Why 'Do It for Future You' Fails When You Have ADHD

The "Do It for Future You" approach fails for individuals with ADHD. The planner experiment lasted only eleven days, despite the planner being beautiful and thoughtfully prepared. The planner aimed to prompt the question: "What would future you thank you for today?" However, by day twelve, the individual avoided the planner, just as they would avoid a friend owed money. The issue was not discipline but the mechanism itself.

The strategy of "doing it for future you" is based on two assumptions. These assumptions are challenged by ADHD. ADHD is not a motivation problem but a time problem. The phrase "do it for future you" relies on the brain being able to vividly simulate the future to assign it weight. For ADHD brains, the future is not real or coming. This is a design failure, not a willpower failure.

Delayed rewards are taxed before they reach the ADHD brain due to a condition called delay discounting. This means that the longer one has to wait for a reward, the less it is valued in the present moment. In ADHD, this discounting happens faster, making distant consequences less impactful.

The working memory load is also severely affected in ADHD. Holding future consequences in mind while acting requires significant working memory function. For most individuals with ADHD, this function is compromised, making it difficult to act for future you. The process of choosing delayed rewards over immediate ones becomes an uphill battle, straining the already weakened executive functions in ADHD.

Lastly, the "Do It for Future You" approach leads to a shame loop. When the planner fails, the individual blames themselves, viewing it as a personal failing rather than a system problem. This emotional dysregulation exacerbates the issue, turning a systems problem into a personal one, thus making future attempts even harder.