Tackling Important But Uninteresting Tasks
Here in the U.S., it’s coming up on deadlines for taxes, which may top the list of stereotypically tedious, overwhelming, and often confusing tasks - a group of qualities that affect ADHDers particularly strongly. Dr. William Dodson, an ADHD specialist psychiatrist, describes our nervous system as “interest-based”, rather than “importance-based”. Just like any task, there are some of us who can find the process intrinsically interesting or painless and don’t struggle with taxes in particular, but for most ADHDers, doing taxes is a good example of the kind of important but uninteresting task that can really trip us up. Taxes might be an extreme case, but the challenge of tackling important yet uninteresting tasks comes up all the time.
Upping the Stimulation for Understimulating Tasks
With ADHD, our brains are wired to seek stimulation. If a task isn’t engaging enough, our attention can drift toward something more stimulating—whether we intend it to or not. This drive for stimulation often shows up as distraction. To stay focused, we need to make our tasks more stimulating so our brains don’t wander in search of something more engaging. Here are a few of my favorite general strategies:
Sensory layering: Depending on your sensory preferences (some people find added input helpful, while others find it distracting), increasing sensory stimulation can sometimes boost focus. This might look like listening to music or ambient sounds, using a fidget, incorporating movement, adjusting the room temperature, etc.
Body Doubling: There are lots of theories about just why this works, but for lots of ADHDers, doing your task in the same room as another person who is doing their own task can be a game changer.
Gamification: Novelty is by far my favorite way to add stimulation to a task, and it can look any number of ways. Setting up challenge/reward structure? Adding randomness? Role playing as a character who has a passion for your task? Racing yourself or others? Doing the task in a new place, in a new position, or in a silly voice? Truly the possibilities are endless.
Collaboration and Deadlines: I add this hesitantly because I’m not a fan of strategies that introduce guilt. But sometimes, simply knowing that someone will notice whether I did a task—and that they’re expecting it at a specific time, and it might matter to them that it’s done—can be motivating. For example, if I really want to clean my house, I might invite people over for the day by which I want to have it cleaned. When that is motivating rather than shame or stress inducing, this strategy can be a powerful tool.
When Understimulation Isn’t the Only Problem
Sometimes, tasks can be disguised as just boring when they are emotionally difficult as well. If I feel bad about my productivity, those feelings surface when I fill out my timesheet or performance review. If I feel inadequate about organization or money management, those feelings arise when I try to log receipts or pay bills. ADHD isn’t just about attention—it also affects emotional regulation, and sometimes distraction and avoidance are signs that a task is emotionally challenging.
This kind of situation deserves its own deep dive in a future edition, but if you find yourself stuck, it’s worth reflecting on what, if any, feelings might be involved, and addressing them with self compassion, perhaps asking yourself how you might speak to a friend who was feeling that way. And if this kind of thing comes up a lot, working through it with support—whether from a coach, a friend, or another resource—can make a big difference.
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