In Part 1 of my series about ADHD and procrastination, I introduced Dr. Thomas E. Brown’s executive function model for ADHD.

In my last article, I spoke about procrastination and how focus challenges can lead us down a path of avoidance.

The third common EF challenge that Thomas E. Brown discusses in his book, Smart but Stuck, is “Effort.”

He explains effort in terms of “regulating alertness, sustaining effort, and processing speed.”

Regulating Alertness:
Regulating alertness can undoubtedly be tricky when one has a tough time falling asleep on time. This is a common refrain from many ADHDers. Drowsiness, though, may occur during a mundane or sedentary task, even if someone got plenty of sleep the night before. Dr. Brown mentions that this drowsiness can especially appear when one must do a task that requires very little movement, such as writing or reading. Given the situational variability of ADHD, though, if the subject matter is of substantial interest, the ADHDer will not experience this symptom. They may be able to hyperfocus for hours because the task is of interest. If the interest is low, though, they may find it hard to stay alert; try as they might.  

Most individuals I meet do not enjoy dealing with paperwork. They find it monotonous. It also requires a lot of sitting still and reading. Imagine that an individual needs to organize his papers before a friend comes over to help him get a better understanding of his financial situation. This individual may procrastinate on pulling the necessary papers together because he knows that if he waits until the last minute, he will feel sufficient urgency to stay alert while doing the task.  The challenge with this strategy is that the individual risks running out of time and thus having an unproductive meeting with his friend, which will leave them both feeling dissatisfied.

In what other way could this individual raise the alertness without relying on stress? He may do exercise to raise his energy level right before sitting down to the task. Not only will he feel more alert, but he may be able to better focus afterward as well. He can turn on music that energizes him and wakes up his senses. He might sort the papers while slowly walking on a treadmill under his desk. He might race the clock to create some artificial interest. Perhaps he sprints through the task in many lighting rounds. All of these tactics help raise the alertness to get the job done.

Sustaining Effort:
Someone with ADHD may have trouble staying on the course until they reach a goal. In the example above, the individual sits down to organize the papers but has difficulty continuing the monotonous task long enough to complete it. He may abandon the ship sooner than required to complete the task. Without an immediate reward, the individual may procrastinate on returning to the task after a break because his friend is not coming over for another week. The reward of feeling relief after meeting with his friend is too far in the future to make a difference.

In this case, he can set up multiple short sprints of paper sorting. Each session would last as long as he could remain focused. He may raise interest by creating a more immediate reward. Better yet, he may reward himself for each sprint. In this way, he does not have to wait for the distant future reward of feeling that anticipated sense of relief after meeting with his friend.

Processing Speed:
ADHD may affect how quickly one processes information. In an area of low interest, it can take someone much longer to read or write than their neurotypical counterpart. The low interest may not only feel boring but also take quite a bit of time to complete. If the individual who must sort his papers is unaware of this, he may severely underestimate how long the task will take. He risks not having the paperwork project completed before his friend arrives. In this case, he can do himself a favor by tripling or quadrupling his initial time estimate. When he catches himself wanting to procrastinate, his new estimate will reveal less time available than he initially thought he had.  

Does this executive function of effort create a challenge for you? If so, can you pinpoint which three subcategories (regulating alertness, sustaining effort, and processing speed) are present? If so, then go ahead and create multiple strategies so you can sustain your efforts long enough to reach your goals and feel great as a result!

In Part 1 of my series about ADHD and procrastination, I introduced Dr. Thomas E. Brown’s executive model for ADHD, which is focused on what Dr. Brown calls “activation.”

This article deals with the second executive function in Dr. Brown’s model: “focus.”

Distractibility and hyperfocus, the intense focus that blocks out cues to task switch, are two of the more well-known hallmarks of ADHD. How can both be true for ADHD when they are seemingly polar opposites? My ADDCA (ADD Coach Academy) training explains that this ADHD variability is explained at least partially by interest. If interest is high, the ADHDer can focus or even hyperfocus. If interest is low, the ADHDer experiences excessive distractibility from the environment or internal thoughts.

Dr. Brown also mentions a lesser-known focus challenge: retaining attention long enough to complete a task. I’ll discuss this in more detail later.

It initially seems that unintentional focus challenges are unrelated to the purposeful delay of procrastination. However, as we look a bit more closely, we find that focus challenges play a part in procrastination.  

Hyperfocus and Shifting Attention:
Here is an example showing how the challenges of hyperfocus and shifting attention relate to procrastination.

Meet Sarah. Sarah must file taxes. She finds the project mind-numbingly boring. It is as if almost every cell of her being is protesting, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

She needs a week to gather her papers and run through the entire process. She tells herself she will start at two p.m., even though she only has four days left to finish. She knows that starting so late will create unnecessary stress and mistakes, but she also knows that adrenaline from an urgent deadline makes a tedious task much easier.

She feels an immediate sense of relief. Simultaneously, though, she feels a twinge of guilt. On some level, she knows that reading the news online or chatting with her friend will only increase her guilt. So, to eliminate the discomfort, she tells herself that she will fill the time by cleaning out her closet, which she has avoided for two years. Although she previously dreaded that closet project, it suddenly feels like a cakewalk compared to tax prep. She grabs some bags and empty boxes from the garage. “I knew these boxes would come in handy someday!” she chuckles as she heads to the bedroom.

