Who of us doesn’t procrastinate? It’s a common enough trait in just about everyone, luckily for many it’s only a minor irritating habit. But for us ADHD-ers we’ve managed to elevate procrastinating to an art form, albeit an entrenched & damaging one.
As my son likes to say “I am not procrastinating Mum; I’m just waiting till I’m older and wiser to begin.”That’s cute & funny, but also has some truth to it.
It sucks to always be procrastinating, it causes us stress, incurs fines, drops grades, affects our relationships. It almost never turns out well, but still we do it. Sadly we seem sort of powerless over our propensity towards it…
Does this description sound like you? Or someone you know? Then you’re probably fed up with this debilitating habit too…& I’d be willing to bet you’d love to learn how to change this seemingly unchangeable & damaging trait… If that’s true, then please read on!
No Quick Fixes
Firstly, in order to deal with this problem effectively & long term, you need to understand the underlying causes…Or:
“Once you understand the What, you understand the How
So with that aim let me give you an overview of the more common causes, then we can get into some Steps to alleviate them. In this blog, we’re going to get laser focused & zoom in on a couple of theBig Causes. That’ll give you some immediate tools/knowledge to take away & start using today!
The Primary Cause of Procrastinating in ADHD.
There’s a reasonable explanation for much of the Procrastination in people with ADHD, & a lot of it is caused by the ‘Manager’ part of the brain, which is in charge of: Organizing, Planning, Motivation, Initiation, Focus, Prioritizing, Self awareness, Inhibiting & Initiation
But in ADHD brains, this ‘Manager’ piece is seriously slacking off… (Short of Neuro-transmitters to get scientific) To compare; In a neuro-typical brain these chemicals are available in a constant supply, giving them undiluted access to these skills. Wow! That must be nice!
Some Secondary Causes of Procrastination.
If after you’ve dealt with the Primary Causes & still find you’re Procrastinating, maybe one of the following culprits is to blame:
- Hidden negative beliefs, Assumptions , Conflict in Commitment, Perfectionism, Overwhelm, Lack of Clarity, NoPrioritization, The goal is too large, No deadline, No accountability, No time (Real or imagined)
The really great news is that no matter the cause (Primary or Secondary) the solutions are all the same.
So today I’m going to focus in on two of the most Common Causes.I’m choosing these two because the solutions for them are often the same as for many of the other causes. So you’re kind of getting a ‘two-fer’…
Two Common Causes of Procrastination:
Overwhelm
Without the brain’s ‘Manager’ sorting & organizing information (on the way in) So to speak, people with ADHD will often perceive some multi step tasks to be too big, too vague and/or too complicated. This view or perception results in Overwhelm. Meaning: They feel overpowered/submerged in thought or feeling,or in other words… Total mental shut down!
Perfectionism
Many people with ADHD are perfectionists.
Partners or parents of people with ADHD are often surprised to learn that perfectionism is a trait of ADHD. They say, “How can he /she be a perfectionist & be so untidy?”
But it’s their perfectionism which causes them to have such lofty aspirations that they literally talk themselves out of their ‘So-perfect-it’s-gonna-take-me-way-way-too-long-tasks,” before they even begin!
I ‘ve done this myself many times & I know too well how it puts an end to great ideas & projects at a great personal cost.
Which is why nowadays, my new favourite mantra is:
Done is better than Perfect! (from, Sheryl Sandberg. CFO & Author of Lean in)
Now you understand more about the “What” let’s get into some of the “Hows”. These Tools/Steps primarily work on Overwhelm & Perfection. But they’re adaptable enough & do double-duty on many other Causes
4 Steps or Tools to Stop your Procrastinating;
Step 1. Mind map/ Rough Plan or Rough Draft
What to do;
Take out your big coloured pens, flip charts &/or white board & begin to get all your ideas (or the steps &/or parts) of the task or project down on paper. Making sure to keep it loose & ‘rough ‘ in free flowing style or by using my personal favourite tool; The Mind map.
The Benefits;
This step is all about breaking down the task to reduce Overwhelm & emerging in a more manageable & clarified place. It also helps you to get out of your own way to silence the ADHD perfectionist. ( it’s tough to get too granular with a sharpie)
Quick added fact: More than 70% of ADHD-ers are Visual learners, so this kind of approach is perfect for us.
Step 2. Plan/Prioritize.
What to do;
After a few hours or possibly days after making your Mind map/rough draft. Return to it again & loosely prioritize by going in & numbering the steps/parts in a logical sequence
The Benefits
Having your rough draft/ mind map set down in such a visual way, you can clearly ‘see’ how to prioritize & sequence (Mimicking your brains Manager) This allows you to Clarify, Break down, Prioritize & Sequence
Once you have done those two steps you will already begin to feel a release of excitement & an increase in Motivation.
Step 3. Make a ‘Start on the Parts.’
What to do;
Make a start on the first step of the sequenced plan you made in step 2.
If you get stuck here, my suggestion is to use a timer & set a more reasonable time frame to spend on the task. Setting a much lower time frame than you would usually. Then go back as often as needed & repeat this step to complete…
The Benefits
By spending less time & using timers, you increase your innate ADHD ‘sprinter’ type of motivation & initiation, making it a much more likely you will be successful & so easier to approach & finish. Also this approach is more fun/motivating & again you’re limiting the opportunities for Perfectionism & Overwhelm to get a foothold.
- Accountability.
What to do:
Arrange for someone to check in on you on Specific days & timesfor milestones on your progress. Importantly, it should be someone who’s opinion you value, & not someone who’s judgmental or negative. (A Coach is a great accountability partner)
Benefits.
ADHD-ers often do very badly at tough tasks/projects where no deadline is set. So this step alone will dramatically increase motivation, & also by having less time to ponder & ruminate it also reduces the opportunity for perfectionism.
Having a Coach to teach your teen these skills
If your teen, or possibly a student you know has procrastination issues, you might like to know that I teach a lot of these tips & habits in my 5 week Organizing program called Organizing 101.
See my events page on the website to find out when the next one begins!
Finally I’d love to hear what some of you have found out about your Procrastination? The ADHD adults, parents & teens in my life always amaze me with their creative approaches to their problems… So please share some of yours with us.
Have you already found some of your underlying Causes? If so, what were they? & how did that knowledge change things for you?