'Task paralysis' and overcoming procrastination'Task paralysis' and overcoming procrastination
All In The Mind
Five years of unpaid taxes. Homework handed in on the last day of an extension. Some people are champion procrastinators. Why? And what does task paralysis (sometimes called ADHD paralysis) have to do with it? Today: the personality traits that make you more prone to procrastination, the types of tasks we're most likely to put off, and what to do if your to-do list sends you into fight-or-flight mode. This episode first aired in August 2025. Guests: Eva High school student Dr Catherine Houlihan Clinical psychologist Senior lecturer in clinical psychology Director of the UniSC Psychology Clinic University of the Sunshine Coast Credits: Presenter/producer: Sana Qadar Producer: Rose Kerr Senior producer: James Bullen Sound engineer: Simon Branthwaite To view the transcript for this episode, head to its original webpage. To explore more great episodes from the award-winning psychology podcast All in the Mind with host Sana Qadar, download the ABC Listen app (Australia) or search 'ABC All in the Mind podcast' wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more episodes on mental health, trauma, attachment theory, wellness hacks, and family relationships. You'll also hear interviews with experts like Esther Perel, Billy Garvey and Ethan Kross. All in the Mind is created for ABC's Radio National by specialist journalists and reporters at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
29:36•16 Oct 2026
Stuck Before You Start: Task Paralysis, Procrastination and Why We Freeze
Episode Overview
- Task paralysis is an involuntary freeze response often linked to anxiety, ADHD and overwhelming demands.
- Procrastination is a common human behaviour, but it becomes a problem when it damages well-being or quality of life.
- Perfectionism and low self-esteem can drive procrastination by increasing fear of failure and self-criticism.
- Helpful strategies include doing boring tasks early, breaking jobs into small steps and rewarding yourself after completion.
- The ACE model (Achievement, Closeness, Enjoyment) offers a simple way to check if your weekly activities are balanced.
“Sometimes it kind of feels like you can't breathe or like someone's holding you underwater. And it's just like this pressure.”
What are the common struggles and victories in addiction recovery? One of them is often plain old procrastination and that overwhelming "freeze" when a task feels too big. This instalment of *All In The Mind* zooms in on that experience through the lens of task paralysis and why some people feel stuck before they even start.
You'll meet Eva, a witty 13-year-old high school student who emails the show because she "speed runs" assignments, pushes deadlines to the brink, and feels like "you can't breathe or like someone's holding you underwater" when her to-do list piles up. Her story shows how task paralysis can show up long before adult life, and how internal pressure can be worse than any teacher's reaction.
Clinical psychologist Dr Catherine Houlihan breaks down the key difference between procrastination and task paralysis: "Procrastination is a behaviour... whereas task paralysis is more kind of reactive and it's involuntary, really." She links task paralysis to anxiety, ADHD and perfectionism, and explains how low self-esteem and fear of failure can quietly drive chronic delay.
Host Sana Kadar shares her own confession of five years of undone taxes, giving the episode a candid, relatable feel that many people in recovery or working on their mental health will recognise: that cycle of dread, avoidance, and eventual panic.
You’ll hear practical ideas too: identifying the emotion under the delay, using CBT to tackle perfectionism and self-esteem, flipping your day so boring jobs happen first, breaking tasks into tiny steps, and using the ACE model (Achievement, Closeness, Enjoyment) to judge whether your week really feels balanced. If procrastination is nibbling away at your time, your mood, or your recovery routines, this conversation might be a useful reality check and a gentle nudge.
What small task could you make just a little easier to start today?
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