
Get Proactive about Procrastination
(1 session: 1 hour, 30 minutes)
Everyone procrastinates, but people with ADHD are masters at task avoidance. Unfinished tasks – particularly those that are difficult, unenjoyable, and/or have many steps - may actually lead people with ADHD to experience physical and mental discomfort.
Many of the executive behaviours required for completing tasks such as planning, prioritizing, motivating, organizing, and decision-making are areas where people with ADHD struggle most. Combined with weak self-regulation of emotions and moods, a problem common in people with ADHD, and they easily become overwhelmed and shut down, avoid, or act out. Experts in this area believe that for people with ADHD, procrastination is a way of coping with challenging emotions and negative moods brought on by specific tasks.
Finding the motivation to begin a task and sustain the effort to finish it requires intense self-control. By understanding the difficulties that people with ADHD experience in this area and implementing specific strategies and supports, a person with ADHD can learn to improve their ability to complete tasks. Join Tanya to learn more about research in this area and gain some practical strategies to get proactive about procrastination.