How to rewire the shame spiral and actually feel your progress.
If you’ve ever looked around and thought, “Everyone else has it together…why am I still stuck?” this one's for you.
That belief might feel true, but for ADHD entrepreneurs, it’s often a trick your brain is playing. Here’s why it happens and what to do about it so you can get your momentum back.
Why Your ADHD Brain Thinks You’re Behind
It’s not just mindset. It’s neurobiology. Here are three reasons ADHD brains struggle to feel progress, even when we’re making it:
1. Time Blindness
Also called decreased temporal awareness, this means your brain struggles to track time.
What happened yesterday? What’s coming next week? It’s all kind of foggy, and that makes it easy to feel like nothing’s moving.
2. Dopamine Dips After Achievements
Most people hit a goal and feel amazing.
ADHD brains? We get a tiny burst of dopamine that fizzles out fast. So even when we achieve something big, it barely registers, making wins feel like “meh” and feeding the belief that we’re still behind.
3. Working Memory Overload
If your brain is a suitcase, it’s always bursting at the seams. That means yesterday’s successes fall out before you can hold onto them.
This overload makes it hard to build on your momentum, because you keep forgetting it exists.
What This Triggers (and Why It’s So Dangerous)
That combo leads to a vicious cycle:
- You discount your wins (“It wasn’t a big deal.”)
- You compare yourself to others (“They’re doing it right. I’m failing.”)
- You push harder instead of pausing (“If I just try more, maybe it’ll work.”)
All of that is like trying to fill a bathtub with the drain wide open. No matter how much you accomplish, it feels like it disappears.
How to Start Rewiring That Pattern
Let’s talk solutions, because you can retrain your brain to register wins and build momentum.
Do a Daily/Weekly/Monthly Check-In
Pick one cadence (or try all three) and ask yourself:
- What did I overcome?
(Even if it was “just” sending that email or showing up.) - What felt most aligned this week?
(Was there a moment when things just clicked?) - What can I celebrate even if it feels small?
(Because your brain will try to minimize it. Call it out anyway.)
Pro tip: Write these answers down or say them out loud. It makes your brain register them instead of brushing them off.
Why This Works
You’re teaching your brain to recognize and bookmark success. When your brain sees progress, momentum builds. And that’s when things start to shift.
Need Help Building That Momentum?
That’s why we created The Reflect, a one-of-a-kind experience designed for ADHD entrepreneurs who are tired of feeling like they’re falling behind.
We don’t just hype you up for one day and send you home. We:
- Guide you through a reflective, ADHD-friendly planning process
- Help you spot the wins and build from them
- Support you for 4 full weeks afterward to cement your momentum
No shame. No overwhelm. Just forward motion.
Final Thought: You’re Probably Not Behind
Your ADHD brain just struggles to see how far you’ve come. That’s not failure. That’s wiring. But with the right tools (and a little momentum) you’ll be amazed how fast everything changes.
Ready to Turn Progress Into Momentum?
At Grow Disrupt, we design experiences that work with your ADHD brain so you can reconnect with your wins, build sustainable momentum, and grow your business without the burnout.
Explore upcoming experiences like The Reflect or check out more ADHD-friendly growth strategies on our blog!