You're Not Lazy: ADHD and the Myth of Motivation

If you’re ADHD, chances are you have heard some of this before: “You just need to try harder”, “You’re lazy”, or “Why can’t you just get started?” But here’s the truth: For ADHDers, the struggle is not lack of motivation or laziness. The challenge is with task initiation and completion, a neurological response that functions differently than others might typically expect, not a character flaw.

Sometimes it feels impossible to get started, even when a big deadline is approaching.

Why Motivation Isn’t the Problem

For non-ADHD people, motivation often leads to action. When they feel motivated, they can start a task and finish it soon after. The sense of a task's importance is what triggers the initiation (start) and completion (finish) response.

For ADHDers, importance doesn’t reliably translate into action. You may desperately want to do something, like ace that project or clean the house, but still you find yourself frozen.

This isn’t because you’re unmotivated or don’t care.  In fact, difficulty doing important tasks often causes deep feelings of frustration, shame, or self-blame, especially for those with ADHD who are undiagnosed.

What is actually at play here is how the ADHD brain manages executive functions. Executive functions are the mental processes that allow us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks. In ADHD, executive functioning is different and this makes task initiation (getting started) and task completion (seeing it through) particularly difficult, despite the best intentions.

Once people with ADHD (and those around them!) understand this difference, they can start to leverage the motivational drivers of ADHD rather than try to force a non-ADHD response in an ADHD brain.

The Five Motivational Drivers in ADHD

Research has shown ADHDers are driven by different motivators compared with neurotypical people [1]. Dr William Dodson (2015) described five core “interest-based” motivators:

1. Interest: If a task genuinely interests you, your brain will likely be able to engage with it much more readily, perhaps to the extent that hyperfocus can happen

2. Challenge: Tasks that feel  competitive, or difficult in a way that’s engaging or stimulating will often spur action

3. Novelty: A new, shiny, exciting thing will often stimulate dopamine production and get you going

4. Urgency: Deadlines and crises will often trigger adrenaline, pushing you into action

5. Passion: Deep emotional engagement, and tasks that are personally meaningful can also fuel sustained effort

Without one of these drivers, even the most important tasks can feel impossible to start. The good news is you can intentionally use these drivers as leverage to get things done, hiding the important, but perhaps less engaging task, inside something that draws on your interest-based motivation.

Top Five Practical Tips for Task Initiation and Completion

If “just try harder” isn’t the answer, then what can help? Here are five ADHD-friendly strategies [2][3]:

1. Break It Down Smaller, Then Smaller Again.

Large tasks can feel overwhelming and lead to difficulty in getting started because you just don’t know where to begin. They’re challenging, but in a way that doesn’t feel achievable. Instead, try breaking your tasks into micro-steps:

• Instead of “write an essay”, you could start with “open laptop and write one paragraph”, or even “write one sentence”

• Instead of “clean the house” you could start with “unpack the dishwasher”, or even “Unpack the top shelf of the dishwasher”.

Break the whole task down, and get through them one tiny step at a time. These mini-successes with each step then allows you to build momentum and feels more achievable. And, you get into the swing of things. This approach is even more effective when each step is paired with small rewards as pay off for the challenge, or if progress can evoke a sense of competition.

One ADHD-friendly method is to break tasks into micro-steps and pair these with small rewards.

2. Create External Urgency

It can be difficult to set your own self-imposed deadlines because they are easy to ignore and don’t feel as serious. Instead, create external urgency:

1. Use “body-doubling” and work alongside someone else, following their deadline.

2. Set a timer for “beat the clock” sprints (e.g. set a 10-minute tidy-up challenge and see how much you can get done in just 10 minutes, or even how much you can get done while the kettle boils). This can be more effective when a timer is visible the whole time.

When you kickstart the brain’s motivation circuits with urgency, it becomes easier to complete the task.

