Procrastination, defined as the voluntary yet irrational delay of intended tasks and actions despite awareness of likely negative outcomes, is arguably the most common complaint among adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Research suggests thatup to 95% of adults with ADHD chronically struggle with completing tasks and responsibilities in a timely way, which significantly impairs occupational, academic, financial, and interpersonal functioning.
The high prevalence of procrastinationsigns among the ADHD populationlikely stems from the underlying neurological deficits inexecutive functioning skillssuch as organization, prioritization,working memory, andimpulse control.
These areas of cognitive dysfunction, combined with problemsregulating negative emotions, make it extremely difficult for adults with ADHD to get started, stay focused, and push through to complete tasks that seem boring, challenging, or anxiety-provoking.
Instead, those with ADHD tend to continually delay responsible duties in favor of pursuing more instantly pleasurable activities – often resulting in last-minute rushed efforts to meet deadlines or forgetting responsibilities altogether.
This article explores various reasons for procrastination in adult ADHD as well as science-based strategies to improve productivity and functioning.
What is Procrastivity?
Procrastivity refers to the common phenomenon where an individual makes plans to engage in high-priority responsibilities needed to reach a goal but instead engages in less urgent activities when faced with following through.
For example:
These procrastivity tasks, although useful, divert time and mental resources away from more pressing tasks, also known as “self-defeating productivity.”
Adults with ADHD frequently fall into traps of procrastivity when they hit mental barriers with primary tasks. By examining what makes procrastivity endeavors feel more readily achievable despite being lower priorities, strategies can be generated to help pivot focus back to main tasks.
Facets That Make Procrastivity Appealing
There are several elements that seem to make putting off high-priority tasks for procrastivity tasks appealing:
Familiarity –Procrastivity tasks often involve well-practiced routines around manual, clerical activities like household chores rather than new learning. Higher priority tasks usually require more cognitively demanding mental focus. Familiarity signifies competence.
Clarity –Procrastivity tasks appear simpler with clearer cause-and-effect chains. There is less uncertainty about the time, effort, and process required to complete procrastivity tasks compared to more complex priorities.
Actionability –Because procrastivity tasks tend to involve repetitive physical actions, there is a clear sense of being able to take the next step that spurs engagement. Less familiar primary tasks often lack obvious starting points.
Progress –Incremental progress tends to be easier to visually track with procrastivity tasks, creating a sense of momentum. Primary tasks often involve delayed results after sustained effort.
Endpoints –Procrastivity tasks usually have a defined stopping point, allowing a sense of accomplishment and closure within a foreseeable timeline. Necessary priorities seem endless.
These facets make putting less important things first feel more within reach. Using these features as a blueprint when tackling necessary tasks can help pivot behavior.
ADHD and Chronic Procrastination
There are multiple overlapping ADHD difficulties that set the stage for chronic struggles with procrastination. The most commonly cited reasons include:
Executive Dysfunction
Emotional Dysregulation
Impulsiveness
These ADHD deficits typically do not resolve fully with age; in fact, research indicates executive functioning impairments actually expand through the transition into adulthood.
Young adults report dramatic struggles when adolescents’ external supports around time and priorities fall away in college or independent living.
Impact on Functioning
When left unaddressed, chronic procrastination can snowball, creating cumulative problems across major domains of functioning. Common problematic outcomes include:
In summation, chronic procrastination for those with ADHD has deleterious downstream effects that cascade across nearly all major life areas, severely reducing overall wellness and quality of life.
Methods to Overcome ADHD Procrastination
Establishing structure around how time and priorities are managed is essential to mitigate chronic procrastination. However, due to the neurological basis of executive functioning deficits in ADHD, purely behavioral interventions are rarely sustainable.
Combining cognitive andemotional regulation skillswith external compensations typically has the best outcomes.
Environmental Supports
Because adults with ADHD often have limited introspective awareness around time passing and how on or off task they are, external sound, visual, and tactile cues are vital prompts to pivot focus. Options include:
If you work at a desk, you could put post-it notes of tasks you need to do around your monitor screen. This way, they are always in your line of sight, and you can physically remove the post-it note once the task has been completed.
Light Physical Anchors
Simple physical sensations can serve as useful anchors indicating needing to initiate a new task or shift back to work mode. For example:
Accountability Partners
Connecting with others helps to galvanize follow-through on difficult tasks. Useful approaches involve:
Managing Cognitive and Emotional Barriers
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniquescould equip individuals with ways to dismantle mental roadblocks both before and as they arise:
Prepare for Common Rationalizations
Address Perfectionism
Reframe Tasks as Accomplishable
Set Process Goals Over Outcome Goals
Allow Flexibility with Task Routines
Anticipate Emotional Triggers
Apply Emotion Regulation Tactics
Self-Compassion Over Self-Criticism
When setbacks occur, frame lapses matter-of-factly as information gaining about personal productively patterns rather than evidence of personal inadequacy. Analyze context clues about barriers that arose and problem-solve adjustments. Each brief re-start back to duties after distraction builds self-regulatory strength.
ADHD coachCaren Magill encourages us to reflect on why exactly we want to complete certain tasks:
“Forcing yourself to do things is something we all have to do in life to some degree, but there’s a lot of things we force ourselves to do that are unnecessary or that we just think other people want us to do or that we think we should do to be a good person and it’s really good to question those things.”
“How badly do you really want this thing?… If you were to just put it down and walk away, how would that make you feel inside? Does that give you a little sense of freedom, or does it give you a sense of self-betrayal?”
Weekly rhythms
One of the key strategies thatKaren McGill recommendsfor improving productivity and overcoming procrastination is establishing aweekly rhythmor routine.
This involves assigning specific tasks or activities to each day of the week, creating a consistent structure that reduces decision fatigue and cognitive load.
