ADHD Task Paralysis: the universal ADHD struggle in which your attention deficit symptoms work together in a rudely concerted effort to keep you unmotivated, overwhelmed, unable to get started, and/or all together stuck. I don’t know about you, but it’s been the bane of my existence for as long as I can remember.
For many of us, ADHD task paralysis is the most difficult symptom to overcome. We struggle with executive functioning skills and getting motivated and started on things that aren’t inherently fascinating to us requires nearly every single one of those skills. It’s no wonder we get trapped in task paralysis so easily.
Despite the struggle, thankfully there are strategies we can use that help. In this post you will find 3 Cheat Sheets for ADHD Task Paralysis: 1. Hidden Factors that get us stuck 2. How to figure out what you need and 3. The big list of motivation strategies to try.
Ready? Let’s dive in.
Hidden Causes of ADHD Task Paralysis
While executive functioning struggles are the primary reason we struggle with ADHD task paralysis and getting started, that giant umbrella is far too big to be useful. I think that within the executive functioning domain, there are two big contributing factors with a whole lot of bullet points beneath each one.
1. Curvilinear Thinking
Linear Thinking: You get an idea. Your brain naturally starts at step 1, progresses to step 2, step 3, and so on. Most Neurotypicals have a more linear thinking style.
Curvilinear: You get an idea. Your brain starts with step 4, progresses to step 7, back to step 3, then step 2, ect… in a winding, chaotic fashion that feels a lot like getting blindfolded and dropped in the middle of the ocean. Most ADHDers have a curvilinear thinking style. It’s more creative, but it’s also a disorganized mess we may drown in before we get anything done.
Related: 11 Fascinating Differences in the Way People with ADHD Think
Because of this curvilinear chaos, a number of extra hurdles zap our motivation and easily land us into ADHD task paralysis:
- Our task feels too vague
- Our task feels too big/insurmountable
- We don’t realize we’re trying to start in the middle of the task instead of the beginning
- We think step 2 or 3 is step 1
- We don’t realize we really, really need to plan (and also either try to avoid it or do a ‘vague plan’ that doesn’t work)
- We have competing priorities that tear our focus and motivation away and we aren’t sure how to order them properly
- We either let every ‘to do’ item swim around in our head without writing anything down OR we write EVERYTHING down that needs to be done and get overwhelmed by the sheer size of the list
2. Poor Emotional and Physical Energy Regulation
Unfortunately self regulation is involved in many of the executive functions, not just attention regulation. ADHDers struggle with both emotional and physical energy regulation as well, both of which invite ADHD task paralysis. Whether it’s big emotions tearing away our focus, low cognitive energy, or straight up exhaustion, our struggle to regulate can zap our motivation.
Related: ADHD and Emotions: The Hidden Link You Need to Know NOW
This regulation struggle leads to several reasons for ADHD Task Paralysis:
- Feeling overly tired and getting poor sleep
- Heavy, consuming emotions and stress that take temporarily take over mind and body
- Perfectionism and extra, unnecessary pressure
- Comprehension exhaustion and low cognitive bandwidth
- Boredom, understimulation, overstimulation, and overwhelm
Add in our struggles with Dopamine and Interoceptive awareness and we’re also more likely to:
- Forget to eat which leads to low blood sugar and difficulty concentrating
- Forget to drink which leads to dehydration and low energy supply
- Avoid or forget to exercise which leads to higher restlessness, poor concentration, and lower motivation
How to Figure Out Why You’re Struggling with ADHD Task Paralysis
Sometimes it may be obvious why we’re struggling to get started. If you only slept 2 hours last night, that’s a big, glaring reason why you’re feeling stuck today. Other times, it’s a little muddier. When I can’t figure out why I’m struggling to get out of Task Paralysis, I’ve learned to ask myself a series of questions that help me figure it out.
Question 1. How do I feel Right Now?
- Like I can’t do it or I dread doing it? For me, can’t usually means it’s an energy regulation problem. Dread, unless it’s accompanied by boredom, is often a curvilinear struggle.
- Like I’m mentally fuzzy, muddy, swimmy or fried? If it’s only while trying to do this one task, it’s probably a curvilinear problem. If I feel this way no matter what I’m trying to do, it’s likely an energy regulation issue.
- Worn down like I’m standing at the bottom of Everest after walking 50 miles to get there? Energy Regulation is probably the culprit.
- Unprepared like I’m supposed to fix the toilet but I don’t have the tools, instruction, or information on the problem? That’s probably a curvilinear problem.
- Like I’d rather claw my own skin off than do the task? Probably an energy regulation challenge, often born out of boredom or low stimulation.
- Like I’m floundering chaotically in the middle of the ocean? Curvilinear.
Queston 2. How Does This Task Feel to Me?
- Like it will take 10 gallons of gas to complete but I’m running on empty? That’s usually Energy Regulation for me.
