Too Many Ideas? How a 10x Career Coaching Strategy Will Get You Unstuck
If you have ADHD and feel chronically "lost" in your career, I have a confession to make. As a career counselor and coach, I think I’ve been making a mistake for years—and it’s a mistake that might be keeping you stuck in a cycle of analysis paralysis, rumination, and "square one" restarts.
For a long time, I’ve pushed back against the classic "Follow Your Passion" advice. I’ve seen too many people get paralyzed trying to find their "one true calling" like it’s some hidden treasure buried in the backyard. In response, I leaned hard into the pragmatic: validate ideas, test the market, make incremental moves, and take "small bets."
But I’ve realized that by removing the "Big Vision" entirely, I was removing the main engine of clarity for the ADHD brain.
If you are currently overwhelmed by choice fatigue, or if you feel like you’re back at "square one" despite having a resume full of diverse experiences, the problem isn’t that your goals are unrealistic.
The problem is that your goals are too small.
The 2x Trap: Why "Logical" Steps Fail the ADHD Brain
Most career advice—from university career centers to standard HR blogs—is built on the foundation of 2x growth. You are taught to ask yourself: "What is the most logical next step? Based on my current resume, what can I realistically achieve next year?"
For a neurotypical brain, this linear progression works. But for those of us with ADHD, it is often a recipe for disaster. Here is the neurobiological reality of why the "logical next step" keeps us stuck:
1. Incrementalism is Dopamine-Deficient
The ADHD brain is an interest-based nervous system. We do not lack the ability to focus; we lack the ability to regulate focus on things that don't provide a high enough "interest" or "challenge" threshold.
A "2x" goal (like a 10% raise or a slightly better job title) is boring. It doesn't provide the dopamine required to sustain long-term executive function. Without that "pull," we fall back into procrastination or burnout because the effort required to stay on a "boring" path outweighs the reward.
2. More Options = More Executive Function Load
When you look for a "realistic" next step, you are met with a "sea of the same." If you’re a multi-talented ADHD professional, a dozen doors open simultaneously. You could do sales, or project management, or marketing, or maybe go back to school. This is Choice Fatigue. Because all these options look roughly the same in terms of effort and reward, your brain cannot prioritize. You end up ruminating on which door is "right," which leads to the total paralysis we know all too well.
3. The "Mundane Middle" is Where We Lose
We are often visionary, "Big Picture" thinkers. We excel at the start (the spark) and the high-stakes finish. But 2x goals exist entirely in the "mundane middle." They require consistent, incremental, administrative-heavy maintenance. By setting small goals, you are forcing your brain to operate in its weakest area (consistency/details) without the benefit of its strongest area (creativity/innovation).
This is where the concept from 10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy changes the game. 10x isn't about working ten times harder; it’s about a transformational shift that forces clarity through extreme constraint.
The Core Theory: 10x is Easier Than 2x
When you aim for a 2x goal, you are trying to do more of what you are currently doing. You keep 80% of your current habits, your current network, and your current identity. You’re just trying to "push" harder.
When you aim for a 10x goal, you realize that your current systems physically cannot get you there. If you want to go from $60k to $120k, you might just work more hours. But if you want to go from $60k to $600k, you cannot work ten times more hours—there aren't enough hours in the day.
10x forces you to stop "pushing" and start "filtering." It requires you to identify the 20% of your skills and interests that actually have high-scale potential and discard the 80% that are just "good enough." For someone with ADHD, this "Power of No" is the ultimate executive functioning tool.
Case Study: From "Square One" to High-Impact Design
Let’s look at a real-life example of how this plays out. I recently worked with a client named "Alex." Alex was the definition of "stuck." He had a background in sales and retail, a deep interest in psychology, and a natural talent for interior design.
Following pragmatic advice, Alex went to grad school for counseling. He thought, "I like helping people, and it’s a stable career." But mid-semester, the reality of the 2x path hit him: the paperwork, the slow-moving clinical hours, the standardized nature of the work. He hated it. He felt like he was back at square one—unemployed, with half a degree, and no clear direction.
If we stayed in "2x mode," we would have looked for a better retail manager job. We would have asked: "What can you do with your sales experience and half a psychology degree?" This would have led Alex back to a "realistic" mid-level job that he would likely burn out from in six months.
Instead, we 10x-ed his dream.
We looked at the intersection of his skills:
Skill: High-stakes persuasion and relationship building (Sales).
