Can’t Start Tasks? Try This Now!

Oftentimes, we know what we need to do, and might even find it’s easy once we get going, but getting started is all-too-easily procrastinated.

So, how to get past this, when “just do it” isn’t working?

When it’s time to get going

These tips are by and for people with ADHD, who typically have particular difficulty with this, but can help most people regardless:

1. Overwhelmed? Choose three priority tasks to focus on instead of trying to do everything at once—just don’t get stuck in deciding which three!
2. No sense of urgency? Use a Pomodoro timer to help give the task time boundaries; scheduling breaks in the same way can also help.
3. The task isn’t appealing? Pair the task with rewards like snacks, music, or a cozy setup (this approach is called “temptation bundling”).
4. The task feels daunting? Break it into smaller steps and/or use tools like WikiHow to reduce how much you need to plan ahead, and enable you to do it step by step.
5. Too many barriers? Clear obstacles such as clutter, missing supplies, or noise to make starting easier. But watch out! Lest you end up renovating your house while avoiding the original task. So, to preclude this derailment, set a clearly-defined parameter for what you’re going to do before the task, and when that’s done, switch to the task before embarking on any sidequests that occurred to you along the way.

For more on each of these, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

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Take care!