- Like it’s a Tsunami? That’s usually curvilinear for me, especially if I don’t feel that way with other things I’m doing.
- Vague, chaotic, monsterous, or navigating it feels like playing wack a mole? Curvilinear.
- Dull, rote, or so boring I would rather experience physical pain than do the thing? Energy Regulation.
Other Questions To Help:
- Do I know in exact, precise detail what my very first step should be for completing this?
- Is that first step a BIG one that will take a lot of time? Or a small one that feels manageable?
- Am I feeling any big emotions that are zapping my emotional energy and dragging my focus away?
- Regardless of whether this task *should* feel too big, does it feel too big?
- Have I eaten protein and drunk water recently?
- Do I have a precisely clear idea of everything that needs to be done in the order it needs to be done? Or do I have just a rough idea with probable holes in the outline?
- Do I have all the things that I will need to complete this task gathered together in one place? Or are they spread out around the house and I only *think* I know where they are?
- Are there any ‘pre-cursors’ required before I can do the task? (ie if I want to walk on my treadmill, I first have to clean it off, and I have to find my shoes and a pair of socks that won’t annoy me…)
- Does my energy feel low overall, like I have very little energy to do anything? Or do I have energy for other things, just not this task?
- Is the thought of getting up (if I’m sitting still) or sitting still (if I’m up and moving) feel energetically impossible?
29 Motivation Tips to Defeat ADHD Task Paralysis
Knowing where your paralysis is coming from helps narrow down which strategies will be most helpful. After all, there is no use in outlining each individual step if the real problem isn’t curvilinear chaos but boredom from having done this taks a thousand and one times, right?
Keep in mind, sometimes we have more than one thing keeping us stuck in ADHD task paralysis. If that’s the case, you might need to use more than one motivation tip.
Motivation Tips for Curvilinear Chaos
Pro Tip: for curvilinear problems, it’s really important that you write things down. Whether it’s your to do list, what steps need to be taken, prioritizing tasks, etc… if you don’t write it down, chances are you’ll end up still stuck in ADHD task paralysis.
- Do a brain dump
- Write down a bare-bones to do list with only the most important tasks/steps. Keep it in front of you.
- If you have competing priorities, manually prioritize what needs to get done based on importance, urgency, and deadline
- Break each larger task down into much, much smaller steps that are concrete and detailed
- Identify the very first small step that needs to be done. If it still feels overwhelming, you probably need to make that step even smaller.
- If necessary supplies aren’t already gathered, start by collecting everything needed for the task and putting them where they will be needed
- Designate project time; identify a specific time you plan to work on this and put reminders in place
- Separate the big projects into smaller segments: prep phase, planning phase, research phase, action phase, for example
- Gamify the task: find a new way of doing it, set a timer to add urgency, race to the finish, time yourself, use apps that reward task completion like the Finch app, etc…
- Take a Mini Mindfulness break with my favorite 5 minute clear the mental clutter meditation
- Add an accountability factor like asking someone to check to see if you’ve completed the task
- Add structure: if there’s no deadline find a way to force one, plan something that requires this task to be completed first, etc…
Motivation Tips for Energy Regulation Problems
- Take 5 minutes to get your heart pumping
- Eat something with protein & drink a full glass of water
- Change your scenery. Sometimes a little novelty in your environment helps
- Find a related tv show that inspires motivation (I watch Tidying up to make me want to clean), a new strategy that interests you, a motivational quote/picture, etc…
- Use momentum/inertia. Gotta pee? Do the task before you sit back down
- Use the 2 by 15 method: Do 15 minutes of something you enjoy, then 2 minutes of the dreaded task. Repeat until going beyond 2 minutes doesn’t make you want to pull your hair out.
- Don’t pile on the pressure or perfectionism. It’s tempting as a behavior modification strategy, but it’s far more likely to shut you down than it is to motivate you.
- Add interest to the task or environment. If there’s no way to make the task itself more interesting, try lighting a candle you love the smell of, your favorite drink, music, etc…
- Add additional stimulation like active seating, background noise, etc…
- Get started on something that’s related to your task but feels more accessible to you
- Experiment with sensory motivators: essential oils like sweet orange or bergamot, music like binaural beats, etc…
- Add a time limit: I’m only doing this for 10 minutes
- Keep a ‘ta dah!’ list of the things you’ve gotten done
- Leverage Deep Breathing:
- For more energy inhale to the count of 8 and exhale to the count of 4. Repeat.
- For calming energy inhale to the count of 4 and exhale to the count of 8. Repeat.
- Stimulate the Vagus nerve with humming, a TENS unit, taking a cold shower or putting a bag of frozen peas on your face
- Use coping skills like journaling for negative emotions
- Use a Body Double
That’s a Wrap!
What do you find zapping your motivation most frequently? Do you have any tried and true strategies for ADHD task paralysis that I haven’t mentioned here? Drop them in the comments!
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