Today, we will explore task prioritization.

First, let’s define task prioritization.

Task prioritization is the process of deciding what deserves attention first based on factors such as deadlines, consequences, values, available capacity, dependencies, and importance. Urgency is one factor, but not every important task needs immediate action.

Why can this be harder with ADHD?

• Executive functioning differences can impact planning, organization, and prioritization required to meet neurotypcial expectiations.
• Attention differences make it hard to stick with the one task you might prioritize
• Some ADHD people find that interest, novelty, challenge, immediacy, feedback, and urgency change how accessible a task feels. The phrase “interest-based nervous system” can be a useful clinical description, but it is not an established neurological subtype or a universal explanation for ADHD prioritization. See ADHD Motivation and the “Interest-Based Nervous System”.
• Task paralysis can get in the way of figuring out how to prioritze.

We will explore these issues in this module.

Everyone has a different way of prioritizing tasks. Your brain operates uniquely and will likely prioritize things that are emotionally charged, exciting, fun, interesting, urgent, or within your immediate purview as the things that get your attention. Therefore, these might be the ways you prioritize!

It is important to recognize that in certain environments, the way you prioritize and pay attention is valuable. Some ADHD traits can be useful in particular environments—for example, work that rewards rapid response, novelty, improvisation, or intense engagement. The hunter-farmer idea is sometimes used as a metaphor for this, but it is speculative and should not be presented as established evolutionary evidence that ADHD was “crucial to survival.” The practical point does not require that claim: different environments reward different attentional and executive-function profiles.

Let's watch this video as a reminder of the ideas we need to remember.

Understanding “Now and Not Now” Thinking

“Now/not now” is an informal ADHD teaching metaphor, not a formal cognitive category. It describes a familiar experience for some people: tasks that are immediate, visible, urgent, or emotionally present can be much easier to act on than tasks whose consequences are distant.

Several processes may contribute, including prospective memory, time perception, working memory, reward timing, task salience, and executive functioning. It should not be reduced to a single mechanism called “time blindness.”

Use the phrase only if it helps you notice a pattern: What makes a future task disappear from practical attention until it becomes urgent, and what external support could make it visible earlier?

Do you recognize “now not now” in you?

This "now and not now" mindset can be a tremendous asset in several modern job sectors and past scenarios.

Can you think of ways in which this kind of thinking would be beneficial in modern-day life?

Can you think of jobs where this thinking would be helpful?

Some people with ADHD prefer work that is fast-moving, varied, hands-on, socially engaging, or provides immediate feedback. Others find high-intensity environments exhausting or destabilizing. Career fit depends on the person, the job demands, support, health, interests, and many other factors; ADHD does not determine which occupation will be a good fit.

A “now/not now” pattern can become difficult when important tasks stay psychologically distant until a deadline or consequence makes them immediate.

Modern task management often requires holding several future obligations in mind, comparing consequences, sequencing steps, estimating time, and shifting attention before urgency arrives. Those demands can be hard with ADHD. The useful question is not whether you are a “hunter” in a “farmer” world; it is which parts of prioritizing need to be made more visible, concrete, or externally supported.

Attention differences

Competing sights, sounds, notifications, people, thoughts, or tasks can make it harder to stay connected to the priority you chose. There is no need to explain this as a leftover hunter-gatherer adaptation.

Environmental changes can help when distraction is actually part of the barrier. You might reduce notifications, close extra tabs, use a quieter space, put the priority task in view, or use a time boundary such as a timer. Some people focus better with a degree of stimulation rather than in a distraction-free environment, so experiment rather than assuming one setup is universally best.

The “Interest-Based Nervous System” Idea

William Dodson’s phrase “interest-based nervous system” is widely used because many ADHD people recognize that engagement changes with interest, novelty, challenge, immediacy, feedback, and urgency.

Use it as a descriptive framework, not as literal neuroscience. Research on ADHD instead points to several overlapping processes, including reward timing, delay sensitivity, boredom, effort, executive functioning, and reinforcement. Importance and consequences still matter; they simply may not be enough on their own to make a distant, vague, low-reward task easy to enter.

A more useful question than “Why can’t I prioritize what matters?” is:

“What makes the important task less accessible right now, and what could make it easier to enter?”

That might mean making the first step clearer, shortening the time horizon, making progress visible, adding another person, changing the environment, or creating an earlier cue or deadline.

