How to Use AI for ADHD Entrepreneurs: A Complete Guide to Boosting Productivity
Table of Contents
• Understanding AI and Its Different Levels
• The First and Last 10% Problem for ADHD Brains
• Building Custom GPTs and Knowledge Bases
• Creating SOPs Without the Headache
• Data Security and Safe AI Practices
• Choosing the Right Tools and Avoiding Shiny Object Syndrome
• The Future of AI Agents for Business
If you’re an ADHD entrepreneur, you’ve probably felt that familiar struggle of staring at a blank page, knowing exactly what you want to achieve but having absolutely no idea where to start. Or maybe you’re brilliant at getting 90% of the way through a project, only to completely lose steam when it comes to wrapping things up. Sound familiar? Well, you’re not alone, and here’s the thing – AI might just be the game-changer you’ve been looking for.
Understanding AI and Its Different Levels
Let’s be honest – when someone says “AI,” what pops into your head? Probably ChatGPT, right? But here’s where it gets interesting. AI isn’t just one thing, and understanding the different levels can completely change how you use it in your business.
At the most basic level, you’ve got what we call generative AI – that’s your ChatGPT, Claude, or Google Gemini. These are essentially really smart chatbots that can have conversations with you and generate content based on what they’ve learned from massive amounts of data. Think of them as your incredibly knowledgeable assistant who never gets tired of your questions.
Then there are AI agents – and this is where things get really exciting. These are like having specific employees who do one job really, really well. You might have one agent that just books your calls, another that unsubscribes you from spam emails, and another that automatically updates your project management software. They’re not trying to be everything to everyone – they’re specialists.
And here’s something most people don’t realise: many of the tools you’re already using have AI baked right in. ClickUp,https://try.web.clickup.com/w39jhawp289y” rel=”noopener noreferrer” target=”_blank”>ClickUp, Notion, your CRM – they’re all getting smarter, and you might not even know it.
The First and Last 10% Problem for ADHD Brains
Here’s something that’ll probably hit close to home: for people with ADHD, it’s rarely the actual task that’s the problem. It’s the getting started and the finishing up that kills us. You know what I’m talking about – that moment when you need to write a social media post and you just… can’t. Your brain knows what it wants to say, but getting those first words down feels impossible.
This is where AI becomes absolutely brilliant for ADHD entrepreneurs. Instead of sitting there in task paralysis, you can literally say, “Give me five ideas for LinkedIn posts about productivity,” and boom – you’ve got your starting point. The blank page problem? Gone.
But here’s the thing – and this is crucial – you can’t just take whatever AI spits out and use it as-is. Think of AI as giving you the skeleton, and you add the flesh and personality. It’s not doing your thinking for you; it’s giving you something to react to, build on, and make your own.
Building Custom GPTs and Knowledge Bases
Now, if you’ve been using ChatGPT by just opening a new chat every time and asking random questions, you’re missing out on some serious power. Here’s a game-changer: custom GPTs.
Think of a custom GPT as training your own personal assistant who knows everything about your business. You upload documents about how you work, what your brand voice sounds like, your company objectives – basically, you’re creating an AI employee who actually understands your business.
But here’s the catch – you need to treat AI like you’re explaining things to a five-year-old. Seriously. When you hire a human employee, you assume they know basic stuff about business. With AI, you can’t assume anything. You need to spell everything out.
One entrepreneur I know has created separate custom GPTs for different parts of her business – one for problem-solving, one for fundraising bids, one for social media. Each one knows specific things about her company, and when she asks for help, it sounds like her from the first draft.
Creating SOPs Without the Headache
I know, I know – creating Standard Operating Procedures sounds about as fun as watching paint dry when you have ADHD. But here’s a secret weapon: Scribe.
Scribe is this amazing tool that basically watches you do a task and creates a step-by-step guide automatically. You just perform the task normally, and it takes screenshots and creates annotations. At the end, you’ve got a professional-looking SOP without any of the usual ADHD torture of trying to remember and document every step.
Then – and this is the clever bit – you can feed that SOP into ChatGPT and say, “Turn this into a written policy” or “Make this into training materials.” Suddenly, you’ve got all the documentation you need to train AI (or humans) to do tasks the way you want them done.
Data Security and Safe AI Practices
Okay, let’s talk about something that’s genuinely scary – people are feeding their client databases, business secrets, and proprietary information into AI tools without thinking about where that data goes. When you upload something to ChatGPT, that information could potentially become part of what it tells other people.
Here’s what you need to know: different AI tools have different privacy policies. Some keep your data private, others don’t. Before you upload anything sensitive, check the terms of service. And for the love of all that’s holy, don’t upload your client list or confidential business information to public AI tools.
There are solutions though. Some AI tools run locally on your computer (like certain versions of Microsoft Copilot with specific processors), which means your data never leaves your machine. It’s worth investing in understanding these options if you’re handling sensitive information.
Choosing the Right Tools and Avoiding Shiny Object Syndrome
Right, let’s address the elephant in the room – we ADHD entrepreneurs are absolute suckers for shiny new tools. I bet if you looked at your subscription bills right now, you’d find at least three tools you forgot you were paying for. (Don’t worry, we’ve all been there.)
Here’s some tough love: if you’re going to make AI work for your business, you need to pick a core set of tools and stick with them. I’m talking maybe two or three maximum. Choose tools you actually like using, then go deep rather than wide.
The reason most people aren’t getting great results with AI isn’t because the technology isn’t good enough – it’s because they’re spreading their efforts across too many platforms. Every time you switch tools, you’re starting from scratch with training and setup.
Pick your main business tool (maybe it’s ClickUp, maybe it’s Notion, maybe it’s something else), then pick one AI tool to complement it (probably ChatGPT if you’re just starting), and really master those before you even think about adding anything else.
The Future of AI Agents for Business
Here’s where things get really exciting – and a bit scary if you’re not prepared. AI agents are coming, and they’re going to change everything about how small businesses operate.
Imagine having a virtual assistant that actually knows your business inside and out. Not just someone who can answer basic questions, but an AI that can book your appointments, follow up with leads, update your CRM, and even handle basic customer service – all while you sleep.
But here’s the thing – these agents are only as good as the information you give them. They need those SOPs we talked about earlier. They need to understand your business processes. They need boundaries and guardrails so they don’t go rogue and start promising things you can’t deliver.
The businesses that are going to thrive in the next five years are the ones that start building these systems now. Not because they’re trying to replace human creativity and strategy, but because they’re freeing themselves up to focus on the high-value work that only humans can do.
Getting Started: Your Action Plan
So where do you start? First, map out your business on paper. Seriously, get a whiteboard or a piece of paper and draw out your customer journey from first contact to repeat purchase. What are all the steps? Where do things currently get stuck?
Then, look at the tools you’re already using and see what AI capabilities they already have. You might be surprised – your CRM might already have AI for writing emails, your project management tool might have AI for breaking down tasks.
Start small. Pick one repetitive task that drives you crazy and see if AI can help with it. Maybe it’s writing social media posts, maybe it’s drafting emails, maybe it’s creating project briefs. Don’t try to revolutionise your entire business overnight.
And remember – AI is not about replacing your creativity or your strategic thinking. It’s about giving you back the mental energy to focus on the stuff that actually matters. It’s about getting past that blank page so you can do what you do best.
The future is coming whether we’re ready or not. But if you start…