How to Not Procrastinate When Task Avoidance Strikes
An anti-procrastination plan for ADHD brains.
The ADHD recipe for procrastination goes like this: Take a task you find hopelessly overwhelming, unpleasant, effortful, and/or boring. Combine it with ambiguity and far-off consequences. Mix in emotional dysregulation, perfectionist tendencies, and executive function difficulties. Sprinkle in a little rationalizing and, voilà, you are dishing out major avoidance.
If you know what it takes to procrastinate, then you also know, in effect, what it takes to not procrastinate. With some reverse-engineering and creativity, you can concoct an anti-procrastination formula to realistically outmaneuver your unique escapist tendencies. Get started with this three-part plan.
1. Reverse-Engineer ADHD Procrastivity
Procrastivity happens when you avoid a higher-priority task by escaping to a less-critical yet still productive task.
While a self-defeating endeavor, procrastivity can teach you how to not procrastinate. After all, you’re still being productive when you do it — just not in ways that benefit your long-term goals.
[Self-Test: How Seriously Do You Procrastinate?]
There’s a reason you choose to mow the lawn when you’re really supposed to be doing your taxes. The key features of most procrastivity-friendly tasks make them easy to slip into. Apply those features to the tasks you’ve been avoiding in order to help you get started and maintain momentum.
| Procrastivity Elements | Applied to Dreaded Tasks |
|---|---|
| The task is manual, mindless, and/or sequential in nature. | Create a checklist or sequence for your task. Build up to the hard stuff.
|
| The task has start and end points, or clear boundaries. | Define the task’s scope.
|
| The task has a “when” and “where.” | Define a time and place to do the task.
|
| The task has clear markers of progress and is easy to return to. | Use “if/when X then Y” implementation statements.
|
2. Embrace the “Ugh”
Procrastination arises from unpleasant feelings (the “ugh”) associated with a task, which is much more difficult to tolerate with ADHD.
Overcoming procrastination, however, is not about eliminating discomfort. (Realistically, you won’t be excited about every task you’ll do.) While some steps can reduce overwhelm and create more positive thoughts, navigating procrastination is really about normalizing the “ugh.”
- Label the unpleasant feeling associated with the task. Be specific. Say, “This is my ‘I hate doing taxes’ stress coming up.” Labeling emotions lowers their intensity.
- You will never be in the mood to do it. And that’s OK. Waiting until you feel like it or until circumstances are just right to act is a form of perfectionism. Remind yourself that you don’t have to be discomfort-free to get started and keep going.
- It may go better than you think. You’re anticipating that spending 10 minutes engaged with the task will be awful or useless, but you won’t know until you try.
- Beware of woulda, coulda, shoulda thoughts. Don’t beat yourself up about not starting sooner. Give yourself credit for where you are. Some progress on a task is still better than none.
- Coach yourself through it. Say aloud, “Okay, [name], you just need to open the book first. Then it’s two pages of reading. Yes, it sucks, but you can still read despite your discomfort. You know you’ll feel so much better after you do it.” Trust your ability to keep going and stick to your plan even when the task feels tougher than anticipated.
[Free Download: 18 ADHD-Friendly Ways to Get Things Done]
3. Leverage Your Why
Think hard about your reasons for working on a task you’ve been avoiding — a powerful way to build and maintain momentum. Consider keeping these prompts in highly visible places to remind you why you don’t want to procrastinate:
- “I want to get this done so I can ______.”
- “Why does this task matter to me? Why do I want to do it in the first place?”
- “How does this task align with my personal role(s)?”
- “How does this task align with my values?”
Sometimes you get results with the carrot (positive reinforcement), and sometimes you get results with the stick (negative consequences). If spite — whether you’re out to prove someone wrong or avoid consequences — motivates you, use it to your advantage to avoid procrastination. Take inspiration from the following examples:
- “If I don’t finish writing my report on time, I will publicly announce on social media that I didn’t meet my deadline.”
- “If I don’t finish filing my taxes by the end of the week, I will donate $50 to a political candidate with whom I strongly disagree.”
- If I don’t finish outlining this project proposal by noon, I will wear my rival team’s jersey to work tomorrow.”
How to Not Procrastinate: Next Steps
- Free Download: The Eisenhower Matrix for ADHD Decision-Making
- Read: Stop Dodging That Dreaded Task! 9 Ways to Halt Avoidance Procrastination
- Read: “Am I Tricking Myself into Thinking Busy = Productive?”
- Read: How Do I Prioritize Tasks and Chores on My To-Do List?
The content for this article was derived from the ADDitude ADHD Experts webinar titled, “Unraveling ADHD Procrastivity: How to Outsmart Procrastination and Improve Productivity” [Video Replay & Podcast #501] with J. Russell Ramsay, Ph.D., which was broadcast on April 18, 2024.
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