Beat ADHD Task Paralysis By Flipping This Productivity Advice On Its Head
Forget the frog and try “Dopamine Dominos” instead.
The Problem with Eating the Frog
A popular piece of advice often peddled by productivity gurus (and well-meaning loved ones of those with ADHD) is to “eat the frog.” This pithy phrase is borrowed from a quote by none other than Mark Twain who once said:
“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”
The idea is that you start your day by getting the most daunting task (aka the “frog”) out of the way first, and then presumably, everything else will seem like a piece of cake. Seems reasonable enough, right? Well…
The problem for those of us with ADHD is that we often struggle with task paralysis - an inexplicable inability to initiate or complete a specific task - especially when it is a task that is complex or uninteresting. In other words, a “frog” of a task . There are several aspects of ADHD that can contribute to this state of paralysis:
- Executive Dysfunction: Executive functions are the cognitive processes that help you plan, prioritize, and execute tasks. An imbalance in the brain of the neurotransmitters required to regulate these functions, namely dopamine and norepinephrine, coupled with structural abnormalities in the prefrontal cortex, which also plays a critical role in these functions, makes it harder for those with ADHD to start and manage tasks.
- Problems with Time Perception: A byproduct of this executive dysfunction is that it can greatly skew your perception of time. When asked to estimate the time it takes to complete a task, studies have shown that those with ADHD struggle to provide accurate estimations when compared with a control group (Barkley, Murphy, & Fischer, 2008). These inaccuracies only become more prevalent as the complexity of the task increases. As such, someone with ADHD is likely to assume a frog-level task will take much longer than it actually will, thus making it seem exponentially more daunting.
- Emotional Regulation Issues: Another common symptom of ADHD is difficulty regulating one’s emotions. What may seem trivial to the average person may send someone with ADHD into a state of panic, distress, or even rage. When faced with a task that already feels overwhelming, it can be enough to trigger a particularly intense emotional reaction that causes a complete state of paralysis.
- Stigmatization: People with ADHD are often dismissed as ‘lazy’ when they are unable to accomplish a task that seems straightforward or important enough to ‘just get done.’ Because of this, they are likely to feel triggered by tasks they have historically struggled with and for which they have likely been criticized for not completing on time, if at all. This can result in even more intense emotions like shame, fear, and panic.
As you can imagine, ADHD can cause the traditional approach of “eating the frog” to backfire, and quite spectacularly at that. So what are we to do?
Dopamine Dominos
One of the most effective ways to prevent a task from becoming too overwhelming is to “chunk” it into smaller , more digestible pieces. Imagine your complex task as a gigantic domino towering over you; you’re unlikely to knock it over with your strength alone, no matter how hard you try.
Now imagine you’ve broken up that giant domino into a row of regular-sized dominos. You’re much more capable of knocking over that first domino. Knock that one over, and the momentum will likely cause the next one to fall, and the next, and so on.
When you complete a task, your brain releases dopamine, which creates a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment. As mentioned earlier, more dopamine also increases your ability to regulate executive functions, in turn making it easier to plan, prioritize, and execute your tasks. See where I’m going with this?
By starting with a quick win, or easier task, you get a quick hit of dopamine, priming your brain to be more motivated and capable of executing the next task. Once that’s done, you’ve got another hit of dopamine, and before you know it, you’re knocking out tasks one after another like a row of dominos!
So if you’ve got ADHD (or suspect you’re dealing with some form of neurodivergence), try flipping the “eat the frog” approach on its head and start your day with smaller, easier tasks to see if you can generate the momentum you need to finally escape task paralysis.
