What is Task Paralysis in ADHD, its Treatment and How to Manage it: Task Paralysis Definition and 3 Steps to Overcome it

Many people with ADHD struggle with task paralysis, which is when you feel unable to get started on a task that you must to do. This may mean you feel very overloaded and overwhelmed, and it may be difficult to break out of this and begin the task - inevitably leaving things you need to do undone. In this blog, we go talk about what ADHD task paralysis is and its treatment using 3 simple steps to try to break the cycle.

What is ADHD Task Paralysis?

What is task paralysis in ADHD, and why does it happen? Understanding why it happens can help you to become aware of it and is often the first step in managing it. Task paralysis, simply put, is when an ADHDer feels overwhelmed by the demand of a task and feels unable to do it. This often means tasks are not started, left unfinished, or procrastinated up until a deadline or the point of desperation. This can be anything from daily chores like cleaning, tidying, shopping or cooking, to work-related tasks like writing reports or managing data, to life admin like completing forms or making appointments.

Its impact can be massive: piled up dishes, mold growth, missed deadlines, performance management in work and self-neglect, such as not completing important forms, missing appointments or not looking after yourself.

Why Does ADHD Task Paralysis Happen?

So why does task paralysis happen with ADHD? Here are the main science-based theories about it:

• ADHD brains have a higher threshold to get a hit of dopamine (the reward hormone), making more mundane tasks like chores and admin feel like a complete no go due them not being renowned for providing dopamine

• ADHD brains are less likely to reward (i.e. give dopamine for) starting a task over finishing it, making starting tasks seem and feel aversive due to lacking dopamine compared to the end goal

• ADHD brains can be less able to plan tasks (e.g. think through exactly what needs to be done), organise tasks (e.g. co-ordinate the first step of a sequence) and start tasks

• ADHD brains tend to thrive on new, novel and exciting tasks rather than repetitive tasks, as they crave dopamine, making daily tasks harder to engage with

Taken together, this is why task paralysis happens in ADHD: the brain craves reward and feels overwhelmed and paralysed at the thought of more mundane, routine tasks or tasks requiring planning, which is harder to do.

3 Steps for ADHD Task Paralysis Treatment

Step 1: Breaking Tasks down with ADHD

Sometimes approaching a big task that needs to be completed can daunting, and certainly can be overwhelming. Even small tasks may evoke a similar sense of dread and may feel unmanageable. This is the case because sometimes ADHD brains struggle to plan and organise, which makes it difficult for them to break down larger tasks into smaller jobs and sequence them. For example, imagine a warehouse conveyor belt. Along this conveyor belt, there are different people doing their jobs in sequence, creating a single product. An ADHD brain may look at this and see all the things they need to do and feel overwhelmed, but are unable to isolate each step and focus on that.

It may be useful for you to break down your task into very small, specific, and limited steps. This forces you to look at your task as something that is easier, and more approachable. This may be, filling in one box of your form, instead of looking at the whole form which wouldn’t seem do-able.

Step 2: Increasing Dopamine with ADHD

A common symptom of ADHD is that you may have a dopamine system that works slightly differently to those who don’t have ADHD. This sometimes means that you may not get the same sense of reward after completing the first step of a task, so the motivation to do so is not as strong, therefore leaving you in a state of task paralysis.

Therefore, a way to make beginning tasks easier is to increase the dopamine being released in your brain through incorporating things that you enjoy into the task, so you get that sense of reward upon its completion. This can be through playing your favourite TV show, movie, or music in the background of the task so that you feel more rewarded for doing it. For example, playing music in the background of cleaning the kitchen.

Similarly, you could reward yourself after completing a task. This will make you feel more motivated to continue with the next step of the task as you will want to receive the reward once more. It is also worth mentioning that this can be after completing a set number of minutes as well, so instead of rewarding yourself after completing a task, you can reward yourself after completing 10 minutes.

Listening to music whilst working

Step 3: Taking Breaks with ADHD

As previously mentioned, ADHD brains’ dopamine system works in a slightly different way to how non-ADHD brains do. This means that they require more dopamine than their brain would typically produce in order to feel a sense of reward. In order to adjust this so that you feel like you are able to break out of the state of task paralysis, you can take frequent breaks.

Taking frequent breaks will increase the amount of dopamine in your brain, therefore encouraging you to carry on working as you will feel more motivated to continue. It is important to set the amount of time you will work for before having your set amount of break time, because it will add structure and balance productivity with reward nicely. For example, you can tell yourself that if you work for 10 minutes, you will have a 5-minute break.

We have covered what task paralysis in ADHD is, why it happens, and 3 steps of how to manage it. Being kind to yourself is perhaps the biggest thing - it is not your fault, and you're working against the grain of biology to manage task paralysis. We hope this has been helpful.

We have various other blogs on ADHD including planning and organising tips and what to expect from a diagnostic assessment. We also provide direct support for ADHDers, including diagnostic assessments and individual, group and online pre-recorded therapies and educational programmes - reach out for a free consultation to discuss if we can be of any support.

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