Are you neurodivergent and constantly battling procrastination or task avoidance? ADHD, dyslexia, autism—it can all feel like a swirling mix that makes getting things done overwhelming. In this video I dive deep into the real reason behind procrastination for neurodivergent individuals: emotions.
Discover how emotions like fear, shame, and past experiences hijack your to-do list—and what you can do to take back your power. Learn why willpower alone isn’t the answer and how emotional insight, self-compassion, and new perspectives can transform how you approach your goals.
✅ Learn why task resistance is emotional
✅ Get validation that you are not “lazy”
✅ Reclaim your task list—and your life
Transcription:
So, if you’re neurodivergent—if you’ve got some ADHD, some dyslexia, maybe a little autism—if it’s all wiggling around in there, if just parts of it are wiggling around in there, I get it. I get you, and I understand. We need to have a much deeper conversation about procrastination or avoidance of tasks. So often, and it is so under-discussed, the fact that these are very, very much tied to emotions and feelings and your response to them.
We like to talk about RSD and how we wind up, at times, people with neurodiversity can wind up adding a few too many emotions and feelings to a circumstance that other people may not. Trust me, when it comes to people’s tasks, when it comes to their goals and their dreams, this happens all the time.
So, when people encourage you—I just want to give you some ammunition for the fact that when people encourage you to just try harder or to just willpower your way through it—bless them. Tell them thank you, and then smile on the inside and go, “Yeah, I’ve been doing that my whole life.” Because I get it. You have. Every client I have has been doing that their whole lives.
What needs to actually happen is you need to be looking at why you have resistance to that task. What is the feeling? What is the emotion? Where was that maybe brought up to you or talked about in your childhood, in your past? We love to act like that stuff doesn’t unpack and become part of our now. Well, it totally becomes part of your now. And I’m telling you, that can be so immensely transformative when you learn how to reprocess your goals, your tasks, your priorities—and not allow them to be so hijacked by your emotions and feelings.
Our emotions and feelings are valid. They need to be identified. And then we need to decide—that’s the willpower part—we need to decide if we’re going to follow through on those emotions and feelings, or maybe we have different emotions and feelings. Maybe there’s a different perspective. Maybe there’s a way we can work through this. And I promise you, there is a way to work through this. I watch it all the time, and it is amazing.
I just really wanted to support my community and tell you: you are not—stop beating yourself up for not getting things done on time or exactly. Perfectionism is an avenue inside of all of this also. And start to recognize that these things—your tasks, your goals—get hijacked by your emotions and feelings. And you can reclaim them.
I’m JoyGenea, international neurodiversity coach, helping people reclaim those task lists, but more importantly, reclaim their lives in a powerful way and make their dreams come true. Because success belongs to everyone.
Bye now.