Technique to try to help with Procrastination
Hello to all the members in the ADHD community! I wanted to share something I recently learned about decreasing procrastination tendencies.
So unlike we are often told that procrastination is a time management issue, it is more accurately an emotional management issue. Procrastinating stems from avoidance, which acts as a coping mechanism around how we feel about doing a specific task.
One thing you can try is setting a clear and detailed intention about when and where you will accomplish something that is on your 'to do' list.
For example say you have to fold your laundry, its been sitting in a heap for a day or two on your couch. Instead of vaguely making a statement to yourself like "I will get that later", make an actual specific alarm on your phone to take care of it.
You can even incorporate a reward when you accomplish it. Maybe watching your favorite tv show or playing a video game once you finish the laundry. It can be easy to get over whelmed with the things we need to do as people who have ADHD so keeping your daily task list short, being specific with our tasks and using alarms to help remind you will set you up for greater success in the long run.
@aCalmOasis
Such wonderful tips, thanks for sharing.💛
I just read this to motivate myself to put my clothes away! XD I will set a timer for 5 minutes and reward myself with some soda.
@easyScarf7950
Great idea easyscarf, and you can always play around with the order of rewarding yourself too. Because our brains tend to be lower in dopamine, having the reward given first may actually be more motivating for us to complete tasks. If you decide to try it that way let me know your findings and what worked better for you. :)
Thanks for giving me permission to reward myself before doing the thing! I've done that before without knowing that was ok to do, and sometimes it works. Sometimes, because sometimes the "reward" becomes a big time suck, like scrolling social media.
@easyScarf7950
Yes no worries ;) I do agree that the reward should be carefully chosen because if we do decide to do something like scroll social media then that could take up a lot of our time, at least in my experience that is what tends to happen.
@aCalmOasis
So true! It also helps to ask yourself what it is about a task that makes you want to avoid it. And defining timeframes + motivation by reward (yay Pavlov) is very helpful.
