Motivation and ADHD🔥
ADHD has been described by Dr Russell Barkley as a ‘motivation deficit disorder’ and individuals with ADHD often face unique challenges with motivation due to differences in their brain’s reward system. Understanding these challenges and implementing tailored strategies can significantly enhance motivation and overall well-being.
Understanding the ADHD Brain and Motivation 🧠⚡
Research indicates that core aspects of the reward system in individuals with ADHD are underactive, making it challenging to derive motivation from regular activities. Engaging in high-stimulation behaviours can trigger a release of dopamine, providing a temporary boost in motivation. However, once the stimulation subsides, there’s often a noticeable drop in motivation. For example, being really interested in a new hobby such as knitting, only to drop it a week later after having spent a lot of money on wool.
Here are some strategies to try and help:
1. Create a sense of urgency ⏰
Do you often find you cannot force yourself to do a piece of work until the night before? It is often this sudden sense of urgency which can increase motivation enough to get the piece of work done. One tip is to artificially create this sense of urgency. For example, setting timers to see how much work you can get done in 45 minutes or by asking academic staff for earlier draft deadlines to help with completing the final piece on time.
2. Make it new or novel to you ✨
Trying to do your work in new or different ways can be the simple switch to help motivate you to do it. For example finding a new area to study in or person to study with. If you want to go to the gym more, why not try out a different class!
3. Make it personally interesting ❤️
ADHD is interest driven and it is likely you find it much easier to do something you are personally interested in compared to a task you need to do such as reading for class. Even if you aren’t interested in doing the task itself, you could try doing it in a way which is more interesting to you – e.g listening to a podcast while doing your dishes or using a new module as an excuse to get some fun stationary.
An alternative method you could try is by rewarding yourself when you have done the task you needed to do. Rather than setting longer term rewards which can feel too far away to motivate you, shorter, more achievable rewards like ticking an item off of your to-do list or receiving instant praise can be really helpful. 🎁✅