Hours later, Sarah can be found in the dark recess of her closet, wearing a triumphant smile. She marvels at the growing mound of donations and the number of beloved items she has found. She is understandably proud of her progress.

The challenge is that it is now six p.m., and her energy is about to take a massive nosedive. She last ate at nine a.m., and her brain is desperate for more energy from a meal. It is also about to retaliate after nine hours of intense concentration.

Fast-forward twenty-four hours. Sarah has recuperated from the marathon decluttering session and is now ready to tackle the taxes. She scrambles for two days straight and finishes in the nick of time. Exhausted and feeling like a zombie, she crawls into bed with her favorite pair of pajamas she found a few days ago.

A full fourteen hours later, Sarah reemerges from her room. Although refreshed, she feels ashamed that she has repeated the pattern. She promises to do better next year and makes a note on her calendar to speak with her ADHD coach and professional organizer about the incident.

We all feel for Sarah, right? Most of us have succumbed to procrastination and can empathetically see where Sarah got tripped up. What she initially deemed an innocuous few hours of productive procrastination resulted in an unintended case of distracting hyperfocus that caused massive stress and exhaustion. Not to mention the money she lost. By having to cut corners to save time, she ended up paying the IRS more than she would have if she had additional time to prepare. This lost savings is an example of “the ADHD tax.”

However, Sarah is a smart cookie and talks to her ADHD coach about the incident. As she processes the situation, she realizes that she needs some sort of obnoxiously loud alarm to shake her out of hyperfocus.

“The more annoying the sound, the more likely I am to stop and turn it off. I think this will help me pause long enough to remember that I need to switch gears.”

“Problem is, I’ve already tried turning up the volume on my phone’s alarm. Half the time, I lose track of my phone, so that’s out. It’s almost as if I need a robot to follow me around and tap me on the shoulder when I need to move on to something else.”

She and her ADHD coach chuckle at the image, but she really is on to something. Although she knows that tips and tricks will not solve all her problems, she asks her coach about ADHD-friendly alarms that would work better than her phone. Her coach recalls a product invented for heavy sleepers that could work in this situation. She has no affiliation with the product and is impartial whether Sarah decides to use it but shares her knowledge about clocky*.

It is an obnoxiously loud alarm that can jump off nightstands and move around a room. It forces the alarm-ee to stop what they are doing and look around the room to turn it off. Sarah is sold on the idea. They then talk through other more powerful strategies that Sarah thinks of to avoid this problem next year.

Armed with a new sense of confidence, Sarah comes out of the meeting with an action plan for how she will set herself up for success the next time an arduous task tempts her to procrastinate, and she inadvertently fall into hours of hyperfocus.

Distractibility and Sustaining Focus:
Speaking of arduous projects, it is important to note how boredom and distraction can go hand in hand. While procrastination does not solely affect ADHDers, their boredom tolerance is lower than that of neurotypicals. As such, ADHDers will face higher levels of distraction (whether thoughts or external distractions like surrounding conversations) when they face a tiresome task. Anything more interesting than what they intend to be doing at any given time could tempt them into procrastination.

They might participate in procrastination more frequently since they feel more uncomfortable with tedious tasks. This is precisely why Sarah avoided organizing her closet for two years but immediately jumped on it when she faced the more arduous and boring task of tax prep. 

How could Sarah tackle this conundrum? After thinking out loud with her ADHD coach, she decides to use additional support and structure when a boring project is on the horizon. She will call her friend, who is always good for a pep talk. She will also set up body-doubling sessions with her coach to help her stay on task, even with distractions that could tempt her to procrastinate.

This wraps up the “focus” section of Dr. Thomas Brown’s Executive Function model for ADHD and how it relates to procrastination. Next, we will examine what Dr. Brown identifies as “effort” and how that relates to delayed action.
 
*Just like the ADHD coach and professional organizer in this story, Judith Dold is not affiliated with or connected with clocky. She just happens to think it's clever.​

Removing a Band-Aid can be a painful but necessary process. As you wait for a wound to heal, perhaps the Band-Aid starts looking ragged or begins to fall off. Right before ripping it off, we might feel a jolt of anticipatory dread and think, “This is going to hurt!” However, we remember that the pain usually subsides pretty quickly. After all, if the deed were that bad, we would never use them and consciously decide to suffer the consequences. Instead, we remember that the pain is bearable. So, we continue to use them, rip them off, and keep Johnson & Johnson going strong.
 
Starting an organizing project is not that unlike ripping off a Band-Aid. Clients tell me that they avoided it for many years because they anticipated a horrible experience, remembered failed attempts, or worried about becoming overwhelmed. So, they avoided the organizing project, sometimes until the consequences became severe, such as threats of evictions and divorces.   
 
Family members might feel exasperated and wonder why a loved one procrastinates. Fear can be a potent motivator for avoidance. It is only natural to avoid a task if we anticipate that it will result in negative consequences, especially if we remember painful past attempts.
 
