Taming My ADHD Procrastination Demons

Unleashing Strategies for Productivity and Focus

Photo by Charlz Gutiérrez De Piñeres on Unsplash

As someone who has dealt with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder for decades, procrastination has been one of my biggest issues to overcome. My super-active brain, caught in a never-ending swirl of new thoughts and impulses, made it fiendishly hard to stick with anything through to completion. I was plagued by brutal bouts of “shiny object syndrome” — always getting distracted by novel stimuli and abruptly abandoning what I had started. Establishing healthy productive habits felt like an impossible achievement.

Through years of persistant trial-and-error, I’ve had to become mercilessly self-aware by creating a toolkit of coping strategies to outsmart my procrastination. Here are seven tips that have helped me along the way:

1. Break tasks into smaller steps. Larger goals and obligations used to paralyze me with overwhelming dread. But by breaking them down into a series of concrete, bite-sized steps, I made them far more digestible. For example, when I started my recent bathroom renovation project, I made a checklist delineating each component like re-tiling the floors, installing new fixtures, etc. Ticking off those granular tasks provided me with a desperately needed sense of incremental progress.
2. Use visual cues and reminders. Writing things down and leaving myself visible notes has been crucial for jogging my wandering attention span. I hang a large wall calendar with color-coded blocks designating different obligations. Setting phone alarms with very specific prompts like “Work on quarterly report!” has also helped immensely.
3. Create a structured routine. Through much trial-and-error, I’ve figured out that I need to rigidly adhere to a consistent daily routine, otherwise my days descend into scattered chaos. I built my schedule around sacrosanct time blocks like morning gym sessions, afternoon heads-down work stretches, and scheduled social outings to maintain balance.
4. Time-blocking techniques. In addition to routine time blocks, I’ve found granular time budgeting invaluable. If I’m facing a cognitive marathoner of a task, I’ll use a time-tracking app to create hyper-focused 45-minute intervals alternated with 15-minute breaks. This enforces a sense of urgency while baking in restorative pauses.
5. Accountability partners. Few things are as motivating as not wanting to let someone down. I’ve enlisted close friends and colleagues to regularly check in on major works-in-progress. Knowing I’ll face progress inquiries imposes an enormously helpful pressure to stay on track. And celebrating milestones with loved ones provides amazing positive reinforcement.
6. Minimize distractions. Creating an environment optimized for focus has been hugely beneficial. At home, I set boundaries around using separate spaces for work versus relaxation. Noise-canceling headphones and website blockers have been godsends for keeping me immersed. When I need total isolation, I’ll book a quiet room at a coworking space.
7. Celebrate successes. My self-critic used to flay me for falling short. But building in small rewards for sticking to my schedule and crossing off items — like going for a massage after clearing a major hurdle — has been transformative for solidifying productive habits. Positive reinforcement works!

Overcoming procrastination hasn’t been easy, and I still have plenty of unproductive lapses. But by combining a variety of tools and taking a self-compassionate approach, I’ve finally been able to disarm some of my most insidious ADHD-driven delaying tactics. It’s an ongoing battle, but these strategies have helped tame my procrastination demons.