For the current evidence-aware version of this teaching, see ADHD Motivation and the “Interest-Based Nervous System”.

USE SELF COMPASSION

Ideally, you should not have to work against your brain and neurotype. It is important not to use the tools we discuss as weapons against yourself in an attempt to fit into neurotypical molds.

You don’t need to be “fixed”. However, you might need to stregnthen some of your skills, or use self awareness to help yourself with priortizing to live a life in line with your values.

Review previous units and videos on self-care and task planning to refresh and reinforce the skills you have acquired.

The ongoing process of learning and re-learning can serve as a foundation for growth and more trust in your self.

Task Paralysis

“Task paralysis” is a useful community phrase, not a formal ADHD symptom or diagnosis. It can describe wanting or needing to act while feeling unable to get into motion.

Several different things can create that experience: too many competing demands, unclear priorities, a vague first step, perfectionism, fear of criticism, low capacity, fatigue, sensory overload, difficulty shifting attention, or emotional distress.

Overwhelm can absolutely signal that the workload or expectations are too high. But task paralysis should not automatically be described as a literal nervous-system freeze response or as proof that the brain has detected danger. Some people do become highly stressed or shut down around tasks; others are stuck for very different executive-function reasons.

Before choosing a regulation exercise, ask what is actually making the task hard to enter. Sometimes the best intervention is rest or reducing demands. Sometimes it is clearer priorities, a smaller first step, more information, outside structure, or help from another person. See Task Starting and ADHD in Women.

Remember the lessons learned from the units on stress, emotions, and self-accommodations. While managing your executive functions is vital, it's equally important to reject pressures to conform to the so-called 'gold standard.'

As you venture into task management and planning, remember to treat yourself with compassion. Recognize that it's perfectly okay to have moments of struggle, and that working on these issues can be very challenging.

Navigating Task Paralysis: Three Ways to Help Yourself

When you feel stuck, first notice what kind of stuck this is. If you are highly anxious or physiologically activated, a calming or grounding strategy may help. If the barrier is unclear priorities, missing information, low interest, fatigue, or too much load, regulation exercises may not address the main problem. Use body-based strategies as optional supports rather than assuming every task-initiation problem is a danger response.

Diaphragmatic Breathing

Slow, comfortable breathing can reduce arousal for some people and may be useful when anxiety or stress is part of what is making a task hard to approach. It is not a treatment for ADHD task initiation by itself, and you do not need to assume that being stuck means you are in a freeze response. If focusing on breathing makes you more uncomfortable, skip it and use another support.

Use it only if it helps you feel more settled or makes the next step easier to approach.

Optional slow-breathing practice

If breathing exercises help you settle:

1. Find a comfortable position.
2. Let the breath stay easy rather than forcing a very deep inhale.
3. Breathe in gently.
4. Breathe out comfortably, allowing the exhale to be a little slower if that feels natural.
5. Repeat for a short period and notice whether you actually feel more settled.

You do not need to hold your breath, breathe in a particular ratio, or force abdominal movement. Stop if you feel light-headed, panicky, or more focused on bodily sensations in an unhelpful way.

Movement can help some people change state

If you have been sitting, ruminating, or feeling physically restless, a brief movement break may help you shift state or increase alertness before returning to the task. That might mean walking, stretching, dancing to one song, carrying something, or another form of movement that works for your body.

Do not use movement as proof that task paralysis was a “freeze response,” and do not assume exercise will solve a task that is unclear, emotionally loaded, inaccessible, or beyond your capacity. Treat movement as one optional support and notice what happens afterward: Is the next step easier to approach, unchanged, or harder?

GROUNDING

Grounding techniques are designed to help individuals connect with the present moment by focusing on their physical surroundings or sensations.

One action item you could try is the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique, which involves focusing on the senses to bring awareness to the present moment. Here's how it works:

1. Name 5 things you can see in your surroundings.
2. Name 4 things you can feel or touch (e.g., the chair she's sitting on, her feet on the ground).
3. Name 3 things you can hear (e.g., the sound of the wind, people talking in the background).
4. Name 2 things you can smell (e.g., the scent of coffee, fresh air).
5. Name 1 thing you can taste (e.g., the taste of a mint or gum).

