ADHD Procrastination Tools That Actually Work: Why Chunking Helps (and When It Doesn’t)

Let’s Talk Procrastination

One of the most common, and frankly, frustrating, challenges I see in adults with ADHD is procrastination. Or, to use a clinical term: “task initiation difficulties”.

If you've ever Googled something like "How to stop procrastinating with ADHD," you've likely come across the term chunking. And yes, I recommend it often... but also, I kind of hate it. Let me explain.

What Is Chunking for ADHD?

Chunking is the idea of breaking a big task into smaller, more manageable steps. Sounds simple, right?

But here's the twist: these steps need to actually feel manageable. Not just theoretically manageable. Not “manageable if I had slept well, was in a great mood, had no distractions, and had the brain energy of our best selves”. 

We’re talking about steps that your actual, in-this-moment, ADHD-brain can manage; without needing to climb a cognitive mountain first.

Here’s why this matters: initiating tasks is hard for ADHD brains. Like really hard. Our brains struggle to build the momentum needed to begin, especially when the task feels overwhelming, boring, unclear, or energy-draining.

Chunking works (in theory) because it lowers the bar for momentum. If we’re only committing to something small and achievable, it’s easier to start. It’s less scary. Less all-or-nothing.

So, why doesn’t it always work?

Why Chunking Doesn’t Always Work for ADHD Brains

Here’s the thing. In my work with ADHD adults (and as someone with ADHD myself), I’ve seen this time and time again:

You can break the task into perfect little chunks... but if your expectations don’t shift, your functioning won’t either.

A quick flashback: Occupational Therapy with Kids

When I first started out as an occupational therapist, I worked mostly with kids. We used a lot of play-based therapy, which meant my job was basically “How do we do this thing without interrupting the fun?”

For example, if I had a child mid-play and said, “Time to sit at the desk and do a worksheet,” the answer would be a hard no. (Honestly, fair.)

So I didn’t do that. Instead, I chunked.

But here’s the key difference: I was in control of the chunking and the expectations.

If a kid needed movement, we’d do the task on a swing. If they were feeling anxious, we layered in extra support and encouragement. If focus was fleeting, I made the steps tiny. If they were locked in, we went a bit bigger.

Because I adjusted the expectations based on the child’s actual state in that moment... chunking worked. Every time.

Fast Forward to Adults

Now, here’s the contrast.

Adults are usually chunking without support, and without adjusting expectations. The steps we create are filtered through years of pressure to mask symptoms, push through, or "just do it anyway."

So we might say, “I’ll just open my laptop and find the email with the info,” which sounds like a small step. But internally, there’s still this unspoken pressure to go way beyond that. We think: “And then I should probably finish the entire slide deck. Or at least make major progress.”

So when we “fail” at that invisible, unrealistic expectation, not because we’re lazy, but because our brain is exhausted or overwhelmed, we blame ourselves instead of the system we’re using.

Pause. Check-In.

When chunking doesn’t work, it’s usually because we skipped a really important part:

• What does my brain need right now?

• Am I mentally or physically drained?

• Do I need help, or a real break, or just way smaller steps?

ADHD isn’t consistent. Our capacity fluctuates, and that makes it hard to find a one-size-fits-all strategy. So we need chunking that flexes with us, not against us.

So How Do Adults Make Chunking Work?

How to Make Chunking ADHD-Friendly

Here’s where things get practical.

Let’s say you’re starting a work presentation. Traditional chunking might look like:

• Confirm the topic

• Gather data

• Write the intro

• Make the slides

But if you’re using ADHD-friendly chunking, and you’ve realized that today your brain just doesn’t have the bandwidth for heavy cognitive lifting, those steps probably need to look more like this:

• Open your laptop

• Find your topic notes

• Write one sentence defining Topic A

• Create one slide based on that sentence

The goal is to meet your brain where it’s actually at, not where you think it “should” be. Smaller steps, less pressure, more progress.

The difference? ADHD chunking is:

• Specific (You can say “yes” or “no” : did I do this or not?)

• Actually manageable, not what your inner perfectionist thinks should be manageable. I want my clients to look at the plan and say “Lisa this is too easy I can do that”.

• Flexible, based on your symptoms today, not some ideal version of you

Accommodate the Symptom, Not Just the Presentation

This is a huge mindset shift.

When we think of ADHD in terms of behaviour e.g., “I procrastinate,” “I avoid tasks,” “I can’t get started”; we miss the root cause. These aren’t failures…. They are a result of symptoms. And in order to choose the right strategy, we first have to get better at noticing those symptoms, through regular check-ins and learning how they show up for you.

Real-Life Examples of ADHD Task Strategies

So instead of trying to mask the behavior, we accommodate the brain:

Overwhelmed by complexity?
→ Make the step simpler.

Understimulated?
→ Add novelty or movement.

Can’t focus?
→ Try doing the task when your ADHD medication (if you take it) is most effective — or at a time you naturally focus better (e.g., evenings, after exercise, or after a break).

Low on energy?
→ Take a break first, have a snack, drink some water, or lower the bar.

Decision fatigue?
→ Limit choices or use a template.

Need accountability?
→ Set a deadline with another person or try body doubling.

Feeling stressed about the task?
→ Try starting it after physical activity, deep breathing, or another regulation strategy.

We have to meet our ADHD where it is, not where we wish it was.

TLDR: The Summary

• Chunking means breaking tasks into smaller parts; but those parts must actually be doable for your ADHD brain.

• It works best when expectations match your capacity (not what you wish your capacity was).

• Adults often chunk with invisible pressure to do more, which cancels out the benefit.

• ADHD symptoms fluctuate.. so your chunks and your expectations need to flex with them.

• Effective chunking is specific, small, and adaptable.

• Don’t just try to fix the behavior,  accommodate the ADHD symptom