A word of warning about this one: While it’s an effective motivator, we commonly see ADHDers in our Clinic who over-rely on this driver for big tasks, leading to boom-and-bust patterns of intense but stressful last-minute productivity. To avoid burnout, it’s important to use this approach with self-compassion and not constantly run on adrenaline. Add more ADHD-friendly strategies to your toolkit, so urgency isn’t your only option.

3. Use Interest to Your Advantage

When a task is boring, it feels impossible. Use your interests to turn mundane chores into more engaging activities by infusing your tasks with elements of interest. One of our clinicians calls this "The Trojan Horse", hiding an important (but boring) task inside one that’s interesting and engaging:

• Listen to music or a podcast while doing household chores

• Turn your work routine into a game or competition

By tapping into your natural interests, you will activate your brain’s reward system, making tasks more engaging and easier to start and finish.

4. Design Novelty into Your Routine

If boredom is an ADHDer’s nemesis, then we need to find ways to keep things interesting. New, exciting tasks and actions help keep your brain engaged.

• Change the order of your usual routines, change your work location, or take a different route to work

• Use different coloured pens or apps

• Plan your days so that rather than working on one type of task, you have options available and can change things up when boredom starts to set in

By switching up the task, you introduce something novel to keep your brain engaged and increase the likelihood of starting and finishing the task.

5.  Compassion over Criticism

Self-compassion reduces feelings of shame and frustration and makes it easier to reset and complete tasks, even after setbacks. Berating yourself doesn’t help, it only adds shame and a tendency to withdraw.

• Recognise when you’re stuck and respond with curiosity, not judgement

• Practice the same compassion toward yourself as you would to a friend or family member struggling

  
  

For many ADHDers, shame and self-criticism arise from the stories you’ve been told about why you act the way you do. However, these stories have little understanding that ADHDers engage with the world in a different way. Your struggles aren’t because of a character flaw, but because you’re navigating a world primarily designed for non-ADHD people and if that doesn’t fit with what you need - it's hard.

Quick Recap: ADHD Motivation Myths vs. Reality

Myth: “ADHDers are lazy”

Fact: ADHD brains are wired differently. Task initiation is a hurdle when people rely on non-ADHD motivational drivers to get tasks done.

Myth: “They just don’t care” 

Fact: Motivation and care are not the issue; executive functioning is.

Myth: “They lack discipline and willpower”

Fact:ADHDer’s benefit from strategies tailored to how their brains are wired, not traditional discipline. In fact, being highly driven is a key ADHD trait.

Understanding the real reasons behind task struggles can shift how you approach challenges. When you know it’s about executive function, not effort or care, you can use strategies that work with your brain rather than against it.

Want More Support?

If you’re ADHD and looking for more practical strategies:

• Join a community of ADHDers who “get it” and generously share their own tips and tricks. We highly recommend connecting with ADHD NZ.

• Read, listen, and learn through resources from trusted ADHD experts, including our Knowledge Hub, as well as other reputable sources such Additude Magazine

• Explore medication options that might be supportive: Currently in Aotearoa New Zealand ADHD stimulant medications must be prescribed by a psychiatrist initially, before prescriptions can be handed over to your GP. Find a psychiatrist on the ADHD NZ Healthcare Professionals Directory.

• Work with an ADHD coach or therapist who understands how your brain works. Enquire with MindMatters Clinic or check out the ADHD NZ directory linked above,

Understanding how ADHD affects motivation can be a game changer. When you know it's not about laziness or lack of care, but about how your brain works, you can start using strategies that actually help.

Disclaimer: This article offers general advice and is not a substitute for personalised support from a qualified clinical professional.

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References

[1] Dodson, W. (2015). Secrets of the ADHD brain. ADDitude Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.additudemag.com/secret-adhd-brain/

[2] Brown, T. E. (2013). A New Understanding of ADHD in Children and Adults: Executive Function Impairments. Routledge.

[3] Barkley, R. A. (2015). Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A handbook for diagnosis and treatment (4th ed.). Guilford Press.