ADHD and Procrastination Part 4: Emotion (&Managing the “Ugh”)

"In Part 1 of my series about ADHD and procrastination, I introduced Dr. Thomas E. Brown’s executive function model for ADHD and delved into the first EF of "Activation."

Part 2 covered how focus issues can lead to procrastination and avoidance.
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Part 3 in this series dealt with what Dr. Thomas E. Brown labelled as “Effort.”

Today, I tackle the 4th Executive Function that Dr. Brown labelled as "Emotion", or what I call managing the “ugh factor.”

Dealing with the Dreaded “Ugh” Factor:
I cannot think of a time I ever procrastinated on eating M&Ms or ice cream.  There is no “ugh” factor there; instead, it is all an interesting flavor adventure. When I get that sugar hit, my brain lights up, creating a craving for more.

Inputting expenses for my business, on the other hand, elicits one big “ugh” that almost seems to resonate through my entire body. This “ugh” feeling happens to everyone, but it is a much bigger and more frequent hurdle for ADHDers to clear. It falls under Thomas E. Brown’s identified Executive Function of “Emotion.”

Those without ADHD may feel dread, boredom, or frustration when they anticipate doing a boring or overwhelming task, but they are better able to manage that emotion and get into action than those who have ADHD. Whether due to simply feeling the same emotion more intensely than a neurotypical or because of ADHD neurochemistry,  it is harder to move past uncomfortable emotions to get into action. Thankfully, it does not have to stop ADHDers from getting into action.

In my example of entering expenses, it’s all about challenging the originating thought that created that feeling of “ugh.” Perhaps the expense input is not actually a hellscape of never-ending monotonous tasks that my brain thinks it is. It is only natural to avoid a never-ending hellscape. So my job is to challenge that initial gut-level reaction. When I take a deep breath and stop to think about the task, it is definitely a finite number of short tasks, broken down into small, realistic time chunks.

I also know that if I do not let the feeling of “ugh” be the end-all and be-all, I can start the task, and the “ugh” will dissipate in a matter of two minutes. So I don’t have to enter all my expenses. I only need to sit in the “ugh” feeling for two minutes as I get started. Then the rest comes a lot easier. The reframing makes a huge difference. Thinking of entering all my expenses feels overwhelming and boring. Thinking of entering expenses for two minutes feels totally doable.

How about another example? Let’s say an ADHDer has filed an extension on their taxes. They know that it would serve them to start gathering papers on April 15th, right after they file their extension and pay their estimated tax. The feeling of gathering papers, though, emits a massive feeling of “ugh.” A neurotypical would most likely groan as well when they think about gathering all their paperwork together to finish tax input by October 15th, but they are able to regulate their emotions enough to get started, even though the “ugh” factor is real for them as well. Meanwhile, the ADHDer has a harder time regulating that “ugh” feeling enough to overcome it.

So, understandably, they might procrastinate on starting until the feeling of “uggh” is trumped by the feeling of “oh crap, October 15th is a week away.” On some level, whether conscious or not, they know they will be more likely to start gathering papers on October 8th. The problem is that by then, all the relevant papers are buried in piles throughout the house and will take at least five days to excavate, leaving inadequate time to actually work on the taxes and file them.

In these cases, ADHDers can use tools to overcome the “ugh.”

They can move towards a “yay” factor. Admittedly, there is not much “yay” in tax preparation, but one can find it if they look hard enough. There is the “yay” of a big fat refund they expect since they knowingly overpaid their estimated tax to avoid a huge tax penalty that they experienced in years past. The refund itself might not elicit much interest, but dreaming of how to use that money can generate enough interest to kick sufficient dopamine into gear, thus allowing them to gather papers in April, not October. Maybe they put the name of the restaurant they have been dying to try on their refrigerator, so it will remind them why they’re gathering tax papers in April. Perhaps they plan a special outing with a friend. The “yay” could even be the massive sense of relief they know they will feel once the IRS is off their back. They can generate enough “yay” with these concrete rewards to help them activate.

The ADHDer can also remind themselves about the science involved in monotonous tasks. They know that after two minutes of doing the dreaded task, it will get easier. The body and mind will get into a rhythm. It is possible that hyperfocus will even kick in, making it even easier to gather those papers and make huge progress quickly.

They can also make sure they have immediate rewards ready when they start the task. A long-delayed reward at the end of a large tax project is too far in the future to motivate the ADHDer to take the necessary action. They need a reward that is much closer in time to the actual task. It can even be simultaneous to the task at hand. For instance, they might play their favorite song as they start hunting for the first round of papers on their dining room table. They might indulge in their favorite dessert as they start entering taxes into their computer. This will be especially helpful if the reward is something they rarely give to themselves.

They may even tap into misery that loves company. The “ugh” may be lifted if they surround themselves with others who are simultaneously working on their own “ugh” tasks. This is where the magic of body doubling comes into play. If they are working on their taxes in the same virtual room as others, it suddenly feels easier.
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These are just a few of the myriad ways that someone with ADHD can overcome the feeling of “uggh” and get into action. The feeling of “ughh” will never fully disappear with certain tasks, but it certainly doesn’t have to stop us in our tracks!