Emma Offord is a clinical psychologist specializing in neurodivergence. She is the founder of Divergent Life, a neuroaffirming private practice. Emma is passionate about the neurodiversity movement, developing more empowered ways to think about neurodivergence, providing creative and somatic forms of therapy for the ND community.
Procrastination has become a bit of a buzz term in recent times. There are now hundreds of apps claiming to make us more productive, courses and coaching aimed at helping us ‘break through our procrastination cycles’, and even therapies like hypnosis redesigned for those of us who are poor time managers.
But what is procrastination, really? Is it actually about not being able to manage our time effectively? Being lazy? Or is it something more related to the nervous system and brain?
We’ll explore these questions through this article, and then provide a few neurodivergent-proof approaches to try at home.
What is procrastination?
The dictionary definition of procrastination is to put off doing something, the action of delaying or postponing. Synonyms for procrastination include dithering; stalling; hesitation; kicking the can down the road; avoidance; and the delightful shilly-shallying.
Looked at from a neurodivergent perspective, there can be a lot more at play than a mere indulgence in a shilly-shally, as fun as that sounds.
Neurodivergent brains have interest-based nervous systems, meaning that they get their motivation, the slug of dopamine we all need to start and complete a task, from being interested, curious, and wanting to know more about that topic.
A brain that is more aligned with the predominant neurotype experiences importance-based motivation. This means they will find motivation to complete something either because they believe it is important, or through rewards and consequences.
An example. A child who is importance-based will be motivated to clean up their room or do their homework because they get pocket money for cleaning their room or will get a detention for not completing their homework.
A child who is interest-based will avoid doing these tasks unless they have a curiosity related to it. So children who are interested in the topic of the homework will get it done on time, but find doing something they aren’t interested in extremely hard to start or complete. A child might find rearranging their room completely is delightfully rewarding because of the novelty. Or they find joy in the loving arrangement of their possessions in a pleasing symmetry. But try getting them to wield a duster or a vacuum cleaner ‘just because’ and it’ll be much more challenging.
You cannot use traditional rewards and punishments with interest-based nervous systems because they do not experience motivation that way. No or very little dopamine is synthesised for getting a sticker when they’ve done something good. And they will just feel deeply angry and resentful when punished.
Is procrastination different for neurodivergent people?
Well, in short, yes. That is because neurodivergent people have brains that are divergent from the predominant neurotype. Let’s dig a little deeper to help us with this one.
ADHD
An ADHD brain can experience problems with executive function, due to an enlargement in areas of the brain linked to instinct and reaction, and the relative shrinkage of areas of the brain linked to cognition, planning and reasoning. Dopamine is also harder to make, process, and use (synthesise) in an ADHD brain, meaning it takes much more activation from a special interest to complete. And that dopamine can disappear like a puff of smoke halfway through a task, leaving the ADHDer stuck.
So task initiation can be challenging for ADHDers, unless related to a special interest. As well as task completion. This is directly related to brain wiring and dopamine synthesis.
PDA
Pathological demand avoidance is a profile of autism, although further research is happening to understand this further. Put any kind of expectation or perceived demand in front of someone with PDA and they will end up in a nervous system freeze response, unable to do or take part in the task or activity that is being asked of them.
In this case, even if you really want to do something, the nervous system response that is out of your control renders you unable to participate.
Giftedness
Being gifted can lead to boreout and creative stifling. This can be for a number of reasons including finding repetitive tasks or unstimulating work extremely boring, especially if their natural curiousity and creativity are discouraged. The effort needed to complete it can result in burnout. In addition, because giftedness comes in more forms than just intellectual giftedness, including creative, emotional, physical, existential, and physical very often an individual's innate skills go completely unrecognised and unfulfilled. And they can end up labelled as being difficult or obstructive due to their need to complete a task in a different way or make connections that others don’t see or value.
This can lead to a form of masking through avoidance due to the trauma of being misunderstood.
Sensory sensitivity
Being sensitive to your senses, such as smells, sounds, touch, taste, sight, and neuroception, can mean you are constantly bombarded by too many over- or under-stimulating experiences. These can layer up and cause sensory overwhelm, an example being sensitive to too much light. Or cause discomfort and distraction due to their absence, an example being needing loud music to be able to concentrate. Some ND people are sensory seekers, some sensory avoiders, others are a mix.
If the environment isn’t right for your sensory needs, you won’t be able to focus on the task or activity that you want to do, leading to putting it off.
How you feel in your own body and the sensations of your heart, skin, digestion, bladder, lungs, even eyes and ears, can be hugely distracting. Your brain uses this system to monitor and interpret how you are feeling at any given time. ND people can be extremely sensitive to these sensations, or experience Alexithymia (meaning ‘no words for emotions’), where they cannot make sense of the sensations they are feeling.
Being very sensitive to or not knowing how to interpret a sensation can lead to procrastination as we try to soothe or make ourselves feel more comfortable before we start a task. Or find we can’t complete something because our sensations are becoming too intense. In the case of Alexithymia, you may have no idea what it is that you need, you just feel unable to do something or find what it is that you need to feel comfortable.
Trauma
For those of us who have experienced trauma, a very natural response is our nervous system working to protect us from situations or environments that feel similar to that previous trauma.
This can lead us to avoid that situation again, for fear that it will reoccur. This can also include judgement we’ve received previously on our work, even as very young children causing a blockage to doing that activity that we may not even be aware of.
So even digging deeper into this limited list of neurodivergences shows us that ND brains behave differently to an NT brain. And procrastination therefore cannot be simply explained away as being related to a deficit in that individual meaning they put things off, aren’t productive enough, are lazy, or can’t manage their time.
