Part 2: How ADHD Adults Can Stop Procrastinating and Follow Through

Procrastination is quite possibly the number one challenge adults with ADHD have when they reach out to me for support. 

They often will say, “I know what I need to do. I’m just not doing it.” Sometimes that is followed by, “I just need someone to force me.”

Since they’re talking to me, the underlying assumption is that I might be the person to do this. I’m definitely not! It’s just not the way I roll.

And while I definitely get the impulse to think that might be the key, if truth be told, I don’t know any ADHD adults who respond well to force. I bet it wouldn’t work for you either, right?

Thankfully, there are more creative strategies you can try to stop procrastinating and get back on track.

Why Do ADHD Adults Procrastinate?

But before trying to figure out how to stop procrastinating, you’ll want to identify why you’re procrastinating. Otherwise, you may end up using a hammer when you really need a screwdriver. 

You know what I mean.  

So, I’d suggest checking out Part 1: Why Do ADHD Adults Procrastinate? and then coming back here for possible solutions.

Decide What Should Be On Your Active Task List

This first suggestion may surprise you. But hang with me.

I know right now you have a long to-do list, whether it’s in one place, scattered in several places, or just rambling about in your head. And because you know you have more to do than you can do, you may be reticent to actually put all your to-dos in one place so you can see them.

But if you think you’re procrastinating on something right now, that’s exactly what you need to do. 

Then the next thing to do is to unpack what may currently function as more of a wish list by drilling down and deciding which tasks: 

• need to be on your active list,  ones that really need to be done now, and you have the capacity to do them
• can be deferred for whatever amount of time that may be
• are really maybe/someday tasks, ones that you don’t want to forget and aren’t ready to delete, at least not yet, but you really have no intention of doing right now. Are you really going to refinish the side table you got from your grandmother? 

The reason this process is so helpful is that you’ll be able to see where you are truly procrastinating and where you are not acting because the task might need to be deferred or put on your maybe/someday list.

Identify Where You Want To Stop Procrastinating

Once you’ve differentiated between these three categories (active, deferred and maybe/someday), the next step is to focus on your active task list.

And then identify where you want to stop procrastinating.

As you’re working on minimizing your procrastination, you’ll need to address each task separately. Because just as there’s not one reason you procrastinate, there is also not one way to address your procrastination.

However, as you figure out how to stop procrastinating in one context, you will be able to apply that learning to similar contexts down the road. And then you’ll be able to address these future procrastination challenges more easily.

Decide What the Importance of a Task Is to You

After you have identified where you’re procrastinating, the next step is to make sure you know the value or reward for you in doing that task. 

While it may not be an intrinsic reward, some enjoyment you get from doing the task, there must be some outcome from doing the task that you value. Otherwise, of course, you will likely procrastinate if you’re truly indifferent to doing the task.

For example, if you have a task to do for work, you may decide you want to do it simply because, well, it’s your job or perhaps because you want others to see you as a respected professional. 

I know that for some tasks, it may be harder to identify the value in doing them.

For example, what if your partner wants you to clean out the garage, which you’ve been saying forever that you will do, but see no reason to do it? So you just keep putting it off.  You may eventually decide to do it because it’s important to your partner and you value the relationship.

But if you truly cannot find any value in doing a task, and it’s just on your list because you think you should do it, it might be a good candidate for dropping it.

Decide Whether Someone Else Can Do the Task

This step is often overlooked.

Because, while you may have decided that a task needs to get done, you may not have stopped to ask whether you’re actually the person who needs to do it.

Sure, there’s work that you have to do that you and only you can do. 

But for other work, could you hire someone from TaskRabbit to body double and help you clean out the garage, perhaps? Might you be able to offload some of the initial research for a new car to someone else? Could you ask a colleague to pull some of the weight? 

The key at this step is to identify those tasks that you might be able to delegate some or all of the task, rather than taking it on yourself. 

For example, right now, I have a pair of pants in which the belt loop came undone. Could I sew it myself? Yes, I’m sure I could. But I’m not. So it’s worth it to me to take it in to have someone else do it. Because I’d really like to wear those pants.

Make Sure You Have Identified the Right First Step

Once you have decided that the task is indeed one you alone need to do, the next step to figuring out how to stop procrastinating is to see if you have the correct first step. 

If you don’t, you may be stuck because there’s actually something else that you need to do first in order to start.

For example, let’s say you have take the bike(s) in for a tune-up on your task list. But you haven’t identified where you’re going to take it.

So every time you look at it on your list, you either say to yourself, “I really need to do that,” or perhaps, “I need to figure out where to take it.” 

