Do you trust procrastination to get things done?

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[hannah-lkoc]

I feel like I struggle without a deadline because I will work on something until it’s perfect or keep starting over because I don’t understand the expectations. A deadline forces me to say “ok that’s gotta be where we stop” and finish the task whether I like it or not.

[LuwukaW]

Oh, I absolutely hate having the pressure on me, don't get me wrong. But my brain doesn't seem to let me do things any other way. However I am practicing little things for organizing and remembering and slowly adding them into my routines. It's a work in progress and probably always will be. Unfortunately that panic is often the only motivation I can muster when I have too many things going on. Trying to get better at distinguishing between urgent and important things, and trying to get better at giving myself dedicated time to take a breath. None of it comes naturally to me 😔

[eel]

I think this is related to the level of anxiety I have about the task. If I have anxiety I will procrastinate until the last minute. For routine things like paying bills or doing the dishes or making an appointment that have no real risks I also prefer to get them done and out of my head.

[srldwg]

I don't rely on procrastination.
Having ADHD makes it so oppositional defiant disorder makes the simplest steps hard to do, extremely stressful.
They run through my head (I am also autistic) and the stress leads to ADHD paralysis.
AuDHD can be so stressful.
The extremely organized side of my brain fights with the lack of dopamine.
It screams at me that this is so easy, it just (all the steps to it going through my head), but it feels impossible.

I am going through this right now with a few different deadlines.

The dopamine rush hits right before the deadline, and it kicks you into high gear.
NOTHING can interrupt your hyperfocus or the seemingly disorganized order you are doing things. You are panicked and highly motivated at the same time.
By the time the deadline hits, you not only have it done, but it is super organized with extra things added (the overachieving part😂).

[briank]

Why do I struggle all day to do good work and then get a burst of brilliance half an hour before I need to stop working? Then I stay afterwards to fulfill my inspiration, to the detriment of my family who would now like my attention.

[freshoffthehook]

So as someone with both autism and ADHD think this is more of an ADHD coping mechanism. I used to use procrastination to induce panic that helped activate hyper focus mode. Panic was like a magnifying glass that caught and directed all my focus into one point. I could absolutely start earlier but my efficiency would be zilch. I would be spending anywhere from 20-40 times the amount of energy compared to normal people to accomplish anything in normal mode. Whereas once hyper focus activated I only had to spend 10 times the amount of energy compared to normal people often with substantially superior results. The down side was that in hyper focus I retreated so far inside my mind that I was completely disconnected from my body for however long it took to get the job done. Not to mention that much like drugs I needed to keep increasing the amount of panic to get hyper focus activated. So I couldn’t even feel the amount of damage the constant state of panic was doing to me. Once I had cancer my ability to preform in hyper focus drastically decreased and all I was left with was burn out, a panic disorder, a bunch of expectations that I couldn’t live up to, and no alternative coping mechanisms that came anywhere near the efficacy of hyper focus.

[Lil-Dragon]

My entire university experience in a nutshell. Paying bills is the only thing I don't procrastinate on deadline wise.

[cynthiabohli-nelson]

I am not as much of a procrastinator as I used to be. Keeping a desk calendar, & auto-paying bills helps me a lot. Household repairs & cleaning chores are another story. Oh...and phone calls. 😑

[daniemotioninsound]

I HATE deadlines. But without them, I WILL procrastinate. And I also WILL get things done, but in a muuuuch slower pace than if I had a deadline. I'm talking primarily about studying and finishing college, 'cause I don't really have a deadline, I just pay more if I want more time lol.

[BH-kwrh]

I need the urgency to enable me to focus on the thing. I would much *prefer* to get it done sooner, but my brain doesn’t work that way. This is one of many reasons why I think I'm AuDHD rather than just autistic

[DavidSmith-vzuu]

I have ADHD and ASD, I tend to make my own deadline in my head when their isn't a rush, so I will make myself frantic to wake my brain up to get started on a task otherwise I would keep procrastinating with my ADHD, it's like my brain has to be stressed out to do any tasks, this struggle is even over tasks on special interests that I have. That causes a lot of anxiety and depression.

[pikmin]

that was me in school, but I try to be more proactive with bills and other things now

[Copyright]

I honestly hate deadlines as well. Worst of all, I feel deadlines are usually forced upon people for this very reason - they are asking for it. I understand importance of completing task on time, I just do not tolerate pressure and artificial urgency.

[AutoEngineerVideos]

Procrastinate now! 😉

For some people it might be all about pathological demand avoidance.

[AnonymousUserNameHere]

For me, it is not a choice between the two styles. It is a paralysis crisis that comes to a head that I HAVE TO act on or else [insert worse consequence], and it's almost like I can't function/move/focus without the fight or flight adrenaline of the last-minute freakout. Literally almost missed the school bus EVERY SINGLE day because I COULD NOT get out of bed. Actually could not physically mentally get out of bed.

[VirginiaLynn]

Good God, YES!
I am so structured & routine oriented.. it's maddening, but if I don't have it.. I go crazy.. quite a conundrum 🤷🏼‍♀️😂

[eveosiris]

I was exactly this way!!!! I was frustrated by deadlines weeks out (especially for school) I would ask the teacher for all the years work and usually have it done before Thanksgiving to avoid any deadlines sneaking up. Then I got sober and was put through a thoroughly traumatizing mental institution. Came out with strikingly less mental acuity and some pretty debilitating executive dysfunction

[shari-leigallagher]

Oh yes…. So glad I am not alone! I much prefer having space to do things in my own time and at my own pace. Trying to do something with a deadline looming over me causes me sooo much anxiety and that’s where I cannot concentrate and make lots of errors. But…. If it is an “emergency” that crops up unannounced, well that is totally different and I can usually function very well.

[tomorroweva]

I have found that a deadline does not give me "no other choice". There are two choices: rush it, or miss the deadline. I try to do things earlier in pieces because many things can pop up to stop a person rushing at the end.

[loganskiwyse]

If left on my own I have to depend on procrastination and will never actually get the job done to my satisfaction. BUT, If I have some that knows the right way to motivate me I far prefer to get it done as soon as possible and then have one less thing to have anxiety over.