Standard productivity advice says, “If a task will only take 2 minutes, drop everything and complete that task now.” That “2-minute rule” doesn't work for adults with attention deficit disorder (ADHD or ADD).
James Clear of “Atomic Habits” fame calls this philosophy “the 2-minute rule,” which essentially means that if you can complete a task within 120 seconds, you should tackle it now instead of waiting until later.
Here's what the rule says: if you can do an action in two minutes or less, tackle it at the moment — and don't delay. This has the potential to deliver long-term benefits. For example, if you spend two minutes a day picking clothes up from your bedroom floor, it won't take 30 minutes of your Saturday.
Procrastination is an avoidance behavior. Imbalances in motivation can occur in people with ADHD, as they tend to hyperfocus on tasks they deem interesting but procrastinate over tasks they deem tedious. People with ADHD may also experience a resistance to taking action due to some emotional conflict with the task.
Effects of Procrastination With ADHD
Procrastination can also lead to negative moods and emotions as well as low self-esteem. This failure to complete tasks can lead to feelings of frustration, guilt, and shame. Such emotions also contribute to the tendency to put off tasks.
People with ADHD tend to experience life more intensely than others. This means that even if you're hyper-focusing on a certain task or assignment in front of you, you can still have many other thoughts and ideas coursing through your brain. It can feel like there's always a lot going on, which may become overwhelming.
People with ADHD face a number of issues in the workplace. They may include interpersonal conflict, tardiness, high absenteeism, high error rate, inability to change and lack of dependability. Consequences for these behaviors could include reprimands, suspensions, demotions, loss of pay, and termination.
Some adults with ADHD have very successful careers. Others may struggle with a variety of challenges, including poor communication skills, distractibility, procrastination and difficulty managing complex projects.
The five-minute rule is a cognitive-behavioral technique that is designed to help you overcome procrastination to become more productive. Essentially, all you need to do is commit to spending just five minutes on whatever it is you're procrastinating, after which you're free to stop if you want.
The Two-Minute Rule states “When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.” You'll find that nearly any habit can be scaled down into a two-minute version: “Read before bed each night” becomes “Read one page.” “Do thirty minutes of yoga” becomes “Take out my yoga mat.”
The rule is simple: Starting a new habit should never take more than two minutes to do.
What is 20-second rule? The initiation of any task is the most decisive part of it, where you take the decision to do it or not. If you make this process longer than 20 seconds you are more likely to not do it.
My “10-minute rule” is pretty straightforward: Every task on your to-do list should take no more than 10 minutes to complete. If it takes longer than 10 minutes, then you should have broken it down into smaller tasks or delegated it to someone else.
All types of ADHD may include weaknesses in executive functioning. Thus, children with ADHD are more likely to have problems getting started on things, and have difficulty with planning, problem-solving, and time management.
ADHD: a disabling condition
It is recognized as a disability under the 1992 Disability Discrimination Act.
ADHD burnout is often something a little deeper. It refers to the cycle of overcommitting and overextending that leads to fatigue in people with ADHD. It involves taking on too many tasks and commitments, and then the subsequent exhaustion that happens when we're unable to fulfill all of our obligations.
Untreated ADHD in adults can lead to mental health disorders like anxiety and depression. This is because ADHD symptoms can lead to focus, concentration, and impulsivity problems. When these problems are not managed effectively, they can lead to feelings of frustration, irritability, and low self-esteem.
High-functioning ADHD isn't a formal diagnosis. It's a phrase used to describe people living with ADHD who see little to no major impact on daily life. Just because you've reached great success or have found ways to work around ADHD symptoms doesn't mean ADHD might not be affecting you.
Interestingly, girls with untreated ADHD may be more likely to blame and judge themselves for these problems, leading to a higher risk for low self-esteem than boys who have ADHD. They may also be more likely to have problems with substance abuse, eating disorders, and anxiety.
Girls Tend Towards Introspection Rather Than Hyperactivity
Inattentive ADHD involves a lot of daydreaming, inability to focus, forgetfulness, and having trouble staying organized. Because that doesn't look like 'typical' ADHD — and can be mistaken for simple scatterbrained-ness — it's often not diagnosed as such.
Doctors often mistake ADHD symptoms in adults for mood disorders, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other conditions with overlapping symptoms. For adults, hyperactivity can be turned inward.