Thinking about procrastination with a neurodiversity lens

By Jen Price, Lead Coach at Human Fabric

This article is from our recent newsletter: Human Fabric for Individuals: Strategies and information for thriving with neurodivergence. This newsletter is your space for strategies, insights, and encouragement tailored to the unique experiences of neurodivergent individuals. 

We've been reflecting on a section about procrastination in Tiny Experiments by Anne-Laure Le Cunff.

The book introduces a helpful framework for understanding procrastination by asking whether the challenge lies in your head, heart, or hand:

• Head: Is this task relevant or meaningful to me?
• Heart: Do I enjoy doing it?
• Hand: Am I good at it? Do I know how to do it?

This is known as the 3C model of motivation, developed by Professor Hugo M. Kehr at UC Berkeley. You can read Anne-Laure’s article about it here.

But there’s an important caveat: even if you’ve considered all three areas and you’re still stuck, the issue might not be you - it might be the system.

We suggest going one step further: if you're neurodivergent, it's especially useful to examine the environment and system alongside the 3C model. Our ability to perform and stay motivated can shift significantly depending on context.

For instance, many ADHD brains aren’t motivated by importance alone: they thrive on interest.

In our coaching work, we often meet neurodivergent individuals who replay difficult situations, wondering why they couldn’t “just” get things done. These reflections are often based on expectations that don’t align with how their brains naturally work.

By bringing in a neurodiversity lens early, we can better understand how our brain wiring interacts with external systems - and design more effective, personalized strategies to move forward.

Want to explore how this works in your own life? Book a discovery call with one of our coaches.