Decoding Doing

Book excerpt: This book offers an explanation of procrastination in the context of ADHD. Procrastination happens when we know we should do something for our benefit but actively avoid or delay doing it. At that moment, the focus is on not doing something rather than figuring out what is getting in the way. It can result in failed studies, lost jobs, broken relationships, missed opportunities, and a belief in inevitable failure.By creating a model for what happens when we act to support our intentions, we are able to decode and address procrastination-and, even better, to understand how to avoid it. We call this model the CIMAA Code. CIMAA is an acronym for the five stages of task achievement in our model: connect, imagine, motivate, act, and achieve. This book examines procrastination and ADHD and how they are linked. We then review executive function to better understand ADHD. Organization as a tool of support is presented as we look to manage deficits in executive functioning. We present the CIMAA Code stage by stage, to model successful task achievement from commitment through to completion. Some examples are given of this model in action, and a workbook is included to support the use of the CIMAA Code with day-to-day tasks. Finally, we look more broadly at how these skills can be applied across your life, beyond individual tasks and achievement.