Imperfect Action: The Skill ADHD Adults Aren’t Taught

If you’re an adult with ADHD who experiences frequent procrastination, you’re not alone.
Many of my clients say things like: “I want to start, but I just can’t.”, “I know what to do,
I just struggle to actually do it.”, or “Getting started is really hard for me.”

Trouble with task initiation is not about laziness or lack of motivation. Sometimes we don’t get
started because we don’t have the information or the tools/materials we need. Most of the time
procrastination occurs because we are avoiding a negative emotion associated with the task. This
could show up in several ways, such as fear of failure (or even success), boredom, or perfectionism,
to name a few.

You might believe you need to do the task perfectly, all at once, or exactly the right way before
you can begin. When your brain believes that, the task suddenly feels enormous and overwhelming.
So, instead of getting started, you sit on the couch and binge watch your favorite show on Netflix
(hello The Night Agent) or scroll on TikTok.

That escape behavior feels good in the moment, but is often followed by feelings of shame, guilt,
and anxiety. Then comes the negative self-talk and self-criticism. The “proof” that we couldn’t do
the thing anyway or that we were just lazy. And so the cycle continues.

Today, we can interrupt that cycle of procrastination. Let’s dive deeper into procrastination
associated with perfectionism and action we can take to get unstuck!

A Common Scenario

Okay, so let’s look at a scenario together. Let’s say you’ve been putting off writing a report for
work and you’ve been beating yourself up about it. You think, “I want it to be perfect and need more
information, I’ll start later.” Maybe you think, “If I don’t get this just right, my boss will be
angry with me.” You try a few strategies like breaking the project down into smaller steps and setting
a timer to help you get started, but you’re still stuck in avoidance mode.

But here’s what you might have missed…

Your Nervous System Might Be in Fight or Flight

Modern day responsibilities can trigger primal, protective responses in your nervous system to keep
you safe. Your brain is wired for safety and doesn’t distinguish between a physical threat (like a
predator stalking you) and a psychological or emotional one (like a chore list, a hard conversation,
or that work report).

Suddenly, a project for work can feel as threatening as a bear chasing you.

And when your nervous system perceives danger, your brain’s priority becomes survival, not productivity.

Procrastination due to perfectionism is a sign that you are dysregulated. Perfectionism is the
fight-or-flight response in the clever disguise of high standards. Sometimes it can be perceived as
a positive trait. On the outside it looks like attention to detail and quality work, but underneath
it’s a nervous system response to fear. It’s a form of protection.

A Bit of Science Behind the Theory

The amygdala is considered a primal, ancient part of the brain, or the “fear center.” It acts as a
survival mechanism, processing emotions like fear and anger, triggering fight-or-flight responses,
and assigning emotional significance to memories. It’s automatic and unconscious.

The prefrontal cortex is responsible for planning, complex decision-making, and conscious thought.
This area of the brain is where executive function skills are primarily “housed.” We know that people
with ADHD tend to have impaired or weaker executive function skills (e.g., trouble planning/prioritizing,
struggles with time management, difficulty with task initiation, trouble regulating emotions and
attention, difficulty with working memory, etc.).

During a fight-or-flight state, blood flow is reduced in the prefrontal cortex (where executive
functions live) and is sent to areas of the brain like the amygdala (for survival). That means
logical thinking and decision making skills essentially “go offline” because we are in survival mode.

So, if the above theory is true, that means our “primal brain” gets activated by modern day demands
(like a work deadline) and decreases our ability to access executive functions (task initiation or
getting started).

Therefore, the first step we must take before even reaching for other strategies (like timers or
breaking tasks down) is to regulate our nervous system. That’s why Regulate is the
first pillar of my RIEAAR framework that I use in coaching because it is the foundation that makes
it possible for the other skills to stick.

See my blog post Micro-Regulation: Small Ways to Support Your Nervous System All Day for
simple ways to get started with regulation work.

After we’ve calmed our nervous system, we are much more capable of using the strategies and tools
that are often recommended to ADHDers to overcome procrastination.

Taking Imperfect Action

From a more regulated place, we can begin to shift our mindset about the thing we’re avoiding and
feel more empowered to take action. This is where the rest of the pillars of the RIEAAR framework apply.

