What Does ADHD Procrastination Mean? Productivity Tips for Overcoming it

Have you ever found it hard to simply sit down and focus on a single task? Do you often find yourself jumping from one task to another? Do you often struggle to start a task you know is important? You might just be experiencing a common symptom of ADHD – Procrastination.

ADHD results in the inability to stay focused on one task for an extended period of time, which can be challenging. However, understanding how ADHD and procrastination affect one another can help you efficiently complete your tasks.

What is procrastination?

Procrastination is simply the act of delaying tasks until the last minute or way past their deadline. People who procrastinate tend to stay engaged in other, more fun and engaging activities. This simply means they choose a more gratifying, exciting activity in the short term instead of dealing with the actual task or work at hand.

How does procrastination relate to ADHD?

Procrastination has been found to be a common and more frequently occurring symptom of ADHD. Knowing what behaviour classifies as procrastination is important, as it can often be mistaken for laziness.

We all procrastinate more often than we would like to admit. However, procrastination as an effect of ADHD does have negative effects, including avoiding unpleasant tasks and decisions along with having issues with organisation.

People with ADHD often become task-avoiders. From trying to multitask to doing a dozen other things before actually getting down to business. Procrastination in people with ADHD can show up in a few different ways. You might find yourself having a snack, then binge-watching a show and scrolling through social media before deciding to sit down and write an email.

You might find the idea of planning your day or even your week challenging and overwhelming. It’s not that you don’t know what you ought to be doing or what you want to do; it’s simply that you can’t bring yourself to start the task.

Here are some signs that may point to the fact that you face a challenge with procrastination due to ADHD.

• Difficulty remembering conversations that you had quite recently 
• Difficulty in starting tasks, no matter how crucial they are
• Problems with task organisation
• Misplacing things often or being forgetful 
• Constantly shifting between different activities, never being able to complete any one 
• Always seek out new and different experiences in order to keep yourself stimulated 
• Becoming overwhelmed with following a routine