As the year comes to a close, the nights are getting darker. The plethora of colour on the trees lights up the landscape as the leaves float away, and we prepare to hibernate with a steaming cup of frothy hot chocolate.
It’s a perfect time for introspection and reflection, obviously! What has gone well, and what are our hopes and dreams for the coming year?
Goal setting is an important part of running a business—to stay focused and on purpose with your mission and values, and also to simply check in. Are you still in one piece after an undoubtedly busy year on the entrepreneurial journey?
Work/life balance can be a challenge when running your own show, especially if you are neurodiverse, with lots of big ideas and not enough time to make them happen.
Below, I share some advice and tips I use with my clients to set tangible, feel-good goals that improve focus and keep them on track.
Goal Setting – Step 1
Stop / Start / Continue
The first piece of advice I give clients is to reflect using the Stop / Start / Continue framework.
Originally created as a business tool by psychology professor Phil Daniels at Bingham University, it’s as simple as it sounds:
- Write a list of what you want to stop doing
- Write a list of what you want to start doing
- Write a list of what you want to continue doing
This exercise is very useful in quickly identifying areas that aren’t working. It can also be quite cathartic when you are able to simply stop.
The most important part is to really question yourself:
“Do I really need to do this? What would happen if I simply stopped?”
If the impact is small, it’s safe to stop. If not, create a goal to ‘stop’ with a roadmap to get you there.
Goal Setting – Step 2
Time-Stamp Your Wins and Have a ‘Go Me’ Party!
We live in a world where we focus on what is not going well or what we are not good at.
As children in school, we focus on our weaknesses and are much more aware of them than our strengths. These early habits can create self-limiting beliefs that carry into adulthood. This is particularly true for many in the neurodiverse community, where the traditional school system does not provide an optimal learning environment.
I encourage clients to write a list of wins. Ask yourself:
- What were the best moments this year?
- Look through your photos and calendar and remind yourself. You will find magic in there that you most likely completely forgot about.
In the busyness of doing, we often forget these moments and focus instead on what we’re not good at—or where we failed. Celebrate those wins!
If you struggle to identify your strengths, ask a friend or family member for help. Then write them down and stick the list somewhere very visible near your desk! A fantastic resource is Gallup’s StrengthsFinder 2.0. It’s a practical guide with helpful tips and action plans. I read it in a hyper-focused couple of hours over a decade ago, and it’s still one of my go-to reference books today.
Sycamore Edit – There are a few free versions online that we found, too!
Goal Setting – Step 3
Call in the Screentime Police: Audit Your Day
Time is a big challenge in today’s chaotic world. We carry mini-computers in our pockets, which creates a great dichotomy:
- On one hand, there is a ton of super useful stuff we can do online while out and about: paying bills, taking a train ride, phoning a friend—the list is endless.
- For neurodiverse folk, screens offer alternative communication options and apps that support daily functioning, reduce sensory overload, and lower anxiety.
But there’s a catch: if you are neurodiverse, you may be more prone to overuse, addiction, blue-light sensitivity, and disrupted sleep—not to mention the havoc social media can play on us sensitive souls. These things can be major time thieves.
So here’s my advice:
- Audit your week – On screen and off, some wasted moments could be hiding in plain sight during those daytime hours.
- Check your screen-time hours (most phones tell you where your time is going).
- Create boundaries and be honest with yourself.
Ask yourself,
- Could I spend more time on hobbies, walks, or dancing with my dog if I chucked my phone down the loo?
- Does your phone really need to go to bed with you? And for a poo? Seriously?
My point isn’t to make you feel bad—trust me, I’ve been there, and I still grapple with finding balance with my ADHD brain. But here’s the thing: become your own screen-time detective. Figure out how many hours a week you could reclaim by giving up the doom scroll. Then, once you see the potential time savings, make the choice. Knowledge is king!
Goal Setting – Next Steps
Woo Hoo! Now It’s Time to Plan
You’ve:
- Made a Stop/Start/Continue list
- Had a ‘Go Me’ party
- Set Screen time boundaries to create more space for balance and harmony
What next? Plan, plan, plan!
No business plan? Me no likey!
Anyone who has worked with me knows that I am pretty obsessed with strategic planning and creating a compelling, purpose-driven business plan with clear goals and objectives. So take your Stop/Start/Continue list and get writing that plan.
I come from a background in consumer-branded businesses, where I led the business planning cycle for multiple brands in a large global matrix organisation. And let me tell you—the principles are the same at every level. You create a plan, stuff happens, the plan changes… but what comes next?
Go back to the plan. Remind yourself why you started.
What made you say, “Screw it, I want to create this business. I want to make an impact. I want change.”
Reconnect with your why. Revisit what you promised yourself you’d do to build your brand presence and grow your bottom line.
For neurodiverse business owners, this isn’t just about strategy. A well-thought-out business plan acts as a neurodiverse-friendly framework: it helps maintain focus, reduces overwhelm, and keeps you on track when things get busy. Taking a moment to review your plan, take stock, and reconnect with your purpose supercharges your passion, ambition, and drive to keep going – and winning as you do.
Ready to Set Goals That Work With Your Neurodivergent Brain?
You don’t have to figure this out alone. Neurodiverse goal setting becomes far more powerful with personalised guidance and accountability.
Blog Author: Natalie Sinden, Sycamore Coach
Natalie has over 14 years experience working on household brands in global consumer goods organisations across sales, customer marketing, marketing strategy and business planning.
Her strength is in taking clients away from the chaos of the every day so that they can establish/re-establish the heart of their business and build out from its core an effective purpose driven and commercially viable business plan.
0 Comments