I’ll Get to it Later
Procrastination and ADHD
Ben Franklin famously urged us not to put off for tomorrow what we can do today. Ben Franklin did not have ADHD.
Motivation is a key factor in getting anyone to do anything. Although people tend to chalk motivation up as an admirable personal trait stemming from willpower and discipline, there are chemical reasons why some people aren’t as motivated as others.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is responsible for feelings of satisfaction and motivation. ADHD brains have a deficiency in dopamine reward pathways. That deficiency means it’s difficult to get excited or motivated unless we get a shot of adrenaline from a deadline or emergency. Boring or repetitive tasks immediately go to the end of the queue.
I wasn’t diagnosed with ADHD until I was forty-two. By that point, I’d lived a lifetime thinking that I was just lazy and forgetful. I hated how I hated doing just about anything, unless it was something I loved. It meant that if I found something that resonated with me, I would get obsessed. If it was something that I disliked, I’d put it off until the last possible minute.
Every school paper was finished the day before, or the day of. Studying always meant cramming. Homework was done in the morning.
