Procrastination Party Pooper: Outsmarting the "Later" Monster with ADHD

In todays episode we discuss the "not now but later" beast that many of us fall victim to....Procrastination!! Well talk about why this may be happening and ways to get stuff done.

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Transcript

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So you don't fall into the trap that I did where I was just like one more, one more, um, so set an alarm for five minutes. Hey guys, welcome back to Landing Imperfect. I hope you're having an awesome week. Today I want to talk to you about ADHD and procrastination. And procrastination is such a freaking party pooper, right? Um, I know that's right because I deal with that or I have definitely dealt with that many, many times in my life. So some of the things that we can think about is, um, reasons why we procrastinate. And it all kind of boils down to a few key things in the ADHD brain. So imagine your brain's focus center as a spotlight. In a typical brain, the spotlight, the spotlight shines brightly on the task at hand, but in an ADHD brain, the spotlight might be more like a disco ball. So it's shining from one shiny idea to the next. This might make it Hard to stay engaged with single tasks for an extended period. And then the emotional rollercoaster. So starting tasks can trigger anxiety for a lot of people, especially if we're worried about not doing it perfectly. And perfectionism, my gosh, that one is, that's tough, right? So if we're worried about doing things perfectly, then It's gonna be really hard to start something new and there's so much stress and anxiety that's engulfed in that. So think of it like approaching a roller coaster, the excitement of the ride might be overshadowed by the fear of the climb. So there's a couple things that we can do to help manage some of these procrastinating behaviors, habits that we have established. And one of the things is just five minutes trick. Sometimes getting started is the hardest part. So challenge yourself to work on a task for just five minutes. Often those five minutes turn into 10. And then 15. And before you know it, you're making some real progress. You can think of it like you're dipping your toe into the pool. So once you're in, it's not so bad, right? And then the next thing you could try is the reward yourself before you even start hack. A lot of times we think about rewarding ourselves after the tasks end. Task has been completed. Someone who has ADHD really needs that dopamine to get them started, like that dopamine hit, to really kind of motivate them into doing something. So our brains are craving that dopamine reward. So trick them into giving it up to you first upfront. Right. So set you up. set up a fun reward before you start the task. It could be watching a funny cat video or playing a quick game. This pre rewards your brain for even attempting the task. So it's making it more enticing. Something that I have done is I play this little game. It's like a matching game on my phone. So what you could do, let's say it's, it's something similar to what, what I do. So this is what I do. So before I have to do something, I, I was like, okay, well, let me just play this game for a little bit, and then I'm gonna tackle the task that I have to do. And I always, and it makes, it brings me so much joy. I will say this, though. I, when I first started doing that, I also got locked into the game because the dopamine hit was just so intense and I was really enjoying it so I was like, ah, just one more, just one more, just one more second. Playing so many games until like an hour passed and then I'm like, crap, like, oh my gosh, I gotta get my work done. So I started setting a timer and I was more intentional about this. So whether it's five minutes, 10 minutes, whatever. I mean, this exercise is five minutes, so you could set it. You could start by setting it for five minutes. So you don't fall into the trap that I did where I was just like one more, one more, um, so set an alarm for five minutes. And then once. the alarm goes off, then jump into your task. But I think that would be helpful. It's been helpful for me, so I hope it's helpful for you. And then number three is the Accountability, buddy power up. So we all need a little external motivation sometimes. So you can find a friend, a family member, or even an online accountability group to share your goals and your progress with. Knowing someone's watching can be a powerful motivator to kick procrastination to the curb. So the, the event that I had just went to in Atlanta, if you're not familiar with that, like if you haven't listened to previous episodes, I went to this Build Your Brand Live event in Atlanta, and it was, I was surrounded by a bunch of entrepreneurs and everyone's kind of starting their business or they've established their business, but they're just trying to network at this event and there were incredible speakers that were there. So the idea was, um, the idea was to. network with these people, right? And to follow up with them after the event. So I can, I'm someone who, the follow up is not my strong suit, so I have to be very intentional about that. But before we left, there were a few of us who were setting up a time to meet after the event, after the event, the event. Oh my gosh, I'm like stuttering so much. After the event. So we ended up meeting, I think it was Wednesday. So a few days after the event had been held. So they were my accountability people. So what we're doing is every other Wednesday, we're meeting in the evening and we're, we're doing something like the three C's. So something that you're committed to doing. for the next two weeks, something that's challenging you. And honestly, I can't even remember the third C at this point, like right now, but there was something else. The whole point is that when you have someone that's holding you accountable, like I wrote down the things that I'm doing until I meet them next week. And I shared that with them and this, I mean, it, it already propels you forward. Like you start to do the things that you wouldn't really necessarily do or things that it's easier to get out of if no one's holding you to it or asking you, Hey, how's it going? Are you showing up? Are you doing the things, you know, so it can be really helpful to have accountability on your side. So find your people that could be helpful. Um, and just like, I always say, be kind to yourself because it's a work in progress, you know? So sometimes you're just going to procrastinate and that's okay. We all have our days, but we're making progress. So try some of these things and if it's helpful, I'd love if you connected with me too on Instagram. Uh, that's where I'm mostly at. So pretty active over there. If you would like to share any of these things that you've tried, or if you have tried some of these things and they don't work for you, um, connect with me. On Instagram and we can kind of chat back and forth and see if we can figure out something that could be more helpful for you, but I would love to hear from you and I hope that you have a beautiful week and I'll see you next week. Thank you so much for joining me on this episode of landing imperfect. I truly appreciate you being a part of this community and sharing this journey with me. If you do want to connect further, then don't hesitate to follow me on Instagram at Jen dot Lander. I would love to hear your thoughts, any questions or any stories that you want to share. So, DME there, I also have a website. It's a landing and perfect website where I share a blog post about my podcast, and then you can join my email list. I have a PDF that provides anxiety and stress management tools that you can. And use as well when you join my email list. So check it out. My website will be linked in my show notes. So don't hesitate to reach