Mind Traps & Thought Loops: Identifying Cognitive Bias in the ADHD Brain

Hey, friend and welcome back to the show. And if you're just joining us, I'm Diann Wingert and this is ADHD-ish, where we talk about living the entrepreneurial life with the strengths and struggles of ADHD traits. Today, we're diving into something that might explain why you sank a bunch of money into a, quote, unquote, guaranteed successful venture that totally bombed. Or why you keep thinking, this time, I will definitely stick to my schedule despite considerable evidence to the contrary. I called this episode, mind traps and thought loops, but I could just have easily called it, the lies my ADHD brain tells me so let's dig in.

I've been reading a fascinating book called Ask This Book a Question by Vicky Tan. It was given to me by one of my clients as a birthday gift, and it's all about how cognitive biases affect our thinking and the stories we tell ourselves. And holy shit, it has hit home for me as someone with ADHD who's running a business, and I couldn't wait to share what I've learned with you. Here's the thing, our ADHD brains get caught in mind traps and thought loops just like everyone else's, but ours have a tendency to either spark brilliance or lead us straight into a wall. Understanding our cognitive biases can be the difference between getting stuck in destructive patterns and leveraging our unique brain wiring for success, so let's get into it.

How our ADHD brains process information, why we tend to repeat the same patterns again and again, no matter how painful they are, and how we can work with our natural tendencies instead of constantly fighting against them. Are you ready? Well, let's start with the basics. I mean, what the hell are cognitive biases anyway? Cognitive biases happen to everyone, all humans, not just those of us who are neurospicy. Cognitive biases are basically mental shortcuts that our brain takes to process information quickly. If you're a long time listener, you've heard me talk about the fact that our brains are lazy mofos that want to take the easy route. And that means they're not character flaws, these cognitive biases. They're our brain survival mechanisms that have allowed us to evolve by making decisions quickly and not getting overwhelmed by data.

One of the things I love about Tan's book is that she doesn't take the approach of, let me list all the ways your brain is broken. Instead, she reframes all of these biases as potential tools when understood correctly. It's not about eliminating them as if we could. It's about making them work for us. Now when you add ADHD to the mix, things get really interesting. Our ADHD brains are particularly susceptible to certain kinds of cognitive biases because of how we process information, emotion, and time. We often make decisions based on our immediate feelings rather than careful analysis. We also struggle with working memory, which means we are probably not going to hold all the relevant information in mind when we make decisions.

And our time perception issues mean we're also not so great at learning from past experiences or accurately predicting future outcomes. So the combination of cognitive biases plus ADHD impulsivity means decision making that can swing from brilliance to disaster, oftentimes in the same week. I think of cognitive biases like those friends that are really fun to have at parties, but they're not the ones you call when you need help to move. They serve a purpose, but you need to know when to listen to them and when to call on different friends. For entrepreneurs with ADHD, understanding these biases is like having a user manual for our own quirky decision making processes.

You ready for more? Alright, here's the first one. This is the one I think of as ADHD's double-edged sword, and I call it the optimism bias. We need to talk about this one because it is probably one of the most relevant for those of us who are entrepreneurs. This is our tendency to overestimate potential positive outcomes and underestimate negative ones. It's why we think this project is only gonna take two days when it actually requires a couple of weeks. It's why we believe this idea is guaranteed to work despite having done minimal or no market research. And it's why we convince ourselves I will definitely remember these details without writing them down, even though we already know our working memory is about as reliable as gas station sushi. Eww.

For entrepreneurs with ADHD, the optimism bias is simultaneously our greatest asset and our biggest liability. On the one hand, we need a healthy dose of optimism to start a business at all. On the other hand, unchecked optimism can lead to poor or absent planning, overcommitting, and financial risk taking that will make your accountant want to weep into their spreadsheets. Research has shown that entrepreneurs with ADHD tend to exhibit stronger optimism bias than neurotypical entrepreneurs, and this makes perfect sense.

It's the same optimism that drives our innovation and creativity, and it also makes us vulnerable to ignoring the very warning signs that would have prevented us from our repeat patterns of failure. Let me give you a personal example. Last year, I agreed to take on a project that I estimated would take about twenty hours. Easy peasy, right? But I made this estimate based on my hyperfocus, best case scenario self, not accounting for admin tasks, communication time, and the fact that I'm never going to be in the zone every single time I sit down to work.

