It’s not about low interest or lack of willpower.
Procrastination involves delaying a task or decision that needs to be completed by a specific deadline.
This appears to happen quite often in people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for a variety of reasons.
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This article discusses why people with ADHD tend to procrastinate and the impact it can have on their lives.
It also covers some of the different ADHD symptoms that contribute to procrastination.
While the condition is most frequently diagnosed during childhood, it can affect adults as well.
However, it is not uncommon for adult ADHD to beundiagnosed and untreated.
People procrastinate for many reasons.
Sometimes, we just feel like doing something else that we find more interesting.
For people with ADHD, procrastination is often strongly influenced by the ADHD traits.
While common, procrastination is not recognized as an official diagnostic symptom of ADHD.
Inattention Can Play a Part
The problem with attention that accompany ADHD can often lead to procrastination.
It Acts as a Coping Mechanism
Putting things off also serves various purposes for people with ADHD.
What Is Executive Function?
Executive functioning skillsare the mental skills that are needed to plan, organize, initiate, and complete tasks.
These skills include things such as working memory, time management, and self-control.
They might leave the task momentarily only to get distracted by something else.
All of these factors mean that tasks keep getting put off, sometimes until the last minute.
In other cases, they might not get done at all.
Effects of Procrastination With ADHD
Chronic procrastination.
tends to become a real problem for many adults with ADHD.
It can also causefinancial stressat home when balancing the checkbook is constantly delayed or when bills are paid late.
It can also cause problems in relationships when you continue to put off others, making them feel unimportant.
Procrastination can also lead to negative moods and emotions andlow self-esteem.
This failure to complete tasks can lead to feelings of frustration,guilt, andshame.
Here are some of the factors that can be at play in the relationship between ADHD and procrastination.
Sometimes just figuring out where or how to start is the challenge.
It can be very difficult when you have ADHD to regulate your attention.
Particularly tedious tasks are often the ones that get put off until the very last minute.
The problem is that this urgency can create quite a bit of stress and anxiety, too.
And the stress can take a tremendous toll on you as well as those around you.
You may have a crushing sense of pressure.
Here are a few tips for managing procrastination when you have ADHD.
Does Adderall Help With Procrastination?
Takeaways
ADHD and procrastination often go hand in hand.
Recognizing the relationship that exists between the two is helpful for understanding how they interact.
It’s also a good first step to finding ways to ultimately overcome your tendency to procrastinate.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Data and statistics about ADHD.
National Institute of Mental Health.Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
2021;7(8):e07842.
