ADHD & Finding Your Motivation When You're Not Interested

For ADHD adults you know it’s easier to follow through on tasks that interest you.

But what about tasks that don’t interest you? If you can delegate in some way or drop tasks that don’t interest you, you should do that. But what if this isn’t possible? It’s going to take a little bit of extra work to follow through on these tasks.

The following strategies can help you do this.

What About The Task Turns You Off?

First, figure out what about the task turns you off. Here are some possibilities:

It bores me. Simple as that.
It takes too much time and energy because it is hard for me.
It is not important to me.
I have too many other tasks on my list and I’m overwhelmed. “Take a number and fall to the back of the line” is what comes to mind when I think of this task.
My mind swirls with all this negative self-talk and I become paralyzed.

Once you’ve figured out why you don’t want to do a task, the next step is to figure out what you can do address those challenges and follow through on those task that must fall on your plate.

Because often it is the not deciding and not doing that can contribute significantly to your feelings of overwhelm.

ADHD and Interest In A Task

It’s important to remember that your ADHD nervous system is interest-based. This means you are more motivated when something is interesting, challenging, novel, or urgent. When this is true it is easier to do a task, even hyper-focus on it. It’s not something that takes very much willpower.

Another way to look at this is whether a task is fun or not fun. When it is not fun it’s going to be much harder for you to do

This is in contrast to the importance-based nervous system of neurotypical people. They can turn on the motivation to do something because it is important. You can’t do this, at least not as easily.

Create A Plan

The first step you need to take is to create a plan that takes into account all that is needed to complete the task. Because if you’re unsure how to do any part of it, it will make it that much harder to feel motivated. Anytime you run into a roadblock, go back and rework the plan to incorporate whatever it is you need to do to move forward.

Remember The Reward

Next, you need to know the reward for doing the task.

And remember that ADHD adults are motivated more by immediate rewards and find it harder to be motivated by rewards that are distant from the task.

So then, when you sit down to do a report for work that is due in two days, you might instead take care of your emails. You tell yourself, “Wow, look at all those emails. I really need to answer those before doing the report!” Then, when a notification from Facebook comes in, you might decide you need a break to look at Facebook before starting the report.

Because the reward for doing the report is not so obvious or immediate it is harder to make the connection in the moment.

While not enough by itself, it is helpful to make sure you know the reward. Here are some possibilities for the example of writing the report.

I want to be successful at my job, and doing reports is just part of the gig.
These reports are important so we have the data we need to make good business decisions.
I want to be a dependable team player. And Bob really needs these reports.

To have a visceral connection to the payoff, not just an intellectual connection, it is helpful to have a visual cue (pictures, quotes, totems, etc.). So you can remember the reward in those moments when you think, “I don’t want to…!”

Address Boredom

Having a plan and knowing the reward are two important steps. But what if the lack of motivation is due to boredom? Here are some strategies you can try to counter this.

Do the boring task first, as your willpower will diminish throughout the day.
Listen to music.
Work in an environment that has the right amount of stimulation for you. It could be a cafe, an office, or even your patio.
Work with somebody else.
Walk on a treadmill.
Give yourself a reward for doing the task.
Making a game out of the task, such as “beat the clock.”
Take notes during meetings to keep your attention.
Use a fidget to help keep you on task.

While the task may not be interesting, what else can you do to make the time you are working a bit more interesting?

Break It Down

If it feels like it takes too much time and energy to do the task, break it down into as small of pieces as possible. So it does not feel so onerous. Then work on it bit by bit. If it still feels too hard, try breaking it down even more. Until you can say, “I can do that!” You might try working in 25-minute increments, Pomodoro’s.

Work With Somebody Else

You may also want to include a body double. This is someone with whom you work either virtually or physically side by side while you each do your own work. This is very effective in staying on task. If you don’t have someone you can work with, you may try a service like Focusmate.

Take A Break

You also want to recognize when you’ve reached your limit and don’t have any mojo left and need a break. Because there comes a time when you’ve used up all your self-control reserves. Like the other suggestions, there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to what to do during your break.

You may want to take just a short break, 10-20 minutes, and then get back to work. You could:

dance to music
play a video game
play with your pet
short work out.

Other times you may need a longer break. Maybe you could:

go for a swim or run
cook a meal
read a book
go out for coffee or lunch
go for walk

What helps you get rejuvenated?

Give Yourself A Reward Along The Way

You don’t need to wait until the end to reward yourself. Instead, reward yourself for doing a certain amount of work. For example, you might work for an hour and then go for a short walk.

Time Your Medication

If you take ADHD medication, time when you do your work to when you take your medication for optimal results.

Be Willing To Withstand Some Discomfort

While all the above strategies can help you when you are just not feeling motivated, it is also important to be able to withstand a bit of discomfort. So you can decrease the chances of avoiding your important work. So when you are not feeling motivated, remind yourself, “This does not feel great right now. But I can figure out a plan so I can persist.”

Next Step

Choose two of the strategies above to practice

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ADHD & Finding Your Motivation When You’re Not Interested