There are many grounding strategies. Try one only if it helps, then check in with how you feel. Grounding can help with distress or disconnection; it is not a universal treatment for ADHD task initiation.

A Useful Pattern: “Procrastivity”

J. Russell Ramsay uses “procrastivity” to describe doing a lower-priority but still useful task instead of the priority task you intended to do.

This is not a diagnosis or a validated ADHD subtype. It is a useful way to examine why one task is more executable than another.

The substitute task often has advantages:

• it is concrete or physical
• you already know the steps
• you can estimate how long it will take
• progress is visible
• the finish line is clear
• you feel more competent doing it

So if you find yourself cleaning, organizing, answering easy messages, or doing another useful task while avoiding the important one, compare the two tasks rather than calling the whole thing laziness.

Compare the tasks

The priority task:

• What is vague?
• What decisions are still hidden inside it?
• Is the first action visible?
• Can I tell how long I am committing to?
• Can I tell when I have made enough progress for now?
• Is there emotional risk—criticism, uncertainty, perfectionism, fear of failure?

The substitute task:

• What makes this one easier to enter?
• Is it familiar?
• More physical?
• Shorter?
• More bounded?
• More immediately rewarding?
• Easier to see progress?

Then borrow what you can.

“Work on the presentation” might become “open the deck, write three section headings, and stop after 12 minutes.”

“Do the taxes” might become “put the tax folder on the table and sort only the income forms.”

Ramsay’s implementation-focused CBT work supports looking closely at the intention-to-action gap in adult ADHD. Broader adult-ADHD CBT research supports structured skills-based treatment, but the specific “procrastivity” framework itself has not been independently established as a treatment. Ramsay, 2016 Liu et al., 2023

One implementation tool: if–then planning

Sometimes it helps to decide the cue and the first action in advance:

If X happens, then I will do Y.

Example: If I sit down with my coffee at 9:00, then I will open the report and work for ten minutes before checking messages.

Implementation intentions have a strong general research base for goal pursuit. ADHD-specific evidence is more limited and includes experimental work in children, so this should be treated as a potentially useful strategy rather than an adult-ADHD guarantee. Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2025 Gawrilow et al., 2011

Now, let's move on to some ideas to help you prioritize

One useful ADHD strategy is to externalize information so prioritizing does not depend entirely on working memory. Lists, written priorities, visual cues, calendars, and visible next actions can reduce the amount you have to keep active in your head. This is a support, not a rule that every ADHD person must use in the same way. Here is a video by Russell Barkley explaining why.

https://www.tiktok.com/@ladyksfreshlocalshrimp/video/7222018984571489582?lang=en&q=hunter farmer adhd&t=1693859108214

In this next sections we will briefly review our 3 step system for task and calendar management. However you manage your to do list does not matter. You can plan ahead for the week, or if you forget do it the day of. But planning is important. So is having a list of tasks or your number one task that you want to do for the day. The idea of the dump list is probably the most improtant. It’s great to keep one and have it handy and visible to you.

Externalize your list so you do not have to rely on working memory to keep every task active at once.

Review

Suggestions for a 3-Step System:

A) Dump List:

• Start by sitting down and creating an ongoing list of all your responsibilities for the week.
• Include work, childcare, and daily routines such as eating breakfast, taking a shower, and cooking dinner.
• Write down all your tasks and projects, including anything pending with deadlines.
• Note due dates next to tasks and projects, as well as things to do like making appointments and paying bills.
• Examine the list and if feeling overwhelmed, specify tasks such as "do dishes" instead of "clean kitchen".
• Break big tasks into smaller steps and big projects into manageable baby steps. Seek clarification if confused.

b) Weekly Plan

• Start by pulling out your weekly calendar.
• Review your 'Dump List' and insert all upcoming week's responsibilities into the calendar.
• Schedule a daily 15-30 minute personal time block.
• Insert all appointments into the calendar.
• Schedule tasks or projects with deadlines on their due dates.
• Dedicate 30 minutes on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday for weekly planning.
• Set aside 10 minutes daily, either in the morning or evening, for daily planning and review.

Note: It's important to overestimate task durations. If a task should take 10 minutes, plan for 20 or 30 minutes.

