The ADHD Motivation-Accountability Loop

Time, organisation, and motivation are essential for performance. Absence of any of these makes progress towards outcomes and goals a challenge.

Let’s talk motivation.

Our emotions are our motivation for doing things…and not doing things. When we want or need to do something we draw on our motivation to do it.

It doesn’t work like that when you have ADHD.

As Dr Russell Barkley says, if you can’t manage your emotions you can’t self-motivate.

This is really important to note. Many people with ADHD beat themselves up and get stuck, not realising they can’t just turn on motivation on demand.

That frustration of knowing what you want and need to do and why, but not doing it, it very real when you have ADHD.

Why does this happen?

You may have every intention of following through but lack that elusive self-motivation. Self-motivation is required for all goal-directed action.

And you may not have resilience. The energy, willpower, and confidence needed to take on tasks and overcome inevitable obstacles and fears.

Time blindness and disorganisation may also hamper you from taking action and turning positive thoughts and ideas into results.

So, how do you get the motivation to start and keep going?

You need to generate motivation differently. You need to externalise all motivation and bring your future into TODAY. You need to know that every decision you make and action you take today matters, and inactions matter too.

You do this through accountability. External accountability. If you could hold yourself accountable to consequences, you would already be achieving results. Consistently.

External accountability is the substitute for lack of self-motivation. It provides you with support, it becomes your reliable inner voice, and it keeps you on track for the benefit of your future self.

The value of accountability is momentum and productivity.
Progress is possible; goals are attainable.