Sometimes it can be hard to start working on a task. Here are some ideas:
- Work with your natural time rhythm. If you're best able to focus and get things done in the morning, schedule your hard tasks for then.
- Work with your medications. If you take ADHD meds at 9am, don't try to do demanding tasks at 8am. Wait until they kick in.
- Break tasks down into smaller, more manageable pieces.
- Give each manageable piece as reasonable deadline so you always feel like you're making progress.
- Only keep about 5 items total on your todo list. If your list has 50 items and you cross off 3, you'll feel like shit. But if you cross off three out of five, you're doing great.
- Practice echopraxis: co-working, body doubling, accountability partner, study buddy.
- Prioritize the urgent and important stuff, so if you only have enough dopamine to handle one difficult task at least it'll be a good one.
- Make a plan (but not one that puts you into Planning Mode instead of Doing Mode)
- Put it on your calendar. You'll never do it if you keep waiting for a good time for it.
- Work on one task until it's done. Dopamine comes to those who cross the thing off the list, not those who do a little bit of it.
- Routine-ify repeat tasks, like always doing the dishes after cooking and before eating.
- Make a list of reward activities that you can pull from as a treat after doing a hard task.
- Reach out for emotional support.
- Create a distraction-free bubble within which to complete the task.
- Explicitly identify and celebrate crossing a task off the todo list.
Identify why the task is difficult to start:
- Anxiety about ability to complete it
- Anxiety about ability to do it well
- Overwhelm from the size and complexity of the task
- Perfectionism
- Lack of interest
- Distraction
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