Practical Steps for Tackling Procrastination
By Mara Dauber, M.Ed., ADHD Coach
At some point in the first handful of meetings with a new client, I will get the question “how do I learn to stop procrastinating?” My answer is usually not very satisfying. “It’s complicated.”
Here’s the unfortunate truth. Procrastination is actually a strategy. And a surprisingly effective one when there is a strong deadline in place. This strategy relies on the power of urgency, using deadline pressure to create an environment in which focus and motivation feel easier to access. For some ADHDers, deadline pressure can induce ‘hyperfocus,’ or ‘getting into the flow.’ In short, procrastination is a strategy that can create an environment that can actually be supportive of getting things done.
The problem is the cost. Rushing up against a deadline creates stress and anxiety. Usually not only for the person doing the rushing, but also for the people around them.
Those lovely brain chemicals that crank things up and get the job done? Adrenaline and cortisol. The ones our brain uses in survival mode, when in extreme distress, or experiencing stress. Too much adrenaline and cortisol, too often = big, bad health impacts.
And what about if there isn’t even a deadline? What if that thing I’m procrastinating on is something I just want to do for myself and I just literally never do it?
Here are four practical steps you can use to break out of procrastination:
1) Give yourself a little grace.
It is a habit, and likely a deeply ingrained one. Untangling it takes time and patience. I have yet to find a ‘quick fix’…
2) Make sense of why you are procrastinating.
This requires one of my favorite executive functioning skills: metacognition. Metacognition is going to allow you to reflect on your behaviors and make sense of what is working and what isn’t. This can happen through conversation, intentional thought, journaling, whatever your preferred form of self-reflection is. Ask yourself questions like:
What is getting in my way of starting sooner?
What have I been doing instead of ________?
What is it about this particular task that is making it so tricky to get started on?
Here are some of the root causes of procrastination you might encounter in your reflection. Not all of them, just the greatest hits.
The task is boring, lengthy, or repetitive
The task is intimidating or you don’t know where to start
You feel like you don’t have it in you
3) Brainstorm ideas for how you might do things differently.
The key executive functioning skill here? Mental flexibility. Let’s consider the common root causes listed above.
🧠 Strategies for “The task is boring, lengthy, or repetitive”
✨ Make it shiny by adding in something that can engage you while you do the boring thing (i.e. watching a YouTube while brushing teeth)
👬 Chunk down the lengthy thing - aim for a first step that takes 15 min or less - and tell someone else about your first and when you’ll do it (this is the closest I could get to an “accountabilabuddy emoji”)
🪙 Start a rewards system with an immediate ‘win’ (i.e. right after you do the thing)
❗Bonus❗Watch this YouTube for more ideas.
🧠 Strategies for “The task is intimidating or you don’t know where to start”
📢 Could be avoidance! Tackle it with transparency and shed some light on the avoidance monster. Learn everything you can! Tell a friend or family member what you are avoiding! Make it known!
🧠 Strategies for “You feel like you don’t have it in you”
🔋 Could be energy management! Consider your own energy needs and changes as well as how you might change the time of day or when in the week you are trying to get this thing done.
🗓️ Carve out specific time for the first step of your task (with your energy needs in mind). Put it on the calendar, tell someone…make it real, not in your head!
🧠 Can you think of any other strategies that might work for you?
4) Pick one strategy to try and commit to an amount of time to try it.
Emphasis on ONE. Don’t hesitate to do these steps more than once! Or to change up your approach as your needs evolve or old ways stop working. You got this!
TL;DR: Procrastination is a deeply ingrained habit that can take time to untangle. By following these four steps, you can shed light on why you are procrastinating and what might help you do things differently.
Mara Dauber, M.Ed.
About the Author
Mara Dauber, M.Ed. is an educator and executive functioning coach who has been at the Hallowell Todaro ADHD Center for over two years. She enjoys working with her clients to slow down, address barriers to their success, and push hard towards their goals. Over the course of the last 10 years, Mara has worked in educational settings with everyone from infants to adults and currently works with clients of all ages. She is passionate about affirming strengths, encouraging self reflection, and working with clients to develop skills and strategies to support positive growth. Her specialties include executive functioning coaching, academic coaching, and social and emotional skill development. When Mara is not working, she is learning new things (the current new thing is woodworking with an emphasis on power tools), reading, or spending time with her friends and family.
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