Tasks: Choose one task from the Dump List daily. Prioritize tasks based on their values, deadlines, or importance.

c) Daily Plan

Take 10 minutes every evening or morning to review your daily plan.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• What is my main goal for today?
• Which task is crucial and must be completed today?
• Am I over-scheduled?
• Am I forgetting anything?
• Can I use a strategy to combat procrastination?
• Are there any lingering tasks I need to complete?
• What is today's schedule like?
• Do I need to rearrange any tasks?

To further prioritize tasks, you can also use the Eisenhower Matrix.

DEMO

Eisenhower Matrix (1)

Understanding and Utilizing the Eisenhower Matrix

One often taught strategy to deal help neurotypicals prioritize is The Eisenhower Matrix.

This strategy can help ADHD individuals prioritize tasks by categorizing them into four groups based on urgency and importance. Less important and urgent tasks can be delegated or given less time.

Here is a brief description of each quadrant:

1. Quadrant 1 (Urgent and Important): Tasks that are both urgent and important. These are the critical activities that you need to deal with personally and immediately. However, spending too much time in this quadrant can lead to stress and burnout.
2. Quadrant 2 (Important but Not Urgent): Tasks that are important but not urgent. These are the activities that help you achieve your personal and professional long-term goals. Individuals with ADHD should aim to spend more time in this quadrant to have better control over their time and to work towards their goals proactively.
3. Quadrant 3 (Urgent but Not Important): Tasks that are urgent but not important. These are the activities that you can either ask yourself if you can accommodate yourself in some way to do or delegate to someone else. If not managed properly, these tasks can take away the time that you could otherwise be spending on important tasks.
4. Quadrant 4 (Neither Urgent nor Important): Tasks that are neither urgent nor important. These are the activities that you may be able to eliminate as they don't contribute to your goals or have any significant impact.

Determining What's Important and Urgent: How Do You Know?

To effectively use the Eisenhower Matrix, it's essential to understand how to categorize tasks based on their importance and urgency. Here are some guidelines:

• Important Tasks: These are tasks that contribute directly to achieving your long-term goals and values. They could be personal or professional goals and often have a significant impact on your life and future.
• Urgent Tasks: These are tasks that require immediate attention. They are often associated with meeting deadlines, responding to emergencies, or fulfilling last-minute requests. These tasks often have immediate consequences if not completed.

Incorporating Tasks into Your Calendar

You can use this if it helps to help you prioritize or to just think about priorities

• Tasks with Deadlines: Ensure that tasks with deadlines are clearly marked in your calendar, with sufficient time allocated to complete them.
• Tasks with Consequences: Identify tasks that will have significant consequences if not completed and allocate time to complete these tasks before they become urgent.
• Tasks You Care About: Make sure to allocate time for tasks that you care about and that contribute to your long-term goals and values.

Using the Eisenhower Matrix Effectively

To use the Eisenhower Matrix effectively, i should aim to spend more time in Quadrant 2, which contains tasks that are important but not urgent. This allows for proactive planning and working towards goals without the pressure of urgency. It helps in reducing the time spent in Quadrant 1, which contains urgent and important tasks, thereby reducing stress and burnout.

How to Prioritize Better So You Aren't Stressed: More Tips

1. Display Your Top Three Values

Keep a visual reminder of your core values in various spaces around your home. This could encompass aspects such as:

• Safety: Ensuring a secure and stable environment for yourself and your loved ones.
• Financial Stability: Focusing on maintaining your job and meeting your financial responsibilities.
• Family Focus: Allocating time and energy to nurture your relationship with your children.
• Creativity: Carving out space to engage in creative endeavors that ignite your passion and interest.

Using these values as a compass can guide your weekly goal-setting and decision-making processes. When you are prioritizing, use your values as part of the compass.

2. Establish Self-Awareness Goals

Continue to work on awareness of your stress patterns as well as procrastination. Are you avoiding tasks that you should prioritize because you don’t have information? Are you forgetting to plan? Are you failing to prioritize things like self-care which will later contribute to stress and have a domino effect?

3. Self-Advocacy: Seek Help

Don't hesitate to ask for help when confusion arises. Consulting with your boss, partner, or a trusted friend can offer you a different perspective on prioritizing tasks. Remember, you're navigating a world built on norms, and their insights can be a valuable resource.

4. Utilize Your Planning System

Consistently use your planning system to manage your tasks and meet your deadlines. Integrating this system into your routine can gradually enhance your planning and task management skills.

