Procrastination involves the avoidance of a task or decision that requires completion within a specific time frame. For example, when tasked with something tedious like organizing a grocery run on a Sunday, many of us might put off shopping for a day or two and make do with what little food we have left in the fridge. Although everyone is guilty of procrastination sometimes, people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) tend to fall victim to it more often than neurotypical people do. In addition to engaging in procrastination more frequently, people with ADHD often find themselves never returning to the procrastinated task or decision. Suddenly it’s Thursday, the fridge is completely barren, and you are left with no choice but to order in dinner. In order to combat procrastination in ADHD, it’s important to understand the link between ADHD and procrastination and explore the specific type of procrastination you tend to engage in.
How Are ADHD and Procrastination Linked?
ADHD, a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, fundamentally involves challenges with executive functioning. Executive functions are crucial for managing tasks, organizing activities, and regulating behaviors and emotions. In essence, they act as mental traffic cops, directing attention and inhibiting distractions, much like managing traffic flow at a busy intersection. The traffic cop ensures that when one lane of traffic is flowing, the other is stopped until it is their turn to move. Now imagine a scenario where the traffic cop, responsible for directing the flow of vehicles, falls asleep at the job. Chaos ensues as cars from all directions try to navigate through the Intersection simultaneously. Similarly, individuals with ADHD struggle to filter out irrelevant stimuli and maintain focus on a single task amidst a flood of sensory information, thoughts, and impulses. This impaired ability to regulate attention leads to difficulties in prioritizing tasks and initiating action, which are central to combatting the temptation to procrastinate.
Although procrastination itself isn’t listed as a formal symptom of ADHD, it often emerges as a consequence of executive dysfunction and poor self-regulation. Self-regulation normally enables individuals to manage emotions, resist immediate temptations, and sustain effort towards long-term goals. For those with ADHD, however, these self-regulation skills are compromised, making it harder to initiate tasks, manage time effectively, and maintain motivation over extended periods of time. Such deficits lead to a significant gap between intention and action – a disconnect between wanting to engage in a task and actually starting or completing it. Procrastination flourishes within this gap, providing ample possibilities for excuses and distractions.
The experience of chronic procrastination can be emotionally taxing. Often viewed as a moral failing, it can lead to internalized feelings of shame and frustration. These feelings tend to get exacerbated by external criticisms from others who may not understand the underlying challenges of ADHD. This can contribute to a cycle of negative self-talk and diminished self-esteem, further complicating efforts to overcome procrastination and achieve personal goals.
What Is Driving My Procrastination?
Poor self-regulation related to executive dysfunction generally explains the link between ADHD and procrastination. However, your susceptibility to procrastination is also influenced by your unique traits, emotions, and ADHD symptoms. In order to understand why you procrastinate, it’s important to take a closer look at what type of procrastination you tend to engage in.
Emotion-Driven Procrastination
Our emotions often play a large part in our choices and behaviors. When it comes to procrastination, sometimes overwhelming feelings associated with a task or decision can have a paralyzing effect. For example, some people find themselves putting off a decision due to their fears about making the wrong choice. Others may procrastinate because they worry that the outcome of a task or project will not meet the high standards set by themselves or others. These worries are often tied to perfectionism, where the desire for perfect results creates anxiety and leads to inaction and self-doubt. Individuals with ADHD tend to experience distressing emotions very intensely, and also struggle to manage or regulate their negative emotions once they arise.
As these emotions mount, procrastination can become more pronounced, leading to a cycle of avoidance. Individuals may feel inadequate for failing to reach their goals and expectations, which can lead to guilt and shame. This emotional turbulence not only inhibits productivity, but also contributes to a negative self-concept, creating a feedback loop that perpetuates procrastination.