Procrastination and the nervous system
Could procrastination actually be saving us? It’s an interesting question, and to answer it, we need to explore the brain and autonomic nervous system.
The brain is a complex organ and has evolved over millions of years. There are parts of it that evolved very early in our existence. The brain stem evolved first, responsible for the sympathetic fight/flight response. Then the limbic system, responsible for our memories and parasympathetic freeze response. Last to evolve was the prefrontal cortex that is responsible for our ventral vagal parasympathetic state of balance, and reasoning, judgement, planning, and projecting our future selves.
It is the same with how we develop as babies. The brain stem develops first in the womb, then the limbic system. The prefrontal cortex is still developing after we are born. Our brain isn’t fully developed until we are in our mid-twenties and goes through extensive re-wiring through puberty, with the brain stem and limbic systems coming online in their adult form first. Which is often why teenagers seem so angry and reactive. It isn’t just their hormones!
The rest of the autonomic nervous system works through our vagus nerve. The autonomic nervous system works below our conscious awareness and includes the brain and the vagus nerve which descends through the neck, chest, around the heart and down into the diaphragm and gut. The ANS scans for cues of safety or danger. Polyvagal theory, first developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, states that 80% of the information we perceive signalling those cues of safety or danger, come up from our body and into our brain, with only 20% going from our brain to our bodies.
That 80% goes right into our brain stem and limbic system which signals a chain reaction of events that happen at lightning speed before our conscious mind is aware of what is happening. We sometimes refer to this as our witchy sense.
What if, then, we saw procrastination through the lens of our autonomic nervous system and polyvagal theory? Our senses all contribute to our body’s interpretation of cues of safety or danger, and our senses include neuroception and interoception; the hidden witchy senses that tell us something is off before our thinking brain is able to interpret the information.
If a situation doesn’t feel safe due to our neurobiology, our past experiences and trauma, and the interpretation of cues coming from our neuroception and interoception, then we might very naturally procrastinate. It doesn’t feel safe for us to proceed.
This is a way of interpreting procrastination. As a safety mechanism rather than simply laziness or a deficit. It is a more neuroaffirming way of seeing why we might put something off, that invites curiousity instead of judgement.
Why we all need to stop trying to be more productive/ Why productivity isn’t the answer
Why are we all trying to be more productive? What is it that we are trying to produce? In the English language, the root of the word productive is from the mediaeval Latin productivus, meaning ‘fit for production’. And even early, circa 15th century, producere which at that time was related more to stretch out or extend.
Are we really all trying to stretch out or extend ourselves and be seen as fit to produce? It begs the question what is wrong with simply being. Or coexisting with each other with the simple purpose of finding joy in connection and coregulation. Somehow or other, our lives have become synonymous with doing things and producing stuff for the benefit of someone else making money from our labour.
That all speaks of internalised capitalism which we aren’t going into today!
Productivity isn’t the answer. If we procrastinate, there are biological answers as to why that is happening. And most of these biological responses are rooted in keeping us safe and finding connection with others.
Being productive is slowly killing us from chronic stress. And disconnecting us from nature, our nervous systems, and each other. To heal and become truly content, we could try being unproductive and letting the procrastination lead us to see where it goes.
Three takeaways for ND people who procrastinate
First, stop feeling guilty. Procrastination has a role in our lives. We may need to seek:
The right physical presence in our bodies;
The right external environment (sounds, smells, desk set up, tools, clothing);
The right approach
Thinking or processing time to consider a variety of options
Before we are ready to tackle something.
Second, get curious about why you aren’t ready to start something. Is it because:
You need to do something first before you can settle to the task you want or need to do?
The task actually isn’t important to you at all? Ask yourself if it is important to someone else (work, school), and what the consequence will be if the task isn’t completed (something at work can’t move forward, you get a detention at school)
You need to an accommodation to get the task completed or to advocate for doing it differently or not at all. Things like body doubling with someone else to get a task completed can be extremely helpful. Or a parent advocating for a child to do a reduced amount of homework or being able to complete it in a different way
Last, connect with your nervous system. Give yourself space to:
If you would like to know more about your nervous system, and learn how to support it, connect with it, and discover ways to regulate it, we are running the next cohort of our Nervous System Reset Programme. Sign up or get more information here.
Divergent Life is a private psychology and coaching service specialising in remote neuroaffirming neurodivergent assessment.
Our mission is to support neurodivergent people to flourish and thrive.
Understanding your neurobiology and how it interacts with the world around you is a basic human right. Through your neurobiology, we will help you forge a path towards relational, educational, physical, and psychological safety.
We provide diagnostic assessments, therapy, coaching, and group programmes, specialising in the experiences of neurodivergent women and men, and supporting children and families, too. We use a neuroaffirming, trauma-informed approach, getting curious with our clients about their vulnerabilities, challenges, and strengths.
We work with you to understand your diagnosis and self-identification through a trauma lens. This helps you reduce the impact of neurodivergent trauma, becoming confident and knowledgeable about your own neurobiology.
Divergent Life has a small team of specialists who work alongside Dr Offord to provide a range of therapeutic and coaching services.
Read more from Emma Offord
Emma Offord, Neuroaffirming therapist, coach, and thought-leader
Emma is a thought-leader in neuroaffirming approaches to neuro divergence diagnosis and support. She is trailblazing new ways of defining neurodivergence through the lens of giftedness and strengths. While still recognizing and validating the challenges and stigma neurodivergent people face, Emma is leading the way in dismantling societal norms associated with the medical model of disorder. She’s the founder of Divergent Life, a neuroaffirming organisation providing diagnosis, therapy, and coaching to individuals, and guidance for organisations to become neuroinclusive.
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