The heart of the matter: PROCRASTINATION!

I do a weekly online radio show with another ADHD coach called "ask the ADHD Coaches",  (if you're interested in hearing any of the shows you can click here for our page on Blog Talk Radio).   Today we were discussing procrastination, and as often happens when you're talking about something the thought occurred to me that I typically experience three different kinds of procrastination.   I wanted to post on the subject and add a little more detail than I had time to do during a fifteen minute podcast.  Most of what I'm going to detail here relates to personal experience, but I'm fairly sure this will resonate with other people with ADHD and those that love them, or are frustrated by them as the case may be.

As anyone with ADHD knows procrastination is the absolute heart of the matter when it comes to the challenges of daily life.  I can think of a thousand examples from my personal life about how procrastination has made my life difficult, angered people I care about, caused me tremendous stress, and has led to what is likely thousands of dollars in money lost to things like late fees, bounced check fees, interest charges, and missed opportunities.  As you can see these are significant impacts.  One of the most vexing aspects of ADHD is impairment of task initiation regardless of how simple that task may seem.  Just because it's easy to go to the video store and return that DVD, doesn't mean it happens when it should.

So what are the three kinds of procrastination?  Let's take a look at each:

1. Procrastination because you don't know how to start: You may be assigned a project at work, or an assignment at school, or may simply need to handle something related to your personal life.  Every time you think about whatever it is you feel lost.  You're not sure what the process is you should follow, and you may not even be sure who to ask.  People with ADHD need structure.  If the directions are vague, the looked for results unclear, or the hoped for end product isn't understood there is an excellent likelihood that whatever thing this is won't get done very well.  Actually, there's a damn good chance it won't get done at all.

2. Procrastination because you don't know where to start: Sometimes an assignment or project is absolutely clear, but the size and scope are overwhelming.  People with ADHD have a hard time planning and prioritizing.  For example, I want to clean out my basement, but every time I go down there, it's such a mess that I can't even begin to work on it.  I just don't have a clue what to do with everything.  This happens to a lot of people.  They know they need to work on a report, and they know the parameters of the assignment, but the scope of it just undermines their ability to plan out a strategy to accomplish the task.

3. Procrastination because you don't know when to start: Time is a very tricky thing for people with ADHD.  We simply have no idea how long something will take, or how much time has passed at any given moment.  You may feel you have all sorts of time to accomplish a home repair project.  Unfortunately, you didn't account for the time it would take to get all the materials, find all your tools, and the fact that your kids have activities you need to drive them too.  You also forgot your in-laws were coming over for dinner.  Suddenly that eight hour window you thought you had dwindled to two hours.  Failing to account for and understand all the demands on our time can lead to starting things far too late, or assuming certain tasks can be accomplished in far less time then they require.

As you can see, procrastination takes many forms.  It's not one thing every time.  I also want to emphasize that it's not because you are lazy, inconsiderate or irresponsible either, but I'm sure plenty of people would like to ascribe it to that.  Procrastination is the end result of difficulties with Executive Functioning in the brain.

My advice: recognize your limitations in terms of time.  If you have been assigned a task, break it down into small manageable pieces with due dates for each.  If the parameters or goals of an assignment are  unclear make sure you have a standard disclaimer about needing specifics in order to achieve good results, and make sure you ask a lot of questions about what will be needed and what resources are available for you.  Finally, keep a day timer or online calendar that notes all of your commitments.  Budget time for travel to and from places.  Schedule appointments to accomplish mundane tasks like laundry.  Finally, find someone you trust who can be your center of accountability for keeping to your plans.  Make sure that person isn't judgmental or angry about it, but let them know that you appreciate them keeping you honest and pointing out when you're getting off track.

Procrastination is tough, and it's going to take some time to  build new habits to combat it.  But, in order to have a better life you have to start doing things differently today.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to start on my basement!