11. ADHD Task Paralysis: Why You Freeze on the Day You Finally Have Time

Have you ever told yourself you'll finally do the thing when it's quiet — and then the quiet came and you reorganised a drawer? Have you ever promised yourself the school holidays would be different, stacked up everything you were going to get done, and then spent the first Monday back staring at the wall and doing everyone's admin except your own? Have you ever been the most productive you've been all year on the last week of term, and then wondered why that woman never shows up any other time?

What we cover

• Why your brain flies at the end of term and falls off a cliff the second the kids go back — and what's actually happening underneath it
• The list in your phone called 'Monday' and the woman you've been promising people is coming — who has never once turned up
• Why avoidance on a quiet day isn't laziness — and what your brain is actually doing when it picks the wrong task on purpose
• What happens when high arousal creates a debt — and why the free day might be the worst time to do the hard thing
• Why 'I just need a quiet day with no interruptions' might be the trap you've been apologising for your whole life
• The one thing that actually works — and why it involves finding a human and making them mildly expect something from you

Free resources

• Energy Accounting Guide — https://adhdmums.com.au/product/adhd-mums-energy-accounting-guide/

Related episodes

• S3 — Sorry I'm Late, I Have ADHD. My Friend Has ADHD Too. She's Never Late — https://adhdmums.com.au/adhd-podcast-episodes/sorry-im-late-i-have-adhd-my-friend-has-adhd-too-shes-never-late/
• EP93 — When You Remove the Stress — https://adhdmums.com.au/adhd-podcast-episodes/when-you-remove-the-stress-and-start-wondering-whats-wrong-with-you/
• EP71 — When You Can't Relax Even When It's Quiet — https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/why-adhd-mums-cant-relax/
• EP24 — QUICK RESET: The ADHD Myth of 'Just Try Harder'https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/episode-24-quick-reset-the-adhd-myth-of-just-try-harder/
• EP49 — QUICK RESET: I'm Not Lazy — My House Doesn't Have a Memory https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/episode-49-quick-reset-im-not-lazy-my-house-just-doesnt-have-a-memory/

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References

Barkley, R. A. (1997). Behavioral inhibition, sustained attention, and executive functions: Constructing a unifying theory of ADHD. Psychological Bulletin, 121(1), 65–94. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.121.1.65

Volkow, N. D., Wang, G.-J., Newcorn, J. H., Kollins, S. H., Wigal, T. L., Telang, F., Fowler, J. S., Goldstein, R. Z., Klein, N., Logan, J., Wong, C., & Swanson, J. M. (2011). Motivation deficit in ADHD is associated with dysfunction of the dopamine reward pathway. Molecular Psychiatry, 16(11), 1147–1154. https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2010.97

Sonuga-Barke, E. J. S. (2003). The dual pathway model of AD/HD: An elaboration of neuro-developmental characteristics. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 27(7), 593–604. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2003.08.005

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