Why We Procrastinate and How to Stop Putting Things Off
written by Dr. Liz Nissim, posted on Psychology Today
How many times have you heard yourself say, “I’ll do this later”? Or “I’ll do this tomorrow”? The statement itself is harmless and promising all at the same time. That’s what we call procrastination. It isn’t relaxation but rather the pushing off of the discomfort of a decision, a conversation, a task, or a call into the future and hoping that “later” or “tomorrow” will somehow come with greater focus, energy, motivation, or time. We all know how this really goes – tomorrow doesn’t create anything different or more magical than the present moment. When tomorrow or later comes, you’re going to be just as tired and unmotivated to do it.
So What Is This Thing We Call Procrastination?
Procrastination is the intentional delay of a task… even when you know delaying it will make things harder later. You’re not being lazy, but rather your brain is dodging the discomfort and rescheduling it for another time so you can gain relief now, today.
For children, teens, young adults, and adults with ADHD, procrastination is a very common part of daily functioning because of the following reasons:
- The ADHD brain struggles with executive functioning due to neurochemical deficits in the frontal lobe.
- The dopamine chase is intense and takes priority over things that need to be done.
- Starting a task with no immediate payoff (or dopamine hit) feels overwhelming or pointless.
- A task that is perceived as having too many steps or that will take too much time, and not knowing where to start, can create paralysis in decision-making or physical movement.
Even though procrastination is a universal phenomenon that impacts many people, with or without ADHD, for people with ADHD, the space between “I should” and “I can start” feels enormous and usually results in no movement at all.
Why Do We Freeze When We Know We Want to Start?
Many times, the reasons for procrastination look like any or all of the following:
- Having to make too many decisions or having too many tasks (big or small) that need to be accomplished (e.g., a teen cleaning up his bedroom or an adult wanting to clean up the kitchen)
- Not knowing what to do first or where to begin
- Feeling like the task is too big
- Feeling afraid of “doing it wrong”
- Feeling like the reward is too far away or is not worth it
What do we end up doing when we’re trying to avoid a task that we know we need to do? Everything except that thing. What does that look like?
- Playing video games
- Scrolling social media to distract and self-soothe
- Pacing
- Doing absolutely nothing
Why? Because avoidance somehow feels safer than starting. However, the aftermath of not completing the task that needs to get done is a feeling of inefficacy, which takes a toll on self-esteem and self-perception as a competent teen, young adult, or adult. What does this further lead to? A great deal of “I can’t” feelings and thoughts that create a spiral of negative thinkingand low motivation for other tasks and future goals.
Thankfully, procrastination isn’t a personality trait—it’s a habit. And habits can change.
3 Strategies You Can Start Using to Reduce Procrastination
1. The 5-Minute Rule
Ask yourself: “Can I do this in less than five minutes?”
If the answer is yes—just do it.
Send the email. Take out the trash. Make the phone call.
Small wins build momentum. And momentum is gold for ADHD brains.
2. If It Takes Longer, Schedule It
If the task that you need to get done needs more than five minutes, don’t shove it into the mental void of “later.” Instead, add it to your to-do list with an estimated time and—this is key—attach a timer when you actually begin. If you don’t have a to-do list or app, get one.
A tasks app and an online calendar together are a very useful combination. I encourage teens, young adults, and adults to use them in tandem. We carry our phones with us all day long. The days of a physical pad or a daily planner seem archaic because they are not with us as closely as our phones are. With that said, anytime a task comes up, get it on that task app. Keep the calendar and task list open on your computer and refer to them regularly. Setting a time or alarm on your phone is also helpful if you are not a good time watcher. Setting a timer for cleaning your room, for example, now feels like it has a definitive beginning and end time, which may decrease procrastination and motivate action instead.
Timers make tasks feel contained instead of endless.
3. Take Note of What You Are Doing Instead
When you catch yourself procrastinating, pause and ask: “Okay, what am I choosing instead?”
Is it scrolling? Gaming? Wandering? Most procrastination fillers give you nothing back; no progress, no rewards, just time gone. Take note of how you feel because you’re probably not actually getting a dopamine hit; rather, you are depleting yourself of your energy, and the negative thoughts are building. Just bringing awareness to this pattern will help you to change it.
We know that action begets action and procrastination begets procrastination. That is, the more you do, the more you do and feel good about it. The more you procrastinate, the more you procrastinate and feel really bad about yourself.
Productivity activates the reward centers of your brain. You actually will get a little dopamine rush, which translates into, “Hey, that felt good. Let’s do it again.” Eventually, when the next big task hits, you can look back at how you handled it before and use that confidence to start again. That’s long-term movement.
Procrastination isn’t laziness. It is overwhelm, avoidance, and the human brain trying to dodge discomfort. With tiny steps, clear decisions, and a timer or two, you can build momentum and retrain your brain to start instead of stalling. Your future self will thank you for doing today what you used to push to tomorrow.
