Understanding ADHD Motivation Challenges

One common symptom of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be having trouble with motivation. Among other challenges, ADHD may make it hard to start and finish tasks, especially mentally challenging ones. This can lead to problems at school, at work, and in daily life. To boost motivation, it may be helpful to develop a prioritization system, make tasks more stimulating, work with others, reduce distractions, and talk to a mental health professional.

Is ADHD making it hard to self-motivate?

Find motivation with online therapy

ADHD motivation challenges: A common symptom

ADHD is a disorder that usually impacts executive function, which generally refers to mental skills like planning ahead, staying focused, multitasking, and controlling your urges. When you have ADHD, these skills may not come as easily to you as they do to other people. 

Executive function challenges may affect different people in different ways. However, in people with ADHD, they may manifest as:

• Becoming easily distracted
• Forgetting or losing things easily
• Fidgeting or struggling to sit still
• Making impulsive decisions
• Struggling to manage emotions

The role of dopamine in ADHD motivation challenges

The neurotransmitter dopamine is a brain chemical that normally plays a role in movement, motivation, and pleasure. Research suggests there may be issues with the way the ADHD brain processes dopamine, which could explain why people with ADHD often struggle with motivation. (Note that mental health research is always evolving, and older sources may have been reevaluated since their original publication.)

Motivation challenges due to ADHD can have personal and professional consequences. For example, adults with ADHD may have trouble meeting deadlines at work, while children with ADHD might struggle in school. That said, there may be ways to counteract some of these challenges.  

Motivation strategies to try if you have ADHD

Self-motivating with ADHD can be challenging, but it’s often possible with the right strategies. The following ADHD motivation tips may help you get started on tough tasks and sustain your attention more easily. 

Developing a prioritization system to manage attention deficit

The mental load of determining which task to focus on first can negatively affect motivation for some people. That’s why it may help to have a go-to system for prioritizing tasks. You might consider strategies like:

• The Ivy Lee method (picking six tasks to focus on the following day and ranking them in order of importance)
• The ABCDE method (sorting tasks based on urgency and importance)
• “Eating the frog” (doing the hardest or least appealing task first thing in the day)
• The 80/20 method (focusing on tasks that will have the biggest impact on your goals)

Once you’ve settled on a system, keep it on hand. Whenever your to-do list seems long, use the system you’ve chosen to reduce the effort of figuring out where to start. 

Making tasks more stimulating to help with adult ADHD symptoms

One possible reason people with ADHD tend to fidget a lot is that fidgeting may make boring tasks more stimulating. Studies of children with ADHD in the classroom have found that fidgeting may make it easier to stay on task. That’s why, when faced with tedious or repetitive tasks, it may help to add some stimulation.

For example, you could try pairing a workout on the treadmill with an episode of a podcast or listening to your favorite music while answering emails. Even something as simple as a fidget toy may be a useful tool. By making tasks more engaging, adults with ADHD can stay focused and complete these tasks with greater ease.

Reducing distractions to improve focus and mental health

While stimulation can be beneficial, minimizing the risk of getting sidetracked can also help. Bringing your focus back after getting distracted can be exhausting if you have ADHD, which may add to motivation challenges. When you’re getting ready to work on a difficult task, try to remove possible distractions ahead of time by doing things like:

• Tidying up your workspace
• Notifying the people around you that you need uninterrupted focus time
• Putting in earplugs or noise-canceling headphones, or listening to white noise
• Putting your phone on silent and muting notifications
• Using an app or browser extension to block distracting websites for a set amount of time

Staying organized and maintaining a clutter-free environment can reduce distractions and improve focus. You may find that reducing the likelihood of distraction makes hard tasks seem more manageable.

Breaking tasks down to reduce overwhelm

While this advice may sound cliche, there’s a reason it tends to be helpful. In general, the more individual steps you complete in a particular task, the more chances you get to celebrate your progress. Checking each subtask off your list can provide a sense of accomplishment and motivate you to keep working, so explore ways to break big tasks into the smallest possible pieces. For added excitement, consider pairing the smaller subtasks with occasional rewards. 

Working alongside others to tackle focus problems

Even if you’re both working on different tasks, having another person around who’s also focused on a task may motivate you and keep you on track. Consider enlisting a coworker to partner up with you during focus periods. If you work from home or live alone, ADHD support groups and coworking meetups can also be places to connect with accountability partners. 

Live a brain-healthy lifestyle

Lifestyle changes alone may not be enough to overcome motivation challenges. However, some habits may support your memory, concentration, and overall brain health, potentially making it easier to accomplish tasks. Some examples include the following:

• Maintaining balanced and nutritious eating habits, which may improve mental function
• Getting regular exercise, which may support memory and emotional balance
• Practicing sleep hygiene, which may boost alertness, concentration, and mood
• Practicing mindfulness, which may improve attention, emotional regulation, and awareness of the present moment

Although these habits might not immediately boost motivation, they may be useful supplements to the other strategies on this list. 

Is ADHD making it hard to self-motivate?

Find motivation with online therapy

Get professional help

If ADHD-related motivation challenges are getting in the way of your daily life, it may also be worth talking to a mental health professional. Working with a specialist can help reduce your motivation deficit with a treatment plan that’s specific to your needs.

Therapy may be a valuable resource if ADHD is making it hard to stay motivated. In particular, treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) may help you reframe thought and behavior patterns that might be making it harder to start on tasks. CBT may also be useful for managing other mental health concerns you may have in addition to ADHD. 

However, if you already have trouble with motivation, then you might find it hard to motivate yourself to commute to a therapist’s office. Internet-based therapy may be an easier solution. Online therapy platforms typically let you work with a therapist from the comfort and convenience of your home. This may make attending therapy more manageable if ADHD affects your motivation. 

Multiple studies show that online therapy may be an effective form of ADHD treatment. In 2022, researchers reviewed six studies of 261 ADHD patients, finding that online interventions frequently led to improvements in attention and social function.