Why You Wait Until the Last Minute, and How to Get Back to Work

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Do you feel like you’re always late for deadlines? Always “a day late and a dollar short”?

Well, you’re not alone. Procrastination is the #1 most annoying, and debilitating, symptom of ADHD. Sure, everybody puts things off for another day, but for you and me, procrastination can be just as crippling as losing a leg.

The constant companion of procrastination is that pernicious creep, the Inner Critic. “You’re so lazy and stupid.”

In this article, I’ll explain why procrastination is such a problem for ADHD people, and give some tips on how to thwart this enemy for massive fortune.

The Due Date is Tomorrow!

Work is a challenge.

If there is a job with a deadline down the road, it’s too easy to put it off.

For example, I work as a data engineer for a financial company. We do sensitive investments, which means that it’s pretty important for the analysts to have their data NOW. My job is to deliver that data.

Sometimes, the vendor (some other company that sends us data) changes the format of their data. Sometimes this isn’t a problem, and sometimes it is.

When they change the format without telling us, and it breaks something, that’s just fine. My adrenaline’s running high, and I’m working with the analysts as a team against those irresponsible data suppliers. When the problem gets fixed, I’m a hero.

But if they announce a change they will implement in the future, then there is real danger.

I’m facing down a project like this right now, which is due in just a few days. I’ve known about the changes for over a month, and they even delayed the changes a few weeks. But I have not yet prepared our system to handle the changes.

Immediate jobs face me every day, but that deadline is so far away that I can postpone the work for a little longer. And then, all of a sudden, it’s here. And so are all the other immediate problems that face me every day.

Urgency vs. Importance

When experts describe ADHD as a problem with executive functioning, it’s both obvious and meaningless to me. Yes, it’s hard to do what I know I should do, and easy to do what’s more interesting in the moment.

Knowing it has to do with my executive function offers very little to solve the problem.

One day while following the ADHD subreddit, I came across a description that explained almost everything. (I can’t find it now, so can’t link)

Imagine a scale from 1 to 10. The scale represents how interesting you find some task. For most people, there’s a division around 3, at which they’re willing to get to work. For ADHD brains, that division is up around 5 or 6.

This is why things like Adderal or Caffeine help us get to work. Stimulants help us drive that interest level over the threshold, and then we can get down to business even if we’re not really interested in the job.

It is said that ADHD people have a special third stage normal people don’t, up near 10 on the scale. This stage, called “hyperfocus” allows us to be so obsessed with the object in our attention that the rest of the world can dissolve away, and we can work for hours.

The problem is, activities rarely make it up to that first threshold for us. Hence, procrastination. If something’s due in a few days, it’s hard to give it the attention it needs. When the deadline is upon us, though, watch out! We get driven straight up to 10 with adrenaline, and perform miracles.

Or disasters. Usually the end product of these last-minute sprints are mediocre performance at best, and careless accidents and disappointed loved ones at worst.

Keys to Attention

Here are a few tricks to subvert the usual doldrums, and get to action.

Before we get to tricks, though, it’s important to mention that medication could be useful for you, if prescribed by a licensed professional.

1. Start by doing the minimum

This trick is sometimes referred to as the “2 minute rule”. The idea is, instead of trying to start a big job, pick a tiny piece of it to tackle. That tiny piece might be enough to get you interested and engrossed.

For example, I try to get a whole blog post out every week. Sometimes that feels like a really big lift. Big enough that I’d rather check email or look out the window.

But if instead of writing a whole article, I commit to just writing one sentence, suddenly it doesn’t seem like so much tedious work. Anyone can write one sentence! So I’ll open the laptop, fire up my editor, and take a minute to bang out a sentence.

Typically, that one sentence turns into more.

The point here is, anyone can do two minutes of something, even someone with a clinical diagnosis. That two minutes tends to grow to more.

2. Use a timer

The classic form of this is called the Pomodoro Technique. “Pomodoro” means Tomato in Italian, which is what the original timer looked like that the inventor of the technique used. Personally, I use a Time Timer at home, and an hourglass at work.

Set a timer for 15-30 minutes. Commit to doing your work during that time, and after you can go take a break. Some people like 25 minutes, because it doesn’t have the same emotional baggage as 30.

While working, any thought that comes into your head, just write down a reminder on a piece of paper and get back to work. You’ll be able to take up that thought in just a few more minutes.

A protip here is to set the timer on top of your phone. That way you’ll be less likely to absent-mindedly pick it up and start scrolling.

3. Procrastinate with another need-to-do

If you just can’t get started on the task at hand, pick another task you need to do, and do that one instead. When that one gets unbearable, return to the original task.

Some people find that “anything but this!” is interesting enough to capture their attention. Maybe you will too.

4. Put your phone in a different room

This one is important. Nothing is more interesting than your phone. Even if it doesn’t DING!!!, you will think about checking it if it’s sitting right there in front of you.

The solution is to put that phone somewhere you can’t see it. If it’s in another room, it won’t distract you as much. Plus, having to get up to go check it might just be enough friction to prevent you from doing so.

Get to work

So what are you waiting for? Try one of the techniques above, and complete that task you’ve been putting off!

Do you have a tip that helps you get work done, when you just can’t find the willpower to move? Put it in the comments below!

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