Implementing a Weekly Routine:
By implementing a weekly rhythm or routine, individuals with ADHD can create an external structure that supports their productivity, reduces cognitive load, and helps them progress towards their goals more consistently.
Cultivating Positive Motivation and Self-Efficacy
Adults with ADHD don’t just face challenges with organization and handling mental and emotional obstacles when doing tasks. They also deal with constant tiredness, embarrassment, and negative views of themselves because of their ongoing struggles. These issues can really hurt their motivation as time goes on.
It’s crucial for them to purposely develop more positive attitudes, take responsibility, and look for proof that goes against thoughts like “I’ll never be able to change.” Doing this is absolutely necessary to make progress.
1. Set Activity Level Goals Not Outcome Goals
2. Collect Accountability Data
Keeping track of how you carry out small steps in a task gives you solid evidence against dramatic, emotional beliefs that you’re incapable of reaching your goals. Basic notes about bits of work you did can disprove devastating thoughts like “I can never follow through” that crush your motivation.
When you have setbacks, think of them as chances to practice rather than signs that you’re fundamentally flawed. Talk to yourself in a way that emphasizes how mistakes are unavoidable for everyone, not proof that you have unfixable personal failings.
Think about whether you would tell your best friend there was something inherently wrong with them if they forgot something. Hopefully, you wouldn’t – so try to afford yourself the same kindness.
3. Reconnect With Core Values
Frequently reminding yourself how boring tasks connect to your core values and principles can give you a boost of energy to keep going, especially during dull parts of big projects. Putting up quotes, pictures, and other physical reminders linked to those deeper meanings is a good way to keep that sense of purpose alive.
4. Ongoing Skill Development and Relapse Prevention
Difficulties with mental skills like planning and organization, along with trouble making good habits automatic, both play a role in the ongoing back-and-forth pattern of challenges with following through for adults who have ADHD. This happens even when they truly want to change their behavior and are trying their best.
Completely accepting the reality that progress will involve taking two steps forward and one step back because of how ADHD affects the brain helps build emotional resilience to keep going. Thoughtfully looking at occasional slips for chances to do better gives a sense of control, rather than feeling helpless and giving up.
5. Expect Setbacks But Stay the Course
Accepting as a neutral fact that your organizational strategies and self-control methods for managing ADHD will sometimes fail or get blocked can help you keep going after a frustrating procrastination setback, instead of completely giving up on your approach.
Giving yourself a tiny, kind pep talk before refocusing cuts down on feelings of shame. When you’re overwhelmed with too much to do, take a quick pause and choose the smallest, simplest part to start with. This is the key turning point to get back into your work flow and prevent a full ADHD relapse.
6. Refine But Don’t Reinvent After Stumbles
Instead of seeing occasional failures to use helpful strategies as a sign that your entire approach is fatally flawed, investigate to figure out specific weak points that need improvement.
Typical issues include not having good enough reminders, trying to do too much work before getting tired, and spaces that don’t fit well with the type of task.
Looking for ways to strengthen the structure you already have in place can help you maintain your strategies over the long run.
7. Probing for Patterns Actively Curbs Relapse Triggers
Purposely taking notes on details surrounding procrastination setbacks reveals patterns about situations where you have the most trouble, and the kinds of obstacles that happen most often.
Writing down the goals you put off, the distracting activities that steal your attention, and the thoughts, emotions and life circumstances that go along with them gives valuable info. You can use these insights to improve your coping strategies.
The notes are also powerful tools to help you ask for better accommodations at work or school and more understanding from people in your life. Showing that you’re aware of how ADHD gets in your way tells others that it’s about brain differences, not lack of effort or caring.
8. Meaningfully Connecting With Community
Intentionally talking about helpful lessons from your wins, setbacks, and self-advocacy with other neurodivergent communities fights feelings of being alone and shows that your struggles are normal.
Connecting over relatable experiences creates opportunities for accountability buddies. Sharing motivating examples of people who are doing well and living creatively despite similar difficulties with mental skills like planning and focus pushes back against stigma and shame from society’s stereotypes.
These stories are uplifting and teach strategies for turning goals and dreams into reality when you have executive functioning challenges.
Conclusion
In summary:
These kinds of difficulties with day-to-day functioning are really common, so it’s important to be kind to yourself about them.
Figuring out what obstacles you’re likely to face ahead of time helps you feel more in control. It lets you break your goals down into doable steps, even though how your brain works can get in the way sometimes.
References
Altgassen, M., Scheres, A., & Edel, M. A. (2019). Prospective memory (partially) mediates the link between ADHD symptoms and procrastination.ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders,11, 59-71.https://doi.org/10.1007/s12402-018-0273-x
Bolden, J., & Fillauer, J. P. (2020). “Tomorrow is the busiest day of the week”: Executive functions mediate the relation between procrastination and attention problems.Journal of American College Health,68(8), 854-863.https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2019.1626399
Oguchi, M., Takahashi, T., Nitta, Y., & Kumano, H. (2021). The moderating effect of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms on the relationship between procrastination and internalizing symptoms in the general adult population.Frontiers in Psychology,12, 708579.https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.708579
Ramsay, J. R. (2017). The relevance of cognitive distortions in the psychosocial treatment of adult ADHD.Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 48(1), 62–69.https://doi.org/10.1037/pro0000101
Ramsay, J. R. (2020). Cognitive interventions in action: Common issues in cognitive behavior therapy for adult ADHD. In J. R. Ramsay,Rethinking adult ADHD: Helping clients turn intentions into actions(pp. 87–123). American Psychological Association.https://doi.org/10.1037/0000158-006
Saul McLeod, PhD
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester
Saul McLeod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.
Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education
Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.
