How ADHDers Use Productive Procrastination
Is it still procrastinating is you’re being productive?
Well, technically yes.
See procrastination isn’t just scrolling through TikTok instead of scanning your recent receipts to send to your accountant. It’s also procrastination if you’re doing the dishes to avoid scanning your recent receipts to send to your accountant.
Yes, the dishes do need to get done.
But if you are being productive doing the dishes in order to avoid some other task that really and truly does need your attention, chances are you are experiencing productive procrastination or “procrastivity” as coined by Dr. Russell Ramsey.
Procrastivity happens when you combine “procrastination + a non-essential activity”
And I’d be willing to bet dollars to donuts that if you’re an ADHDer, you’ve procrastivated a time or 763 in your life.
Shoot, I procrastivated today…Just as I was sitting down to right this, my husband sent me a text asking me to get the water off the sun shade over our pergola at some point today.
And I decided that some point was right that minute.
But as with all things ADHD, just because we do it doesn’t mean there aren’t strategies to overcome it. And overcoming procrastivity can be important if our lack of progress or task completion impacts our jobs, our productivity, or our relationships.
So let’s discuss why it is that those of us with ADHD procrastivate and some tips for helping us take action on tasks when we really don’t want to.
ADHD and Productive Procrastination
In order to understand why we procrastivate, we need to take a second to review how ADHD impacts our task initiation abilities.
Brains rely on dopamine uptake to fuel executive function.
And ADHD brains have spotty dopamine uptake.
Sometimes we have plenty…like when we start a new hobby or plan a vacation.
And other times it is like pulling teeth to get our task initiation on board to do anything. In fact, we may even opt to have our teeth pulled over doing some of these activities we are resisting.
Which brings us to today’s topic of procrastivity…doing something that does technically need to be done but choosing to do it in order to avoid something else we don’t want to do.
And why is it that we choose certain tasks over others when we procrastivate? Well, there’s a couple theories…
Tasks have a low barrier to entry - These tasks are typically not hard to get started and are less cognitively demanding. Think mowing the lawn or doing the dishes. There are clear steps and you know what to do, so you don’t have to recreate the wheel or solve a problem to get them done. These tasks also tend to be physical so they require less mental stress.
Tasks have an end point - When the lawn is mowed, you can see it’s done. When the dishes are done, the sink is clear. But when you write one email, there is inevitably another email that you will have to write whether it’s to that same person or someone else. So there isn’t really a clear end point. Because seeing an end point or knowing a task is complete means…
Tasks have a sense of reward and making progress - Neurotypical or not, our brains are hardwired to seek out behaviors that release dopamine. And completing a task releases dopamine. Making progress and earning your dopamine reward is harder to measure with intellectual tasks like paying the bills, doing your taxes, or writing an email, which may contribute to us leaning toward tasks that will give us that boost.
Alright, so you may be thinking “I understand WHY it is that I use procrastivity to do some tasks while avoiding others, but what can I do about it”.
Well, here you go…
Tips to Overcome Your Productive Procrastination Tendencies
To start, know that there is going to be a fair amount of self-motivation and maybe even a bit of brain rewiring involved in getting past your procrastivity tendencies.
But thanks to neuroplasticity, we have the ability to learn, adapt, and change based on experiences.
Despite the saying “you can teach an old dog new tricks”.
The process of learning and practicing something new, like no longer using productive procrastination to avoid priority tasks, actually changes your brain AND those new neural pathways will get stronger every time you use them.
So when you use the following strategies to make progress or complete a task you’ve been avoiding, those neural pathways become stronger.
How Breaking Tasks Down Helps with ADHD Procrastination
I know I sound like a broken record but if it ain’t broke don’t fix it (how’s that for mixing metaphors?!?) But seriously, sometimes our resistance to starting a task is because it feels big or time & energy consuming.
But focus on a part or small portion of that task, it may be easier for us to complete.
For instance, instead of your to-do list saying “create a new website”, you would have tasks like “brainstorm pages for new website”, “outline home page”, or “choose photos of myself.”
Not only have we now made the tasks seem less big and scary, but we have taken a task that feels big and open ended like creating a website and broken into tasks with clear end points. Another way to create clear end points…
How Setting a Start & Stop Goal Helps with ADHD Procratination
Remember, your brain is looking for completion of a goal in order to get that sweet, sweet dopamine reward.
Alas, if the project is so big that you can’t complete it, you aren’t going to get that reward and it may be harder for you to motivate yourself to start.
But what if the goal is to work on said task or project for a specific amount of time versus until completion.
Working through the time you’ve set aside means you earn the reward for “accomplishing” your goal. Reaching the time limit creates the end point versus the task completion.
How Celebrating All Your Progress Helps with ADHD Procrastination
Spend some time reviewing what you actually DID accomplish at the end of work session or day versus focusing solely on what you didn’t do.
Focusing on the negative starts to solidify a negativity bias in your brain around this task or type of task impacting what you think you can and can’t accomplish.
(Remember we talked about neural pathways??? It can work for negativity too!)
On the flip side, if you celebrate your progress on writing a blog post you’ve been putting off or making a follow up phone call you’ve been avoiding, you create and strengthen a positive neural pathway associated with that activity that will help your brain associate that task with positivity, reward, and dopamine in the future.
How Creating a Launch Sequence Helps with ADHD Procrastination
Part of the reason it is easier for you to take action on a task like doing the laundry is because you know the steps and what to expect.
And yes, not every load of laundry is going to be exactly the same, but the run up to the action…gathering the dirty clothes in a basket, taking it to the washing machine, putting it in the machine, etc are going to be similar each time.
That is your launch sequence.
You can also create a launch sequence to signal to your brain “we’re getting ready to write” or “it’s time to reply to emails”.
I think this quote from ADHD Coach Penny Kennedy about task initiation sums this idea up perfectly.
“Think of your task as a block you need a ramp to get to: What do you need to do to get prepared and move into doing the task? For writing, this could be setting up your workspace - opening the laptop, getting sticky notes, pens, and a drink ready. Open a new document and make a cover page. For taxes. it might be collecting relevant paperwork, putting it on your desk, and adding details to forms. ”
What sort of launch sequence could you create to signal to your brain “it’s time to do this!”?
How to Use Accountability to Get Over Your ADHD Motivational Hurdle
Body doubling is a great form of accountability when you’ve got tasks you’re avoiding. In a typical session, whether with a group or 1-to-1, you state what you plan to work on during the session.
That gives you a bit of obligation (to the other participants) along with your clear start and end points to help you work on or complete a task you’re avoiding.
Other forms of accountability could include telling a friend or family member that you plan to work on a certain task at certain time and asking them to check in on you.
Or you could hire an accountability coach like me to help you prioritize your task list, decide when to work on each task or project, and then have me follow up to check in on your progress.
If you’re interested in discussing how I may be able to help you overcome your ADHD procrastination hurdles, schedule a free, no-obligation clarity call with me to discuss how my programs could help you initiate tasks so you can see the success you know is possible.
