Navigating Procrastination with Self-Awareness

It’s interesting how ADHD is typically seen as a deficit in attention, when in reality it is more accurately understood as unregulated focus, something that is closely interlinked with a person’s interest in a task or topic.

Motivation can be observed through brain imaging, where patterns of neural activation are associated with engagement and reward processing during functional MRI (fMRI) scans. ADHDers, however, are well known for experiencing hyperfocus. When left unregulated, this can lead to obsessive behavioural patterns and burnout, where someone struggles to switch tasks or listen to their body’s needs. In my coaching work, I support individuals to gently reduce hyperfocus on one area by widening their attention to other aspects of their life and creating realistic, structured plans for getting things done.

Hyperfocus is often connected to procrastination and avoidance behaviours. In some cases, it is the very reason someone goes into hyperdrive in the first place - as a way of ignoring other tasks or responsibilities. Increasing self-awareness and exploring the underlying whys are key to addressing procrastination: recognising where too much focus is being directed, and identifying areas of life that may need more care and attention.

Procrastination is not a simple issue, and dominant narratives often place blame on individuals, reinforcing stigma by labelling people as lazy or unmotivated, the opposite of societal ideals. Research suggests that procrastination is more likely linked to not knowing how to get started, or to caring deeply about the outcome. Ironically, perfectionism and high personal standards can lead to avoidance of the very thing that matters most.

I took a short course in the run-up to the publication of Anne-Laure Le Cunff’s Tiny Experiments (a book that I really recommend!), and I found her interpretation of procrastination refreshing and far more optimistic. She encourages curiosity rather than judgement, suggesting that the real challenge lies in our reaction to procrastination, how we interpret it, and how it becomes tied to negative self-beliefs, guilt, and feelings of worthlessness.

Raising self-awareness is harder than it sounds, and it takes time to understand particular parts of who we really are. This is why I always begin coaching by exploring a person’s strengths before focusing on challenges. Often, challenges can be reframed as strengths that simply need to be harnessed differently. A little honesty goes a long way here: I often procrastinate myself, but I no longer see this as a negative trait. Instead, I try to understand the reasons behind it.

I love reading, especially psychology-related books and anything to do with the brain or emerging research. I even browse new releases on Amazon before bed, a little sad, perhaps, but true. It was while reading one of my final books of 2025, The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, that I realised I had often been using reading as a form of procrastination. This became clear when the book suggested stopping reading altogether for one week to remove creative blocks. I didn’t like the idea at first, reading is how I relax, learn, and engage with the world - but it resonated enough for me to reflect honestly and recognise that my reading had become a little obsessive.

I realised that instead of reading, I could write. I procrastinate on writing my own content and working on personal projects because I worry about whether it will read well, whether I write about interesting things, whether it will engage people, and how vulnerable it feels to share my own challenges. I also question whether I can write enough.

I started 2026 with a week of no reading at all, and I’m now aiming to better balance how much I read with other things I want to explore and enjoy, such as writing, creating my own content, and getting the smaller tasks done that simply need to be done. While writing this post, I didn’t once check the time, which feels reassuring given that writing is something I’ve identified as a procrastination point. It highlights how self-awareness can be the missing connection between wanting to do something and actually being able to follow through.

If this blog post resonates with you, I’d love to hear from you. Please feel free to get in touch, and we can explore strategies to help you find a better balance in your own life.