In the online course, Learning How to Learn, Barbara Oakley explains that the brain’s insular cortex lights up when we predict that a task will be unpleasant. It calms down once we start performing the task. Essentially, the anticipatory fear can be worse than the actual task itself. (You can read more about this process here: https://www.tes.com/news/how-to-stop-procrastination.)
 
This science is helpful for those who avoid decluttering projects. If one remembers the insular cortex, it will be easier to start the task that is perceived to be unbearable. It is similar to occasions when we rip off Band-Aids. We know that we will experience momentary pain, but we will be better off for having done so.
 
So how about it? Perhaps you are looking around your home and are dismayed by what you see. Maybe you also know that procrastination is becoming an impediment to your overall enjoyment of your home and potentially causing other issues as well. So why not rip off the Band-Aid today and get started? You can even employ James Clear’s Two Minute Rule: https://www.twilightorganizing.com/blog/real-world-examples-of-how-to-use-tactics-from-james-clears-atomic-habits-to-declutter-your-space.
 
I am only a phone call away if you cannot start without an experienced guide. Clients are surprised to recall initial anticipatory dread before our first session and see how vastly different they feel after gaining traction. It is not uncommon for them to say that they look forward to future decluttering sessions, whether with me or on their own. Once we rip off that Band-Aid, we’re off to the races.​

Have you heard the phrase, “clutter is the result of delayed decisions?” Sometimes delaying decisions about possessions results in small piles of clutter. They might only be an occasional annoyance. Other times, though, they can take an enormous financial toll.
 
Can you put a financial cost on delayed decisions? Absolutely. How about thirty-nine and a half billion dollars?
 
You might now know that the self-storage industry is enormous. Perhaps you have even seen enjoyable treasure hunts on Storage Wars. According to sparefoot.com, the storage industry is now worth $39.5 billion. That number is staggering. It is nearly 40 billion dollars, much of which is the result of delayed decisions.
 
If that number feels too big to be relevant, maybe three thousand, ten thousand, or twenty thousand dollars would feel different? If one only focuses on a monthly fee, those numbers might seem far-fetched. They are real, though: many well-intentioned individuals initially plan to rent units for a few months. Months fly by and unobtrusively turn into years. Many individuals reach out to me when the fees reach those numbers.
 
Storage units are not inherently bad. They can be excellent solutions for temporary situations. Temporary storage, though, does not sap finances the way that long-term rentals can. In helping individuals close their storage units, I’ve noticed a few patterns that stymie them many times over:
​

1. “Out of sight, out of mind” comes into play.

1. Although it is a vastly important project, emptying a storage unit can get pushed to the bottom of the task list because it is usually not urgent.

1. The thought of closing a storage unit might feel like a Herculean task, even for the most determined individuals.

 
How many times have we forgotten overstock items housed in cabinets above refrigerators, in garages, and basements? It is easy to do. It is hard enough to check the pantry before we run to the store. Looking on garage shelves after checking the pantry sounds like a good idea but often does not happen because it takes too long.
 
Telescope this “out of sight, out of mind” effect to an off-site storage facility. It takes even more time to gather items from a storage unit. They are definitely not in sight and easily out of mind. 
 
In other instances, individuals are painfully aware of those monthly fees. Still, they pay attention to other urgent tasks, even those that might not be important. (It can be tough to focus on non-urgent yet important tasks when so many urgent tasks compete for our attention.) Also, it is not as if the storage unit is going anywhere. It patiently waits. Once a month, it very quietly whispers, “Hey, I’m here”: the monthly fee unobtrusively appears as a small line item on recurring financial statements.  
 
Regardless of whether a storage unit is mostly “out of sight, out of mind” or naggingly present at the corners of our consciousness, it can feel overwhelming or downright exhausting to think of emptying it.
 
Sometimes units become flooded, and we wince at the thought of discovering items damaged beyond repair. It is often daunting to think of downsizing sentimental items, whether reminders of past passions, hobbies, careers, relationships, or deceased loved ones. Sometimes it is painful to realize that the items are not nearly as expensive as the units that house them. These distressing thoughts can make it easy to delay the decision-making process and keep the storage units indefinitely. It is no wonder that seemingly innocuous metal boxes, tucked away in hidden corners of cities and suburbs, rake in billions of dollars every year.
 
Clients call me when they are fed up with taking the monthly financial hit. They are frustrated but also tired at the mere thought of starting. The effort is worthwhile, though. It is exciting to witness clients walk up to the self-storage office, plunk their locks on the counter, and proudly state, “I’d like to close my storage unit.” I can almost see the weight lifting from their shoulders. Not only have they stopped spending cumulatively large sums of money, but they have plans regarding how to use the re-acquired funds.
 
Even though it can be eye-opening and sometimes painful, calculating the total cost of the delayed decisions is a valuable exercise. It can be motivating to then think of all the better ways to use those funds.
 
You may be one of the millions of Americans who had the best of intentions when opening a storage unit. Initial months turned into multiple years. It does not have to stay that way, though. You, too, can be one of the many who feel that rush of excitement as they tell the front desk staff, “Hi. I want to close storage unit number 509, please.”