The solution, of course, is that the first step needs to be either research or deciding where to take the bike.

How about the example of send the agenda to the team for the upcoming meeting? But you haven’t yet decided what to put on the agenda. So, similarly, when you look at this, you get stuck. 

The solution in this case is to change the task to decide on the agenda for the meeting.

Make Sure You Have What You Need to Do the Task

Other times, you may procrastinate even when you do have the correct task, but there’s something about it that is creating friction. Perhaps you don’t have what you need, or you’re not sure how to do it.

In the example of setting the agenda for the team, maybe you are waiting for some information from your boss to be sure that you are covering the right topics. So now you’re stuck. You can’t set the agenda, never mind sending it to the team

The solution to this is to make a decision, of course, about whether to reach out or wait and if you’re going to wait for how long. Otherwise, you may continue to be stuck, right? 

Or let’s take the example of the bike. Maybe you have two bikes, a regular road bike and an electric bike, and you haven’t decided whether you’re going to take the electric bike in for a tune-up or not. If you decide to take in the electric bike, you need to make sure the place will perform tune-ups on these.

The solution to this is, yes, decide which bikes you’re going to take. So then you can decide what kind of bike shops you need to look for.

I know, on the face of it, these two examples sound obvious.

But how often do you circle the drain because you haven’t made a decision or don’t have what you need? So you continue procrastinating.

Don’t Wait Until You Feel Like Doing a Task

How often do you say I’ll do that later? But what you really mean is just not now. 

While it could be for a number of reasons, one is that you’re just not feeling like doing it. The “danger” in waiting for inspiration to start is that it might not happen, at least not any time soon, right?

So, the better alternative is to think about what kind of support would help you get started despite the discomfort of not really feeling motivated, at least in the critical moment of choice. 

Here are some types of support that you might consider:

• Work with an accountability partner, which could be somebody you know or perhaps an online service, like Focusmate.
• Try to make it a bit more interesting by listening to music, walking on a treadmill, working in a cafe or something else that might give your brain the stimulation it needs to get started.
• Work on the task at a time that works best for you, whether that’s early in the morning, late at night or some other time.
• Try choosing an activity from this example of a Dopamenu.

Address Emotions Contributing To Your Procrastination

As you know, emotional regulation can be a challenge for many adults with ADHD. So, it is probably no surprise that this is also a common reason for procrastination.

For example, one of my clients was procrastinating on calling a utility that had been charging her double for a couple of years. And, though it was really adding up, she kept on putting it off.

She shared with me that at first, the reason she put it off was just the typical thinking, “I’ll do it later.”

Then, as time went on, this turned into frustration at the thought of having to go through all of the imagined hoops to get them to stop. And then, later, added to this was a sense of shame that she hadn’t called right away.

So by the time we started to work together, we needed to unpack the related emotions before she could get into action.

The solution was for her to first validate her frustration. It was understandably upsetting to think she might never recover the money. At the same time, she worked on recognizing that letting issues like this linger is a common ADHD pattern, and not a reason for shame.

The outcome? She called, got the runaround, of course, and eventually got to the right person. While she was able to get the double-billing stopped. They only refunded her a fraction of what she paid.

And now she gets to move on. 

Be Willing To Be With Some Discomfort When Starting

The last suggestion I’ll share with you is the necessity of being willing to be with some discomfort when trying to get started.

Because after you’ve gone through the whole list of reasons for why you may be procrastinating, you may still feel like you’re wading through quicksand when trying to start.

And when this happens, yes, you may procrastinate perhaps by doing something easier or more interesting.

Instead, do this. Set a timer for 5 or 10 minutes, sit with the discomfort, and attempt to do the task. 

You might be surprised that once you start, as long as there isn’t any other friction point, you may be able to keep on going.

Takeaways: How ADHD Adults Can Stop Procrastinating

• Make sure your active task list only includes tasks you truly intend and have the capacity to do now.
  
• If a task has no meaningful payoff for you, it may belong on a maybe/someday list or be dropped altogether.
  
• Confirm whether you actually need to do the task yourself, or whether some or all of it can be delegated.
  
• Check that you have identified the right first step; vague or oversized tasks create friction.
  
• Ask what information, decision, or resource might be missing before you can move forward.
  
• Don’t wait to feel motivated; consider what kind of support would help you start despite low energy or interest.
  
• Notice whether emotions like frustration, shame, or resentment are contributing to avoidance.
  
• Be willing to tolerate some discomfort; starting often reduces resistance more than waiting does.