Interest: Consumer behavior and I/O psychology.
Talent: Visual art and spatial design.
The 10x Vision: Instead of being a "worker," what if Alex became a Commercial Retail Experience Designer? What if his 10x goal was to found a boutique firm that uses environmental psychology to redesign retail spaces for national boutique brands to increase their revenue?
How the 10x Vision Created Instant Clarity: Suddenly, the "lost" feeling disappeared. The 10x vision acted as a high-pass filter:
The Education: He didn't need a counseling degree; he needed to look at I/O Psychology or high-end Design certificates.
The Networking: He stopped applying for random jobs on Indeed and started setting up informational interviews with principals at top-tier architectural firms like Gensler.
The Identity: He wasn't "unemployed"—he was in the research and development phase of a high-level consultancy.
The 10x vision removed the ambiguity. Alex wasn't "lost" anymore; he was simply in the early stages of a massive vision.
The 10x Goal Setting Process: A Step-by-Step Guide for ADHD Professionals
To find your own 10x path, you have to move past the "pragmatic" and into the "transformational." Here is the process I use with my coaching clients.
Step 1: Define Your "Plausible Baseline" (The 2x Path)
Look at your current trajectory. If you just kept doing what you’re doing—maybe a slight promotion or a lateral move—what does that look like?
Example: "I want to be a Senior Project Manager making $110k."
The Critique: Does this goal excite you? Does it force you to change your identity? Usually, the answer is no. This is the goal that leads to "Monday Morning Dread."
Step 2: The 10x Leap (The "Impossible" Vision)
Take that role and multiply the impact, the income, and the freedom by ten. Don't worry about "how" yet. Just focus on the "what."
Example: "I want to lead a Project Management consultancy that specializes in high-stakes, $100M+ tech launches for sustainable energy companies, earning $1M+ and working only 20 hours a week on high-level strategy."
Step 3: Identify the "Non-Negotiable" Skills
A 10x version of you doesn't do "busy work." To hit that goal, what are the three core skills you would have to master? For Alex, it was:
Psychology of Space (Theory).
B2B High-Ticket Sales (Closing).
Creative Direction (Leadership).
Everything else—the stocking of shelves, the administrative data entry, the general customer service—had to be discarded.
Step 4: Use the 10x Filter on Your Current Search
Now, look at your current job search or career move through this 10x lens.
Does this job offer a path to mastering one of those three skills?
Does this networking contact know the people in the 10x world?
If the answer is no, the answer is no. By setting the 10x bar, you give yourself the permission to say "no" to the 2x jobs that would otherwise distract you and lead to burnout.
Overcoming the "ADHD Tax" and Impostor Syndrome
I can hear the pushback: "Scott, I can't even get my laundry done or reply to emails on time. How am I supposed to build a 10x career?"
This is the "ADHD Tax"—the belief that because we struggle with the "small stuff," we aren't qualified for the "big stuff."
The truth is the opposite. People with ADHD are often better at 10x roles than 2x roles. Why? Because 10x roles allow you to delegate the mundane details and focus entirely on high-value, high-interest creative problem-solving.
The 10x world is built for the neurodivergent brain:
Hyperfocus: A 10x vision provides the "Deep Interest" needed to trigger hyperfocus.
Pattern Recognition: Seeing the "10x path" requires connecting disparate ideas—a core ADHD strength.
Crisis Management: High-level roles often involve solving big, urgent problems, where the ADHD brain often finds its "calm in the storm."
Conclusion: Stop Searching, Start Designing
At LifeSketch, our philosophy is built on congruence—the alignment of your unique ADHD brain, your interests, and the market’s demand.
10x thinking is the ultimate tool for achieving congruence. It removes the "boring" middle and turns your career into a high-stakes puzzle to be solved rather than a series of chores to be finished. It turns your work into a source of energy, not a drain on your mental health.
If you are stuck between too many "good" options, it’s time to stop thinking incrementally. Clarity creates motivation, and motivation creates the momentum that changes lives.
Are you ready to build a 10x future?
The Job Search Accelerator: For those who know their 10x direction and need the tactical tools to land the role.
ADHD Career Change Coaching: For those who feel like they are at "square one" and need to redesign their path from the ground up using 10x principles.
Executive Functioning Mastery: For the 10x visionaries who need the systems to manage the day-to-day while they build their empire.