️ Jul–Sep → Consolidation & Delivery
Keep things steady: deliver what you’ve sold, refine systems, review mid-year, clear backlog.
🪞 Oct–Dec → Reflection & Refinement
A gentle finish: close out essentials, reflect on the year, refine offers, prep for next year without burning out.
It gives structure without trapping you.
✅ 5. Make Your Plan Visual
Out of sight = out of mind.
Let’s get out of your head and keep it top of your mind throughout the year.
In sight = in progress.
Use what works for you whether that’s:
- Whiteboards
- Kanban boards
- Post-its
- Wall planners
- Trello/Notion dashboards
- Colour coding
- Progress bars
Create visible anchors and track your progress, remembering to celebrate those milestones (however big or small) as you reach them.
✅ 6. Pick ONE Planning Tool
Pick one that works for you. It doesn’t need to be hi-tech; it doesn’t need to be all singing and all dancing; it needs to work for you and your planning needs.
If a digital tool is your preference, maybe Trello, Asana or Notion are for you. If you want something simple, Google Sheets or Excel can do the job. Alternatively go “old school” with a physical solution like a paper diary or a wall planner.
Pick one primary planning home and stick with it.
Your brain will thank you for the consistency.
✅ 7. Identify Barriers Before They Trip You Up
Instead of pretending you’ll be a perfect human in 2026 (spoiler: none of us will), ask yourself:
- What usually derails me?
- Where do I lose momentum?
- What support do I actually need?
- What tasks drain me?
- What makes me shut down?
As Dr Ari Tuckman says, plan for your worst days. What catches you out? What are your worst habits? Make your plans fit around those, and you’ll be onto a winner.
Planning isn’t just what you’ll do — it’s how you’ll support yourself while doing it.
Once you’ve worked through these steps, take a breather — and then talk it out.
ADHD brains work well when we allow some verbal processing – talking things out loud.
It helps us reflect and give real clarity to our plans.
Talking it out, externalising that internal monologue, aids decision making too.
So before you lock in your 2026 plan, talk it through with someone unbiased — someone who can sense-check your priorities, keep you grounded, and help you see the difference between “this actually matters” and “this just feels urgent.”
Choose the person carefully.
If someone is going to say “just ignore it” or “don’t worry about it,” that’s not helpful for an ADHD brain.
Find someone who gets it.
If this feels like a lot — you don’t need to do it alone.
Let’s chat and create a simple, ADHD-friendly 90-day plan to kick off 2026 with clarity, direction, and momentum.
You bring the ideas; I’ll help you shape them into a plan that actually works for your brain.