Written by: Jen Lewis, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Procrastination is the enemy of productivity. It can be a challenge for anyone, but for people with ADHD, it can be an epic mountain to climb. In this article, we bust some common myths around procrastinating with ADHD, share why it's not an out-of-the-box solution, as so much advice seems to espouse, and explore smarter individualised concepts for getting ahead of it.
Is procrastination a symptom of ADHD?
Procrastination is defined as putting off a task until later or tomorrow. Everyone can be prone to procrastination, but for people living with ADHD, it can be more prevalent due to their unique brain wiring.
Here is where it gets super interesting – most people tend to correlate procrastination challenges with time management and organisational skills, but it is, in fact, at its very core, an emotional regulation issue. Yes, you heard that right. Procrastinating with ADHD is down to our emotions, not our planning abilities.
Being an emotional regulation problem, procrastination is a struggle between the pre-frontal cortex and the limbic system. People with ADHD often have deficient emotional self-regulation (DESR), presumably due to the weaker connections between the pre-frontal cortex and the limbic system, which can make procrastination and task initiation challenges all the more heightened. This explains why procrastinating with ADHD is so amplified.
Why do ADHD brains procrastinate?
Procrastination is a loss of self-control when performing actions with negative emotional significance (usually with no immediate significant consequence). When it comes to procrastinating with ADHD, interest is the key motivator, and without it, it can be challenging to get started on a task. It's like putting the car keys in the ignition, but there's just no gas to start the car. Procrastination is irrational, but most of what we do when not rational is an inability to regulate our emotions.
Are you ready for the real solution?? Newsflash – instead of applying out-of-the-box external band-aid solutions so commonly thrown around, we need to find what's underneath the procrastination, i.e., the related emotion. Procrastination is not "a thing"; it's a placeholder – the symptom of the source, if you will. When we scratch under the surface of procrastination, that's what we work with. Everyone has different motivators for their very own procrastination, which is why out-of-the-box solutions are not typically beneficial for ADHD brains that already face magnified resistance and struggle during procrastination.
The science behind procrastination
Shedding some light on the science of procrastinating with ADHD, a study at Ruhr University Bochum found poorer connections between the amygdala and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (DACC) in more frequent procrastinators (hello – ADHD brain wiring, anyone?). The DACC uses information from the amygdala and decides what action the body will take. It helps keep the person on track by blocking out competing emotions and distractions.
The parts of the brain involved in intention, emotion, and action are:
The amygdala (emotions and motivation).
DACC (deciding what steps the body needs to take).
The pre-frontal cortex (executive actions and control).
Because of these weaker connections between the brain parts needed to initiate "the thing" it makes for a double procrastination whammy.
What is our thought process behind procrastinating with ADHD?
Research suggests that when we procrastinate, we perceive our "future selves" as strangers, as though we're passing the buck to an unsuspecting person. Unfortunately, as those of us procrastinating with ADHD are probably familiar with, there is never a stranger there ready to tidy up after us.
When it comes to procrastinating with ADHD, three ADHD traits play even further into falling down the rabbit hole.
Firstly, people with ADHD find it painful to do the "shoulds" without emotion attached, either interest or a real threat or reward (perceived threats or rewards do not work!)
Secondly, with our time blindness trait that makes that future self seem even further away, this neural state may be magnified, making procrastinating with ADHD even more likely. People with ADHD often have an underdeveloped sense of time that most people have developed by adulthood.
And finally, the core finding of the weaker connections between the parts of the brain regulating emotions, the larger the pull of procrastination for ADHD systems because the more potent the emotion "underneath" procrastination.
Procrastinating takes precious mental cognitive reserves because it's on the back of our minds, typically exacerbating anxiety and distress, contributing to further procrastination. Procrastinating with ADHD is particularly detrimental to our physical and mental burden as our nervous systems are rarely at rest.
How do you fix procrastination with ADHD?
So now we are clear – procrastinating with ADHD is a symptom, not the source. When we external band-aid symptoms without regard for the root cause, we rarely get a lasting or working fix.
