Ever find yourself jumping from one task to another without actually finishing any of them? Struggling to focus on things that just don’t grab your attention? These might be signs of ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)—and it’s not just about being distracted. ADHD can show up in many different ways, and it affects everyone differently—men, women, kids, and adults all experience it in unique ways.

If you’ve ever felt like you can’t get yourself to focus, especially on tasks you know you’re capable of, it might feel frustrating. But here’s the thing: It’s not about laziness. If you have ADHD, you’re not just struggling with attention, but with motivation too—and it’s a struggle that can feel almost invisible. Tasks that are long, repetitive, or just plain boring can be especially hard to get started on, even when you know you can do them.

In today’s post, I want to share some tips that might help, whether you have ADHD or simply find it tough to stay focused and motivated. One strategy that has helped many people with ADHD is called the “motivation bridge.” It’s not about magically becoming hyper-focused, but about building motivation in small steps. So let’s dive into how you can use this tool to make those tough tasks a little more manageable.

1: Breaking down into chunks

• This first tip is simple: if you find yourself struggling to motivate yourself to complete a big task (let’s say cleaning your home), the first tip is to break down your task into manageable pieces. This can mean not even thinking about the whole task, and pretending that all you have to do is one small thing. In this example, you could pretend that all you have to do is sweep your floors, and just see how that changes your motivation. You may find motivation will build after completing one task, giving you some energy to do another.
• The next tip is novelty. This means doing something new, or changing up your routine. This can be helpful if your motivation is being hindered by doing something mundane, or repetitive. An example of this may be if you have a workout routine that looks the same every day. Try something new! Maybe change the music you use based on the day, or include a new workout you haven’t tried before.
• Lastly, a tip for increased motivation is urgency. Make something urgent by creating artificial deadlines. Give yourself a certain amount of time to do something- and use a timer if possible. Mark your calendar and put a big red X on the day you want to complete something you’ve been procrastinating. Invite trusted people to help hold you accountable, such as your co-workers to remind you (shame-free) to complete a task. Invite a friend over to get you to clean faster. There are endless ways to increase urgency- get creative with it!

Bonus Tip!! One last bonus tip is to find ways to make things interesting! Tell yourself, “I’m so excited to clean!” and put on your headphones, pretending you’ve been waiting all week to do this! It may help to just pretend like your main activity is listening to music, and that cleaning is just a background activity.

And remember to be kind to yourself! Reward yourself for completing even a small task! This also helps build that motivation bridge. And don’t fall for the trap that shame and self-criticism are powerful motivators. In fact for many of us, it just makes things worse.

Julien LaPierre
Associate Therapist