The Chaos Addiction Behind Your Boredom
Starting a business feels electric. The thrill of creation, the rush of possibility.
Running a business? That's where things get... boring.
But what if that boredom isn't actually boredom at all? What if it's withdrawal from your addiction to chaos?
The Badge of Honor You Didn't Ask For
As entrepreneurs, we wear busyness like a medal. The more overwhelmed we are, the more important we feel.
"I was reinventing things I hadn't even tried yet because I was bored," I tell clients who nod in recognition. "I felt like if I didn't have a ton of to-dos, I wasn't trying hard enough."
Sound familiar?
This isn't random. Your brain has literally become accustomed to stress. Research shows entrepreneurs spend more time in "chaotic mode" than average people, which correlates with higher creativity and intelligence. Every extra millisecond spent in chaos can add up to twenty IQ points according to some studies. (https://fortelabs.com/blog/productive-disorder-the-hidden-power-of-chaos-noise-and-randomness/)
No wonder you feel drawn to it.
The Real Cost of Your Chaos Habit
When I ask entrepreneurs what chaos addiction costs them, the answers are brutal:
"Clarity. Peace. Stability. MONEY."
By constantly reinventing systems and chasing shiny objects, you never let anything succeed or fail. You make zero progress while feeling exhausted.
The neurological component is powerful. Entrepreneurs in their perpetual hunt for dopamine seek higher levels of stimulation than others. Risk-taking provides the perfect hit. (https://knowhow.skalata.co/brain-game/creativity-in-the-chaos-adhd-in-entrepreneurs/)
This explains why so many of us jump from crisis to crisis, even when it's killing our business growth.
Spotting Your Own Addiction
Want to know if you're hooked on chaos? Listen for these two phrases coming out of your mouth:
"Oh, and I'm also..."
"What if we did X instead?"
The first shows you're spread impossibly thin. The second reveals you can't commit to anything long enough to see results.
Business psychologist Clate Mask identified three key signs: your business revolves around your inbox (constant reactivity), you can't step away (fear of calm), and you're weirdly proud of having no free time. (https://www.willingways.org/are-you-addicted-to-chaos/)
Check yourself honestly. How many boxes did you just tick?
The Powerlifting Parallel
As a competitive powerlifter since 2018, I've learned something crucial about success: it's often boring.
Powerlifting is essentially three main movements and accessories that support those movements. Over and over. Day after day. Month after month. Year after year.
This is why there isn't longevity in the sport. People get bored and quit.
I've hit walls. I've been bored. I've even disliked the sport at times.
But sticking with the program, refining the base movements—that's where growth happens.
Your business is no different.
Breaking Your Chaos Cycle
The most powerful insight I've discovered? Your mind and body become accustomed to stress. When it starts to go away, your brain screams "something's wrong!"
Plus, let's be honest—chaos is a little exciting.
This creates a vicious cycle. You experience overwhelming stress, then create systems to manage it. Once things calm down, the withdrawal kicks in, and you sabotage your own systems to get that familiar rush back.
I go through this cycle regularly. Some weeks I'm literally crying from overwhelm. Other weeks I'm working five hours a day and loving life—usually because I've recommitted to my systems and processes.
The Competitive Advantage of Calm
By narrowing focus and creating solid back-end systems, you free up mental space to do what actually moves the needle: serving clients, networking, strategizing.
Research has revealed that productive calm outperforms chaotic productivity. When our brains are relaxed, our usual mental filters are off, allowing for more innovative connections and solutions. (https://www.atlassian.com/blog/productivity/boredom-at-work-creativity-neuroscience)
Cutting through chaos means you can actually enjoy your business again.
Finding Your Sweet Spot
The solution isn't forcing yourself to endure boredom. It's finding your personal balance between stimulation and overwhelm.
For my clients, this means letting them stay in their zone of genius while minimizing the boring stuff through outsourcing, automation, or better scheduling.
It's about presenting entrepreneurs with two well-researched options rather than forcing them to figure everything out. They make a decision and move on.
Some parts of business and social media ARE boring. That doesn't mean they're bad.
Your Next Steps
1. Recognize the signs. Notice when you're creating unnecessary drama or complexity.
2. Acknowledge the addiction. Your brain is literally wired to seek chaos.
3. Build systems that create the right amount of stimulation without overwhelming you.
4. Find someone to handle the boring stuff (hint: that's what I do).
5. Trust your processes long enough to see results.
Remember, the most successful entrepreneurs aren't the ones constantly putting out fires. They're the ones who built systems that prevent fires in the first place.
Your business deserves that kind of stability. And honestly? So do you.