Instead of letting procrastination consume our energy throughout the day while hoping for motivation to appear, we could strive to get ahead of the procrastination wave, individualise a plan to ride it more smoothly. OR, now, here is a concept straight out of left field… let the damn thing go where possible!
While there is no such thing as a quick fix for procrastinating with ADHD, understanding your own emotions in procrastinating that unique task or situation is critical.
Here are several possible procrastination levers to be pulled. While perhaps not apparent on the surface, they all have underlying emotions attached. Which one could be for you could be different in each scenario you face. How many of these are familiar?
You don't have enough information to get started
You're focusing on the end goal rather than the steps it takes to get there
It's too much of a challenge
You're stepping outside of your comfort zone by >5% which can open the door to feeling overwhelmed
There is a lack of interest or alignment to purpose or values – it is unimportant to you
You have a lack of self-belief
You can feel the perfectionism creeping in
It's too long range
You're juggling competing priorities
You need the steps clearly laid out (strategy versus execution, these should be separate)
You need to feel an immediate (and real not perceived) reward or consequence in order to act
When you have figured out the underlying source for procrastinating with ADHD (and this often takes a great ADHD coaching conversation to draw out what is under the surface before moving to your unique, sustainable solution), you'll notice that each procrastination reason and underlying emotion requires different approaches to navigate effectively. I offer here my top 3 strategies to be individualised to your personal situation:
1. Let it go
Huh? I say this because, as people with ADHD, we live more heavily in the "shoulds" than our neurotypical peers. "Why can't I just…" and "should" are words commonly themed in my clients. This creates a perpetual cycle of focusing on what we aren't doing instead of the many things we're getting right. It also creates neural pathways that aren't conducive to self-belief and therefore living as fully as possible, but that's for another day.
Learning self-acceptance is one of the most powerful things we can do. It might sound hokey, but when we stop living someone else's version of our life, we lose a ton of emotional baggage.
When it comes to procrastinating with ADHD, I have two questions for you to ask yourself about that which you are procrastinating about.
Do I actually have to do it? Or am I doing it because I "should" according to someone else's standard of living? and
Does it align with my values?
For example, I knew a lawyer who read the paper every morning because they thought it was something they "should" do. Despite the news making them sad and mad as they started the day, they kept doing it until they realised it wasn't a compulsory part of being an adult. Instead, they learned just to seek out information relevant to them and bypass all the rest.
If letting it go is not an option and there's no way around it, here are two other suggestions for procrastinating with ADHD.
But if you conclude that you're better off just practicing self-acceptance and not doing "the thing," sing it from the treetops in a Frozen style chorus (LET IT GOOOOOO…) as you smugly move onto something more aligned with your values. It's important to note I only mean let it go if it can be done so permanently, not as a temporary procrastination route…… Delete, delegate, or dismiss.
2. Beat the emotion
ADHD brains are interest-based brains. If no positive (or immediate negative) emotion is attached, we will likely not do "the thing". This means needing to create some positive emotion or interest around it and/or beat the emotion before it kicks in.
To beat the emotion, do things like picking up the phone and scheduling the appointment before even a 5-second delay of thinking about it gives rise to an emotion kicking. Think of it like jumping in the sea before you can "consider" what it might feel like. An example of mine is that if I am going to do exercise, it literally has to be the second I wake up and roll out of bed before I have the chance for any emotion to kick in – this one requires speed!
However, because your brain has its unique wiring, this may not work for you, in which case…
3. Create your unique scaffolding!
I'm sorry, team, this one may take some time to get the exact science right for your particular brain, and it may require experimentation, but when it comes to procrastinating with ADHD this is one powerful and realistically necessary tool to support our individual brains. This often requires external help to figure out what your scaffolding may be, but it is the most likely to help you overcome your procrastination and push you to do "the thing".
What does this look like?