Motivation-Related Procrastination
Dopamine, a neurotransmitter crucial for motivation and reward, is often found at lower levels in individuals with ADHD. This deficiency makes it difficult to find pleasure in activities that do not provide immediate or substantial rewards. Instead, ADHD brains are wired to seek out stimuli that are highly stimulating and provide instant gratification. Consequently, people with ADHD often struggle to engage with tasks that are mundane, tedious, or lack intrinsic interest. When faced with uninteresting tasks, motivation wanes, making it hard to start or maintain effort on such tasks. This explains why many individuals with ADHD find themselves completing work at the last minute. The pressure of an impending deadline creates a spike in dopamine, acting as a motivational force that drives them to finish the task. This phenomenon can create a vicious cycle of procrastination, where one comes to rely on last-minute urgency as a means to get things done.
Focus-Related Procrastination
You may also find yourself procrastinating simply because you cannot seem to focus your attention on the task at hand. Your mental traffic cop is chronically asleep at the job and you struggle to organize and regulate your thoughts, emotions, and impulses. You might feel overwhelmed by a long to-do list, leading to difficulty in prioritizing and starting tasks. Alternatively, you might sit down to work on something but quickly get distracted by other stimuli, such as your phone, household chores, or activity outside your window. Inattentive symptoms in ADHD can hinder your ability to see the bigger picture and make it challenging to work towards larger goals.
a moment and remind yourself of your “Why.” Why is it important that you complete this task or
make this decision?
Tips for Managing Procrastination with ADHD
Externalize Your Goals and Minimize Distractions
If sitting down to focus is your biggest challenge, it’s important to create a work environment that is conducive to your goals. First try externalizing your to-do list by writing it out on a notepad or post-it note. As you do so, practice breaking down each to-do list item into smaller chunks. This will help you better conceptualize the steps involved in each task and allow you to build momentum as you start to cross things off your list. Next, eliminate all possible distractions from your work environment. You may want to put your phone on “Do Not Disturb,” block off your calendar, or move things unrelated to the task to a different room. Now you have a distraction-free workspace and a clear, written list of what needs to get done.
Know Your Energy Flow
Having ADHD can cause energy and motivation to deplete quickly, which increases susceptibility to procrastination. Lower dopamine levels associated with ADHD make it challenging to sustain levels of effort over extended periods of time. To combat this, take note of what times of day do you have the most energy, what food choices help or impair your productivity, and what kinds of places and spaces motivate you to work. Doing so will help you manufacture the perfect working conditions for sustained concentration on tasks.
Increase the Task Appeal
Another way to increase motivation on a task that is not intrinsically interesting is to find something that makes the task more appealing. For instance, if you constantly struggle to keep your house clean, try calling a friend or listening to your favorite podcast during the hour you allot to cleaning. By pairing a mundane task with something rewarding, you create positive reinforcement, which will increase the likelihood that you complete the task again in the future.
Focus On Your Why
If you often become paralyzed by the small details of a larger task or decision, it can help to take a moment and remind yourself of your “Why.” Why is it important that you complete this task or make this decision? What are the rewards you will receive when you finish the task? What positive outcomes might you see once you complete it? Asking yourself these “Why” questions will allow you to view the task within a larger context and can help jumpstart your motivation to begin working.
Reframe Negative Self-Talk and Practice Self-Compassion
The way that we talk to ourselves while working on a task directly impacts how we feel and act in the moment. If you notice yourself engaging in negative self-talk while procrastinating (e.g.“I’m already too late”; “I’ll never finish”; “It’s not perfect so I should just give up”), trying viewing your thoughts from an outsider’s perspective. How would a trusted friend or loved one reframe the situation? What is something kind you can say to yourself instead? If you need to, take a few minutes and find a self-soother (e.g. calling a friend, listening to music, breathing deeply) before returning to the task.
In conclusion
Procrastination, while common, poses particular challenges for those with ADHD due to difficulties with executive functioning and self-regulation. Recognizing how ADHD impacts attention and motivation can help tailor strategies to combat procrastination. Effective approaches include creating distraction-free work environments, aligning tasks with personal energy peaks, and enhancing task appeal. Additionally, reframing negative self-talk and practicing self-compassion are crucial for overcoming procrastination. By utilizing these strategies, individuals with ADHD can improve productivity and better manage their tasks.