Well, sixty hours later, I did deliver a great project. But at that rate, it worked out to something close to minimum wage. Classic optimism bias. Now Vicki Tan talks about how optimism bias isn't something to eliminate. It's something to calibrate. And I love the thinking behind this. We can't change how our brains function, but we can learn how to better work with them. In the book, she suggests that cognitive biases can either sharpen your judgment or lead you astray. When optimism bias is calibrated and calculated properly, it allows us to see possibilities where others only see obstacles. When it's not checked, it leads us to charge ahead blindly.

So the question becomes, how do we keep our entrepreneurial optimism while building in reality checks? Well, I have found that the most effective strategy is external accountability. I have business besties who know to question me whenever I say something will just take a couple hours. My project management system also forces me to break tasks down into their component parts, which makes estimation more accurate. I also like to use Goblin Tools, which I will link to in the show notes if you're not already familiar because there is an estimator tool built in. I also track my time when I'm doing something for the first time because, eventually, I will do a similar project, and I can be reminded how long it actually took instead of the usual ADHD amnesia kicking in.

The next cognitive bias that Tan explores in the book is one that will absolutely wreck havoc for ADHD entrepreneurs. It is called the fundamental attribution error. This refers to our tendency to attribute other people's behavior to their character while attributing our own behavior to circumstances. Feeling called out right now, are you? It's the mental shortcut that makes us think my employee is lazy when they miss a deadline, but I was overwhelmed when we miss our own, or my business partner just doesn't give a shit when they forget important details.

But I was hyper focused on something else when we do the same. This bias is relationship poison for entrepreneurs with ADHD. Why? Because we already struggle with consistency, follow through, and time management. The very things that we might judge others for very harshly, but are often guilty of ourself. The problem is that it creates a double standard, where we expect understanding for our ADHD traits, while oftentimes refusing to extend the same grace to others. In Tan's book, she suggests that understanding this bias without shame can help us create deeper connections and better navigate connections and conflict with others. And for ADHD entrepreneurs who struggle with team dynamics, and many of you do, this insight is gold.

The fundamental attribution error becomes even more problematic when ADHD time perception issues and emotional reactivity get involved. When someone disappoints us, which let's be honest, happens often, our emotional response is immediate and intense. Reactions like rejection sensitivity are often off the chart. We don't always pause to consider the alternative explanations. We knee jerk reflex jump straight to they're inconsiderate, they're a jerk, or they don't respect me. One of my favorite insights from the book is this, “When you view your questions in a different light, you'll be surprised how clear your answers become.” This is particularly true when dealing with relationship conflicts in business.

I've developed what I call the three perspective shift technique to catch this bias in action, and this can literally save your bacon when you have a team. First, I ask, how am I explaining this person's behavior to myself right now? Usually, it's about their character. And I find these really helpful to say out loud and or write them down. Next, I ask, if I had done the exact same thing, how would I explain my behavior? Spoiler alert, you'll usually refer to the circumstances. And finally, I ask, what are three possible explanations for their behavior? And this forces me to consider alternatives. When I'm coaching a client who struggles in this area, and they start to tell me this person did this and that, it's because of this and that, I'll say, maybe. What else could it mean? I could see that. So what else could it mean? And sometimes they'll get really frustrated and annoyed with me.

But after slowing things down and expanding the range of possibilities in attributional theory, everybody's calmer and realizes, oh, yeah, I think I jumped to conclusions. This simple process can save untold numbers of professional relationships with vendors, with team members, and even with clients. Now I will be the last one to excuse poor performance, but it's about approaching it with the same nuance that I want others to use with me. Now we're gonna talk about another bias that's rather troublesome for entrepreneurs with ADHD, and you've heard me talk about this one before on other episodes.

Yep. We're talking about the sunk cost fallacy. This is our tendency to continue with a failing endeavor because we've already invested so much time, money, or emotional energy into it. It's why businesses keep pouring resources into product lines or offers that are simply not performing. It's why entrepreneurs will stick with business models that simply aren't working no matter what. And it's why we keep trying to make certain relationships with clients, team members, or collaborators work despite clear evidence that they're toxic. ADHD entrepreneurs, in my experience, are particularly vulnerable to this bias for several reasons.

