Planning

What's the deal with

Planning

and ADHD?

Planning is the process of thinking about and organizing activities required to achieve a desired goal. For individuals with ADHD, planning can be a significant challenge due to difficulties with executive functioning, which includes skills like organization, time management, and cognitive flexibility. Struggles with planning can lead to missed deadlines, incomplete projects, and increased stress and anxiety.

“Instead of relying on the [prefrontal cortex] for planning, short-term memory, and impulse management, those with ADHD rely on the emotional centers in their brain to remember things, make decisions, and motivate themselves. They use emotions to think, react, re- member, plan, and act.” — Tamara Rosier, PhD, Your Brain’s Not Broken

What it looks like:

Planning challenges in ADHD can manifest in various ways:

Difficulty breaking down large tasks into smaller, manageable steps
Struggling to estimate how long tasks will take
Tendency to procrastinate on starting projects
Feeling overwhelmed when faced with complex or long-term goals
Difficulty creating and sticking to schedules or routines
Forgetting important steps or details in multi-step processes
Struggling to anticipate potential obstacles or setbacks
Difficulty adjusting plans when unexpected changes occur
Inconsistent performance in work or academic settings
Frequently missing deadlines or rushing to complete tasks at the last minute

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The science:

The challenges with prioritization in ADHD result from several differences in the brain:

Brain Activity: The prefrontal cortex, a brain region responsible for skills we need to function in daily life, is often underactive in individuals with ADHD. In particular, the executive function skills of working memory, mental flexibility, and inhibitory control, all crucial for planning, may be weaker in people with ADHD.
Brain Chemicals: A brain chemical called dopamine plays a key role in motivation and reward processing. In people with ADHD, there is often too little dopamine, which makes it very challenging to focus on future tasks and long-term goals that aren't immediately rewarding, even if they're important for effective planning.
Altered Connectivity: Studies have shown that brain regions involved in decision-making and task management, which are important skills used for planning, are connected differently in individuals with ADHD. This can affect the ability to create, organize, and follow through with plans, especially those involving multiple steps or extended time frames.
Emotional Dysregulation: ADHD also involves challenges with emotional regulation. Emotions tend to be more intense, and may last longer, for people with ADHD. This can make it harder to stick to plans, especially when faced with unexpected obstacles or delays. Similarly, tasks within a plan that are unpleasant or that you're worried about are much more likely to be postponed or avoided, disrupting the overall planning process.
Time Perception: Individuals with ADHD often experience difficulties with time perception. They may struggle to accurately estimate how long tasks will take, to conceptualize future events, and to break down long-term projects into manageable steps, all of which are crucial aspects of successful planning.

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References:

What you can do:

Have an entry point: Identify the very first thing you need to do to start your task. Keep asking yourself “What comes before that?” until you arrive at a first step that actually feels doable. For example, instead of “write an outline for this report,” the entry point might actually be “open a blank document.”
Use visual planning tools: Whiteboards, mind maps, or digital planning apps can help visualize the steps needed for a project.
Implement the "backward planning" technique: Start with the end goal and work backward to identify necessary steps.
Create SMART goals: Ensure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
Use checklists: Break down tasks into detailed checklists to ensure no steps are missed.
Establish routines: Create consistent daily or weekly routines to reduce the need for constant planning.
Utilize time-blocking: Allocate specific time slots for different types of tasks or project stages.
Implement the "2-minute rule": If a task takes less than two minutes, do it immediately to prevent small tasks from derailing larger plans.
Use external reminders: Set alarms, use sticky notes, or leverage digital reminder apps to keep track of planned tasks.
Practice the "What's next?" strategy: Regularly ask yourself what the next step is to maintain focus on your plan.
Build in flexibility: Allow for buffer time in your plans to account for unexpected delays or changes.
Regular review and adjustment: Set aside time weekly to review your plans and adjust as needed.
Seek accountability: Share your plans with a friend, family member, or ADHD coach who can help keep you on track.

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Go deeper:

Setting Goals, ADHD-Style

Conquering Decision Fatigue

How to Break Down Projects Into Tasks

This Not That - Planning Edition

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Career

Rejection Sensitivity (RSD)

Disorganization

Prioritizing

ADHD coaching

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