Many people procrastinate. People procrastinate for a variety of reasons; sometimes we just do not feel like doing something, sometimes there is something we want to do more, and sometimes we are just being lazy. No matter who you are, you have probably fought with procrastination. For people with Adult ADHD, procrastination is more than an annoying fact.
ADHD is often thought of as a childhood genetic condition. For many, childhood ADHD becomes Adult ADHD. Pychyl quoted some very interesting facts about how often childhood ADHD becomes Adult ADHD. Pychyl stated, “Figures vary depending on the source and the year of publication, but it is clear that as many as 9% of school-age children are diagnosed with ADHD. What is under-appreciated is how many adults are diagnosed with the same disorder. Again, the summary statistics vary by source, but Young (2007) reports that 40-70% of children diagnosed with ADHD will continue to struggle with the disorder as adults, and Ferrari’s & Sanders’ (2006) literature review revealed that 4-5% of adults report this is a chronic condition.”
Adult ADHD can offer procrastination an open door, an open window, and even a house with no roof in which to enter. A common symptom of Adult ADHD is the need for challenge and stimulation. Adult ADHD causes us to seek out activities that either provide challenge or stimulation. This trait can be very useful when beginning a project. The project is new and exciting. However, once the challenging and exciting part is finished then Adult ADHD causes us to seek more challenge and stimulation. This need allows procrastination an open door. Leaving many half finished projects or great ideas that never got off the ground.
Personally, many hours have been spent thinking about and trying to overcome this problem. Many times, I have had ideas for online businesses, websites, marketing campaigns, etc. Once I have outlined the idea and decided how it could be implemented, the idea gets put on to the back burner. Too often, the next time that I think about it is when I see that someone else has made money with it. I do not blame my Adult ADHD. I blame my inability to successfully manage my Adult ADHD. So how do we that have Adult ADHD manage the urge to procrastinate?
First accept that you have Adult ADHD. It is impossible to overcome any habit, without understanding what drives the habit. For instance, when I wanted to quit smoking, I had to identify why I smoked. This was not as hard as it sounds. It only required me to pay attention to what I was doing and how I was feeling when I reached for a cigarette. The same is true for procrastination. Once I accepted that my Adult ADHD symptoms left a continually open door for procrastination, then I could begin to formulate effective strategies. Once we accept that Adult ADHD offers a rapid pathway to procrastination, we can begin to identify triggers that propel us down the procrastination path.
Just because Adult ADHD makes it easier for us to procrastinate, we can identify those triggers which make procrastination likely. Just as I did when quitting smoking, pay attention to what you are doing, how you are feeling, and the task at hand when you begin to procrastinate. It is also important to note these same things when you do not procrastinate. Paying attention to the situations when you do and do not procrastinate will provide useful information about your habits.
Knowledge is only as useful as its application. Once you have identified how you feel, what you are doing, and the situations when you either did or did not procrastinate, you can compare these two lists. Comparing the two lists will provide a picture of potential triggers that cause procrastination and those that help ward it off. I realize that this may be difficult to read. I find it easier to explain when I look at a live situation. Let me share with you a situation when I have used this technique.
For instance, I love writing. I enjoy sharing my knowledge with other people and hearing their responses. Recently, I was able to land a job as an online freelance writer. However, unlike my blogs, I am not able to choose the subjects. If I am assigned a subject that I either do not know much about or are not interested in then I am very likely to procrastinate. My Adult ADHD can quickly turn this procrastination into almost a fear of starting the task and/or project. My mind move from item to item, anything to keep from working on the subject at hand.
By identifying exactly how I feel when I receive a new subject, I was able to see a pattern. It was not that I did not like the subject or did not know anything about it. That was the frustrating part. I love learning new subjects. It was that I did not know how to break the subject down. When I received an assignment such as “Ten Great Christmas Gifts For Women”, I was not sure how to break the subject down. My Adult ADHD would then start identifying everything around me that either needed to be done or would be more enjoyable.
Once I knew this about myself, I could then identify strategies to turn my Adult ADHD into my ally. Whenever I am given a new topic, I first ask myself how it relates to Adult ADHD. I thoroughly enjoy researching ADHD. It allows me to learn more about myself and how I tick. For me, Adult ADHD’s symptoms are broad enough that almost any topic can be related.
Soon into these research sessions, I find that my Adult ADHD moves from being an annoyance to being an ally. My love for Adult ADHD propels me to continue researching any links between the new subject and Adult ADHD. My mind begins throwing up topice after topic related to my search. With few exceptions, these topics will yield the golden nugget necessary to complete my writing assignment.
Adult ADHD is not a simple condition like cancer or diabetes. Adult ADHD is made up of symptoms from many different categories. A person receives an Adult ADHD diagnosis by showing several of the symptoms including trouble with organization, paying attention, finishing a task, etc. These symptoms must also rise to the level of interfering with daily living. Adult ADHD’s broad range of symptoms makes it difficult to address everyone’s needs. However, whether you have Adult ADHD or not, the strategies outlined here will help you identify why you procrastinate and help avoid future procrastination.