First, we already struggle with transitions. Shifting our attention from one thing to another thing is cognitively expensive for us and really drains our batteries. Second, we tend to form intense emotional attachments to our ideas and our projects, and oftentimes to other people. And third, our working memory issues mean we might forget just how many resources we've already sunk into something. Add shame or embarrassment, and we double down on refusing to let go of something that's costing us big time. Tan's perspective on this is really enlightening.

She suggests that confronting the sunk cost fallacy can give us courage when we're considering making a change. For example, a business pivot. Let me give you an example, I spent months developing a particular offer that I was convinced was absolutely revolutionary. I created marketing materials, built out our internal processes, talked about it constantly, but people weren't biting. Despite the lack of interest, I continued to push it, tweaking the message, investing more time, all because I'd already put so much into it, I just couldn't let it go. What finally broke the spell, and it really did feel like I was coming out of a hallucinatory episode, was what I now call the fresh start decision framework.

I asked myself, if I were starting my business all over today with the knowledge I have now, would I create this offer? The answer was an immediate hell no. And that clarity allowed me to finally pivot and focus on services that were actually easy to service and sell. This is where the balanced view of cognitive biases come in. Sometimes ADHD hyperfocus and persistence are tremendous assets, and I credit them with much of my success. But the trick is knowing the difference between productive persistence and the sunk cost fallacy. Is your continued investment of energy, effort, and dollars likely to change the outcome, or are you simply throwing good resources after bad and refusing to admit it?

Vicky Tan has a terrific insight where she says, redesign how we think about cognitive biases, not as flaws to fix, but as powerful tools for making more intentional self-aware decisions. You can't find fault with that right? When it comes to the sunk cost fallacy, awareness is the first step towards making intentional choices about where you invest your precious entrepreneurial energy. I also think it's extremely helpful when we're looking at something we suspect might be a sunk cost fallacy experience is being mindful, and that means open, curious, and without judgment, because the judgment part will mess you up.

Okay, how do we put all of this together in a practical framework for making better decisions as entrepreneurs with ADHD? Well, I've adapted an approach inspired by Tan's book that I think works exceptionally well for our unique brain wiring. First, recognize the story you're telling yourself, and if you don't think you're telling yourself a story, think again. When you're making an important decision, pause and ask, what story am I creating here? Are you casting yourself as the hero who can do it all? Are you villainizing a client or a collaborator? Just becoming aware of your internal storytelling is a powerful first step. Second, question which cognitive bias might be at play. We're all susceptible to them. It's not a character defect.

Could it be optimism bias is making you underestimate how long something will take? Is a fundamental attribution error causing you to judge a team member too harshly? Or is the sunk cost fallacy keeping you attached to a failing strategy? Third, reframe the situation from several different perspectives. This is where our ADHD creativity can really help us, because we're usually really good at thinking outside the box when we consciously try to. Consider how different stakeholders might view the situation, or how you'd view it if it were happening to someone else. Finally, reconsider your decision with this new awareness. This doesn't mean your initial instincts are wrong. It just means you are now able to make a choice with more complete information.

For those of us with ADHD, I have found a few specific adaptations that will make this process even more effective. External accountability partners who know you well enough and love you anyway, who can spot your biases when you can't see them for yourself. I have several of these people in my life, and I would be much less successful without them. Decision journals, where you track the choices you make and their outcomes so that you can more objectively identify certain patterns. And this one is really important, cooling off periods for impulse decisions. I think of this as giving my brain a time out. Even as little as a twenty four hour wait time can improve your perspective immeasurably, and creating environmental cues that prompt the recognition of these biases. I literally have a post it on my monitor that says, is this an optimism bias?

As a visual reminder, I do have to rewrite it on different color post it notes and move it around because after something's been in my environment for a while, my brain just tunes it out. So in conclusion, the stories we tell ourselves shape our reality as entrepreneurs. With ADHD, these stories can be especially powerful for both the better and the worse. Remember, cognitive biases are not character flaws. They're natural mental shortcuts that all people have. They're not problems to be eliminated. They're patterns to be understood and redirected.

As Tan writes, when you're ready to unravel the magic of your own mind, understand the patterns they form, and create a narrative uniquely your own, you'll find a whole new level of clarity in your decision making. Understanding your cognitive biases doesn't eliminate them, and that's a good thing. It means transforming them from unseen potential saboteurs into conscious tools that you can choose to wield deliberately. And for entrepreneurs with ADHD, that level of self awareness is absolutely a game changer. Thanks for listening, and I'll catch you again next time.