How to stop procrastinating

Doing your taxes is one of those important but unpleasant tasks. Like many people, you may put it off until the very last minute. At that point it’s both unpleasant and stressful. That’s procrastination in a nutshell. You delay doing a tedious task because there’s just not enough incentive or motivation to get going on it. 

Procrastinating isn’t the same as forgetting — though forgetting may also be a problem for you. With procrastination, the task is somewhere on your radar. In fact, it may be pinging on your radar so much that it’s hard to stop thinking about what you aren’t accomplishing. With forgetting, it’s not on your mind at all. Until you suddenly remember it.

Procrastination is very common. If it only happens from time to time, it’s not a problem. But you might be scrambling, staying up late, or experiencing chronic stress more days than not. If putting off important tasks is affecting your quality of life, it might be a sign of ADHD.

“Everybody procrastinates sometimes. But if you have ADHD, you probably do a whole lot of procrastinating,” says Understood Expert Ari Tuckman, PhD. “It’s almost like a core feature of ADHD.” 

Procrastinating isn’t fun, and it can create problems in many areas of your life. But there are strategies that can help you stop putting off tasks you need to do.

Why do we procrastinate?

There’s a lot of science showing why people procrastinate. It generally comes down to which is greater: your desire to avoid a task or your motivation to get it done. You may find a task too tedious or too difficult, even if there’s a benefit or a positive outcome when you do it. The dislike-versus-reward equation is different for different people.¹

There isn’t just one cause of procrastination. But researchers are looking at possible connections. In one study, they examined the relationship between procrastination, high stress levels, and mood regulation. The study found that poor coping mechanisms may play a role. For example, you may spend hours on other tasks and justify it by saying, “At least I’m getting some work done.”² 

Then there’s the link between mental health issues and procrastination. There seems to be a chicken-and-egg relationship between the two. Anxiety and depression, both common with ADHD, can cause you to put off doing things. And not doing things you should do and that you want to get done can create anxiety and depression or make them worse.³

Why procrastination is worse with ADHD 

ADHD is a problem with executive function, a group of skills we rely on to get things done. These skills include:

• Attention

• Focus

• Working memory 

• Organization

• Planning

• Self-regulation

• Regulation of motivation

Trouble with any of these skills can make it harder to start a task — or to finish it up.

For example: You might finally gather the paperwork to start your taxes. But before you even sit down, you get a text message. By the time you’re done texting, you’ve forgotten all about the taxes. Later, when you suddenly remember, you feel overwhelmed. Fortunately, “a lot of the strategies about finishing are kind of similar to the strategies about starting,” says Tuckman.

Procrastination can also tie in to another common ADHD challenge known as time blindness, which makes it hard to manage time. You may struggle to know how long it will take to do something or when you should start working on it to finish on time. Set reminders and don’t rely on your initial memory, suggests Tuckman.

It’s possible that when you finally get started on a task, another ADHD-related behavior — hyperfocus — will kick in and push you to the finish line. You may find yourself totally immersed. Everything else is tuned out. “Your brain lights up, everything comes into focus, and you can be incredibly productive during that piece of time,” explains Tuckman. 

Watch: An expert explains procrastination and ADHD

Understood Expert Dr. Ari Tuckman explains the connection between procrastination and ADHD. Watch and learn how to stop putting off important tasks that you really don’t want to.

10 tips to stop procrastinating

Procrastination can be a habit. As with any habit, breaking it can take time and effort. Try not to get frustrated or be self-critical if some strategies don’t work. It can take trial and error to find what works for you.

1. Kill the competition.

Reduce the number of distractions that are competing for your attention. Social media is a common one. But it could be anything that’s more interesting than the thing you really don’t feel like doing, according to Tuckman. Once you turn off your phone or TV, you’ll have a better shot at keeping your focus on the task.

2. Take a pause. 

You may move away from a task because you’re feeling overwhelmed by it. Give yourself a break from it and take a deep breath or two. It’s important to pause to center yourself. “Give yourself a bit of grace,” says Tuckman. “Recognize this is a thing that happens, and it doesn’t need to be a big deal.”

3. Get moving.

Physical movement is particularly helpful for moments of what’s known as “ADHD paralysis.” You may be thinking, “I don’t know what to do next,” or “I can’t even think about the tasks on my list,” explains Tuckman.

When that happens, it’s important to “stand up, shut down the computer, do a couple of push-ups and get your heart rate up, maybe go grab a snack, shake it off a little bit,” he adds. Even a five-minute break can give you the reset you need to get started.

4. Think of “future you.”

Put yourself into that future situation where you’ve already completed what you need to do. Ask yourself this: “Later today, how will I feel if I got some of this necessary work done?” This can work wonders to inspire you toward that goal. Remind yourself what it’s going to feel like to know you’ve done a good job.

5. Adjust your environment. 

Everyone has preferred ways of working that relieve stress and help with focus. Maybe that means organizing your desk area by stacking some papers, or putting on a podcast or soothing music. “Whatever it is for you in this moment for this task, set yourself up for success,” says Tuckman. 

6. Take one small step.

The first step is the hardest. Make it something small and quick, like filling up your water bottle or getting out the toolbox. “Any kind of forward movement makes it a lot easier to then take the next step, and then the next,” Tuckman says.

7. Do a check-in with a friend.

Having someone to be accountable to can keep you moving forward. Text a friend in the morning to say you’ll get a specific task done today. Then text again when you’ve completed it.

8. Break down the task into smaller tasks. 

Bite-size pieces can be a lot easier to digest than a full meal. If you’re facing a big, looming project, try to divide it into five or 10 “chunks” of tasks. You’ll have an easier time picturing and strategizing how to complete each one in sequence. Ask for help if you’re having a hard time breaking a project down into smaller pieces.

9. Embrace the 80/20 rule. 

Striving for “perfection” can make you avoid tasks and then push yourself (and your deadlines) to the limit. The truth is, your 80 percent is probably someone else’s 100 percent. “There’s this fear that it’s got to be perfect,” says Tuckman. This type of perfectionism is common with ADHD, and can lead you to get stuck. Sometimes, the solution is knowing that “good enough” is good enough. 

10. Ask for help. 

Procrastination can sometimes be a sign of a deeper issue like depression. “If everything feels too hard, if life has lost its spark and you’re not enjoying things the way you used to, you’re feeling disconnected from the people around you, that might mean that there’s something more going on,” says Tuckman. 

In this case, it’s probably time to talk to someone — whether that’s a friend, a family member, or a professional therapist or counselor. You may also want to reach out if you feel like you aren’t working to your potential, or if you’d like to improve some aspects of your life. 

Frequent procrastination can lower your self-esteem and may discourage you. “If you have ADHD, you’re probably working a whole lot harder than other people are,” Tuckman says. “And it’s easy, then, to feel like you’re being judged, and sort of buy in to this idea that you’re ‘just being lazy.’”

Procrastination is a common struggle, but it doesn’t have to ruin your life, adds Tuckman. “There are things you can do to help manage it, get stuff done, and move on to better things.”

If you think you may have ADHD, it’s important to get an evaluation. Treatment for ADHD can help with executive function problems and make it easier to work on solutions.