Some of the most frequently cited signs of ADHD include hyperactivity, impulsivity, and limited attention and concentration. However, a symptom of ADHD which is discussed less commonly is impaired motivation. Or in other words, procrastination. In a new video on her YouTube channel, psychiatrist and mental health educator Dr. Tracey Marks breaks down why starting a task can be so difficult for people with ADHD.
"You can have something that you need to get done, and it just feels physically painful to break through the inertia to do it," says Marks. "It may not even be all that much that you need to do, but if your head isn't in it, those five steps can feel like a thousand."
People with ADHD have a disruption in the dopamine reward pathway in their brain. Essentially, they have fewer proteins to transport dopamine to the parts of the brain responsible for executive function, motivation, and to an extent, satisfaction. "It's like having a massive supply chain shortage," explains Marks. "So you don't get the proper dopamine signals to reinforce positive, productive behaviors. Without this reinforcement, your efforts don't feel satisfying and you lose motivation."
Stimulant medications are often used to address this disruption in the brain, but as the effects only last as long as the medication is in a person's system, they may still find that they struggle with motivation. An alternative way to avoid procrastinating is to find ways to increase the four factors that drive motivation in ADHD: interest, urgency, degree of challenge, and novelty.
"The need for urgency is why you work better under pressure," says Marks. However, as starting a project the night before it's due is not an ideal way to do things, especially if you're working with other people, Marks suggests cultivating a different kind of urgency, like setting a timer and trying to complete a portion of the task before it goes off. This also creates a challenge, which addresses another of those factors.
"If you want to add novelty to something that was boring, try doing it in a different setting," she adds. Finally, Marks recommends trying to Pomodoro technique, a time management system which involves breaking tasks down into intervals of no longer than 25 minutes, with 5-minute breaks in between.
Philip Ellis is News Editor at Men's Health, covering fitness, pop culture, sex and relationships, and LGBTQ+ issues. His work has appeared in GQ, Teen Vogue, Man Repeller and MTV, and he is the author of Love & Other Scams.