Well, I had a shoulder bursitis and the pain wasn't enough to make me do my physio exercises. What was the emotion underneath the procrastination? Boredom, in its simplest form pure, painful, agonizingly tedious boredom (remember here that ADHD brains find boredom almost physically painful, and yes, boredom is an emotion, so the struggle is genuine). We'll skip the "ADHD, you sod woe is me" moment because the solution here was to get ready for some self-coaching.
Clearly, more than an immediate reward or consequence was needed. It also needed to be more to be prepared logistically with everything at the ready. It wasn't enough to book a Focusmate session (my typical go-to for tackling procrastination with accountability).
How does scaffolding work?
Scaffolding can be a superhero for procrastinating with ADHD, but it may require several parts working in unison. My individualised plan had three elements.
I needed to book a Focusmate session (body doubling for accountability)
It had to be at 7 am ‒ so it was a reasonable time to wake up and be online, but still early enough for me to "beat the emotion"
I also added to my scaffolding by watching something trashy on Netflix that I would never usually spend time with because of the unproductivity. It added in a concurrent immediate reward to take my mind off the yawnsome task.
An example of scaffolding for work projects might look like this:
Separate strategy from execution i.e., set the outcome but then focus only on the smaller process steps needed to or the execution. Forget the goal after setting ‒ it takes you out of the present and feels too ambiguous and all-encompassing to get to.
Set those process steps that you will slide into the night before so you're not wasting precious pre-frontal cortex reserves trying to plan in the morning – we have only a finite amount of brain energy when it's at its best, don't waste it!
Be realistic – consider setting aside one hour a day for the "moving the dial" projects or activities and book them in as a meeting. We often think we're spinning wheels, but we don't necessarily account for the many other tasks and activities that may not be moving us forward but are still a part of this busy juggling life! 1 small step a day = 365 small steps a year.
Remember though this needs to be tailored to what works for your brain, not someone else's. So you see, a fix for procrastinating with ADHD is not an out-of-the-box solution. Yes, it throws up more challenges for the reasons discussed, but it's not impossible to traverse, and hey – we may have challenges in some areas. Still, being the paradox ADHD is, we also have creative, innovative, problem-solving, curious, empathetic, courageous strengths to celebrate.
Can ADHD be an advantage?
While this article focuses on one of the challenges for ADHD brains, in particular, there are plenty of positives about our brains to be honoured.
For instance, when interest is high for an ADHD brain, nothing can stop us, and we are literally in our superpowers – I, for one, would not change my brain wiring for the world.
It's not so much the ADHD in itself that throws up the challenges; it's a lack of understanding and leveraging ourselves to take off from the runway, trying to fit into a neurotypical world when this can be significantly detrimental.
The amount of my ADHD clients that feel they are procrastinating, when they add up what they actually do in a week, it's shocking how much they don't account for or consider being achievements.
We live in a world where "busyness" is a badge of honour when it actually detracts from the most important thing we have, our physical and mental health. For those with ADHD, taking care of our minds and bodies is even more critical.
How can JLew HQ help you?
Around 80% of people with ADHD believe that their brain wiring has held them back from pursuing their dreams or achieving their goals, according to ADDA. Understanding this hugely pivotal piece around emotions being a core part of getting to do the things we desire is crucial.
At JLew HQ, the focus is on increasing productivity & resilience while decreasing stress and mental clutter. ADHD coaching can be highly beneficial to improving the day-to-day life of those with ADHD, as can reducing stress through emotional regulation and living with more self-acceptance with ADHD.
If you're unsure where to begin and would like to discuss how ADHD coaching can help you understand and leverage your unique brain wiring, I would love to hear about your experiences. Please feel free to contact me today.
Jen Lewis, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Jen Lewis is an ADHD Specialist & Coach, and a leader in the ADHD Community wellness space. ADHD Coaching is a highly specialised skillset with expert in-depth understanding of ADHD brain wiring and coaching skills. The two areas combine to facilitate growth and change in a way that enables people with ADHD to flourish. Jen is also an Executive coach and Wellness facilitator and educator; she regularly runs organisational, community and individual workshops that equip her ADHD community with sustainable stress reduction and mindset skills.