5. Embrace the 'Brain Dump' Technique

Keep practicing the 'brain dump' technique where you jot down all the tasks and ideas cluttering your mind onto paper. This technique helps in organizing thoughts and prioritizing tasks more effectively. Remember, the key to success is taking slow, steady, and small steps to incorporate this habit into your routine.

If an official planning system like we outlined does NOT work for you be more flexible. ‘Try these ideas on a daily basis. Keep a dump list that you look at each day and scan your list for urgent dates and priorities and also try to focus on things that would fall into quadrant 2.

Can you think of more flexible ways to tweak your planning system to help yourself with issues of prioritization that feel good to you?

Worksheet and Task List Group activity

Instructions

1. Look at this list of tasks
2. Categorize each task into the appropriate quadrant of either the Eisenhower Matrix
3. Discuss as a group how tasks can be re-categorized or approached differently to spend more time in the desirable quadrants (Quadrant 2 of the Eisenhower Matrix and the GREEN quadrant of the Solve-It Grid).
4. When you look at tasks and think about what we’ve learned what are some of the obstacles to getting tasks done?
5. How can you use our model to help you with thinking about your tasks and prioritizing them?

Task List

1. Buy groceries for the week (Due 9/14).
2. Catch up on favorite show.
3. Pick up school uniforms that your child needs for school, which starts on 9/13.
4. Schedule a haircut appointment.
5. Get dog's rabies shot due on 9/30.
6. Pay the electricity bill (Due 9/16).
7. Take a 15-minute walk daily for self-care.
8. Set a playdate for the kids (Scheduled for 9/21).
9. Vacuum the living room every other day.
10. Water the indoor plants.
11. Start answering emails every day because it's been 3 weeks.
12. Sort and recycle the junk mail.
13. Fill the car with gas.
14. Organize the entire house according to Marie Kondo's book.
15. Read for 20 minutes before bed as a relaxation routine.
16. Try to make a healthy dinner every night from scratch.
17. Set aside 10 minutes for morning meditation.
18. Wash the dishes every night.
19. Make a doctor's appointment for the annual check-up.
20. Spend 45 minutes playing a game with the kids daily to be a good mom.
21. Take out the trash every night.
22. Write a to-do list and look at the calendar for the next day every evening.
23. Spend 10 minutes daily tidying up the kitchen.
24. Make the beds every morning.
25. Set aside time weekly to learn something new or pursue a hobby.
26. Plan a simple weekend family activity.
27. Start running 5 miles a day because I haven't exercised in a long time.
28. Do the teenagers' laundry.

Final Section

Worksheet Activity

Eisenhower Matrix Worksheet Activity 🌈

Today, we will categorize tasks based on their urgency and importance using the Eisenhower Matrix.

IInstructions:

1. Below, you will find a list of 20 tasks. Your job is to categorize them into the Eisenhower Matrix based on their urgency and importance.
2. Remember to consider the nature of each task and how it aligns with your personal and professional goals.
3. Feel free to use your personal experiences and preferences to guide your decisions.
4. Discuss as a group how the quadrants may or may not have relevance for helping you shift the way you prioritize to adjust to some of the expectations placed on you.
5. Does it have any relevance?
6. How can you use the idea of the dump list and the interest-based nervous system to help you refocus daily or weekly on what your priorities are so you are less stressed?

The Eisenhower Matrix:

Quadrant Descriptions:

1. Quadrant 1 (Urgent and Important): Tasks that require immediate attention and contribute to your long-term goals and values. Tip: Try to manage these tasks effectively to avoid stress and burnout. 🔥
2. Quadrant 2 (Important but Not Urgent): Tasks that are important but don't require immediate attention. These tasks help you achieve your long-term goals. Tip: Aim to spend more time here to proactively work towards your goals without the pressure of urgency. 🌱
3. Quadrant 3 (Urgent but Not Important): Tasks that require immediate attention but don't significantly contribute to your long-term goals. Tip: Consider delegating or managing these tasks or accommodating yourself to free up time for more important activities. ⏳
4. Quadrant 4 (Neither Urgent nor Important): Tasks that neither contribute to your goals nor require immediate attention. Tip: Try to minimize time spent here to focus on more productive activities. ❌

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Related Executive Function Notes

• No access
• Planning and ADHD in Women