Are you distracted? Finding it hard to focus? Find yourself jumping from one idea to the next?  Your business just might have ADHD, which is short for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

These days, it’s all too easy to get distracted when it comes to running a business. Turn on your computer, spend 5 minutes checking your email or your social networks – and that could easily turn into a half an hour or longer if you’re not careful!

Maybe you have the habit of starting one project before finishing the last – and what results is a cluttered mess and not being able to tell where one thing ends and where the next begins.

If you want your business to be successful – (read:  if you want to make money) – you have to get your business ADHD under control – and fast. Thankfully, it’s not nearly as hard as you think it might be, even for the most unorganized and hopeless of cases.

If your business is suffering from ADHD, hopefully some of these tips below will help you – and you won’t even need a prescription for Ritalin.

#1. Create a Routine: Routine and structure is boring, mundane, etc. etc. – but there’s a reason why most companies have set business hours and set schedules. When you have a routine, you can prepare for what happens next and easily transition from one thing to the next. Try to do the same thing, the same time, each and every day when it comes to your business. Just make sure you schedule yourself some time off!

#2. Set a Time Limit: Do you have an egg timer? It’s amazing what a time limit can do for your productivity! Let’s say you want to check your email for 15 minutes at the beginning of each day. Set the buzzer, and when the buzzer goes off – close your email. You’ll soon learn how to quickly prioritize which emails get your attention! This works for all types of things – how long you shop for supplies, how long you manage your books, how long you design scrapbook pages, how long you write blog posts, how long you market your business, etc. etc.

#3. Create Reminders: It’s okay to have signs all over your house if they help you remember things. I use a handy firefox plugin called Reminder Fox that always reminds me of important tasks I need to take care of. You may want to have a huge central calendar or perhaps set alarms on your phone. With so many distractions out there, it’s easy to forget things – so set up reminders for the things that are very important.

#4. Get Organized: Everyone knows they need to be and wants to be more organized, but it’s the actual doing it where most of us get stuck. Add in digital organization to the clutter and it gets even more fun! (I spend about 2 hours each month organizing/backing up all of my computer files!) You don’t have to start big – sometimes little changes can make all the difference. For example, I organized all of my email so when I check it in the morning I don’t see any distracting things like newsletters or social network notifications, only what is truly important.

#5. Eat a Natural, Healthy Diet & Get Enough Sleep: If you find yourself going from an extreme of lots of energy and ideas into a slump of  no energy or creativity, diet and lifestyle most likely play a role in this. Try to eat all natural, whole foods (limit processed items) and reduce your sugar and caffeine intake. Add in a good night’s rest, and chances are you’ll feel a thousand times better and see your business prosper as well. It does no one any good to stay up all night trying to meet a deadline only to fall asleep mid sentence during a phone call the next day!

#6: Use Positive Reinforcement: Focus on your strengths and what you have achieved instead of looking at where you’ve failed. Celebrating your successes, no matter how small or insignificant, will help you build momentum in finding more.

If you are finding yourself distracted and unfocused, these tips will help you in getting your business ADHD cured in no time. The more you can concentrate and be productive – the more time you have for the fun things in life

Is your business suffering from ADHD? What have you done that helps you get motivated and back on track?