Intention — Notice Your Thinking Patterns

Do you notice any cognitive distortions like all-or-nothing thinking and perfectionism? Your brain
might say things like:

• “I have to do all of this today.”
• “If I can’t do it perfectly, I shouldn’t start.”
• “I always mess things up.”
• “I’ll never get this done.”

Notice the extreme language in these statements: always, never, have to.
This kind of thinking is often a sign of all-or-nothing thinking, one of the most common cognitive distortions.

Instead of believing every thought your brain offers, try observing it:
“I’m noticing my brain trying to keep me safe and is in all-or-nothing mode right now.”

This creates a little space between you and the thought. Then you can gently reframe:

• “I don’t have to do all of it today.”
• “I can take one small step.”
• “I’m becoming a person who starts before things feel perfect.”

Another helpful reminder is that action often comes before motivation. Waiting until you feel
motivated can keep you stuck. Sometimes motivation shows up after you begin.

Externalize — Get It Out of Your Head

Working memory challenges are common with ADHD. When everything stays in your head, tasks can feel
overwhelming and impossible to organize. Externalizing helps reduce that mental load. You might try:

• A brain dump or journaling to release mental clutter
• Writing a checklist or visual schedule
• Scheduling tasks in a calendar or planner
• Using reminders, alarms, or smart assistants

Be specific whenever possible:

• When will you do the task?
• Where will you do it?
• How long will you work on it?

And remember: writing something down does not mean you have to act on it immediately. Sometimes the
biggest benefit is simply getting it out of your head.

Accommodate — Break It Down & Consider Your Environment

Many adults with ADHD unknowingly ask themselves to complete projects, not tasks. For example,
writing that work report is actually a project. Projects are overwhelming because they contain many
smaller steps.

Instead of trying to start and finish the whole report in one sitting (hello all-or-nothing brain),
break it down into smaller chunks. One strategy to experiment with is identifying your
Smallest Possible Step (SPS). This is not always the most reasonable step. Sometimes
it’s an action so small, it feels embarrassing or laughable to share. Examples might include:

• Sit down in chair at the computer
• Turn on laptop
• Open a new document
• Type the title

This is where imperfect action begins. You’re not trying to finish the whole report. You’re simply
gaining some momentum.

Another helpful strategy is setting your environment up for success. This could look like reducing
distractions (e.g., turn that phone on DND), adding some flow state music in the background, or
closing your office door to indicate you’re unavailable.

Accountability — Don’t Do It Alone

Many (not all) people with ADHD benefit from external accountability. This might look like:

• Body doubling (working alongside someone else)
• Working in a coffee shop or library
• Online co-working platforms
• Sharing your intention with a trusted person

Sometimes simply telling someone, “I’m going to work on this for 20 minutes.” can help you begin.

Reward — Celebrate Wins & Consider Motivators

ADHD brains are wired to respond strongly to immediate rewards. This is partly due to something
called temporal discounting, which means our brains value immediate rewards more than future ones.

Because of that, celebrating small wins is important to create that positive feedback loop. Any small
action, whether it’s perfectly executed or not, is a step in the right direction.

The key is to keep rewards:

• Close to the task
• Proportionate to the effort
• Simple

Remember: Celebrate attempts, not just outcomes. Showing up imperfectly still counts.

Why Imperfect Action Matters

Perfectionism can quietly keep adults with ADHD stuck.

It can lead to:

• Procrastination
• Task paralysis
• Anxiety and burnout
• Harsh self-criticism
• Difficulty finishing projects

Imperfect action interrupts that cycle. Instead of waiting until everything is perfect, you practice:

• Regulating your nervous system
• Noticing unhelpful thinking
• Starting with the smallest step possible

Over time, those small steps create momentum. Momentum builds confidence. Confidence builds
self-efficacy. And higher self-efficacy generally leads to better performance and greater success.

Final Thoughts

If you take one thing away from this, let it be this… You don’t have to do things perfectly to begin.
The next time your brain says, “I can’t start until I’m ready,” start with regulating your nervous
system. Remind that primal brain that it is safe and it doesn’t have to use perfectionism to keep you safe.
Then, take that one, small, imperfect step.

Because imperfect action is still action.