Prioritizing

What's the deal with

Prioritizing

and ADHD?

Prioritization is the ability to organize tasks and responsibilities based on their importance and urgency. For individuals with ADHD, prioritization can be a significant challenge due to difficulties with executive functioning, which includes skills like planning, organizing, and decision-making. Struggles with prioritization can lead to feeling overwhelmed, missed deadlines, and increased stress.

“Prioritizing tasks and knowing what to do first is difficult for those of us with ADHD, so we rely on anxious feelings to tell us what needs to be done.” — Tamara Rosier, PhD, Your Brain’s Not Broken

What it looks like:

Prioritization challenges in ADHD can manifest in various ways:

Difficulty distinguishing between urgent and important tasks
Tendency to focus on less important but more interesting tasks
Procrastination on high-priority items
Feeling overwhelmed when faced with multiple tasks
Starting many projects but struggling to complete them
Difficulty breaking larger tasks into manageable steps
Inconsistent performance in work or academic settings
Spending excessive time on minor details while neglecting major priorities
Struggling to make decisions about what to do next
Frequently missing deadlines or submitting work 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, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control, all crucial for prioritization, 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 tasks that aren’t immediately rewarding, even if they're more important.
Altered Connectivity: Studies have shown that brain regions involved in decision-making and task management, which are important skills used for prioritization, are connected differently in individuals with ADHD. This can affect the ability to weigh different options and make effective decisions about what to prioritize.
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 tasks associated with pleasant emotions harder to resist. Similarly, tasks that are unpleasant or that you’re worried about are much more likely to be avoided.

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References:

https://www.addept.org/living-with-adult-add-adhd/why-prioriitizing-is-hard-with-adhd

https://drsharonsaline.com/2021/09/14/planning-and-prioritizing-practices-for-adhd-brains-whats-the-plan-and-when-do-you-start/

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What you can do:

Use prioritization matrices: Prioritization matrices help you to compare different tasks to make decisions about prioritization.
- The Eisenhower Matrix can help categorize tasks based on importance and urgency.
- Pairwise comparison is another method, which helps you compare options two at a time.
Implement the "2-minute rule": If a task takes less than two minutes, do it immediately to prevent small tasks from piling up.
Create a daily "Top 3" list: Each day, identify the three most important tasks to accomplish.
Use visual aids: Color-code tasks or use a kanban board to visually represent priorities.
Break down large tasks: Divide bigger projects into smaller, more manageable steps.
Set specific deadlines: Give each task a clear due date to help gauge its urgency.
Use the "eat the frog" technique: Start your day with the most important or challenging task.
Implement time-blocking: Allocate specific time slots for different types of tasks.
Regular review and adjustment: Set aside time weekly to review your priorities and adjust as needed.
Utilize technology: Use task management apps that allow for prioritization features.
Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness can improve focus and help you stay aware of your priorities throughout the day.
Seek external input: Sometimes, discussing your task list with a colleague, friend, or ADHD coach can provide valuable perspective on priorities.

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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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Emotional Regulation

Executive Function

Rejection Sensitivity (RSD)

Career

ADHD coaching

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