Description:

You need to finish it. Whatever it is for you. But all you can think about is how long it’s going to take, how hard it’s going to be and that you’re not even sure where to begin. Next thing you know you’re doing something else, telling yourself “I’ll do it later…” Right, later. When you say this what you really mean is, “Not now.” And it gets deferred indefinitely.

How are you ever going to start?!

Transitions – starting, stopping, switching tasks – are difficult for ADHD adults. In this podcast episode I’ll focus on starting because, of course, you can’t finish what you don’t start.

Key Takeaways:

* Getting started is often very hard for ADHD adults

* Urgency is often a key motivator for adults with ADHD

* There are reasons related to your ADHD why starting is hard

* Diversifying your motivators can make it easier.

* Learn 7 different techniques to make getting started easier and stop relying only on urgency

Transcription:

 (00:05):

You need to finish it, whatever it is for you, but maybe all you can think about is how long it’s going to take, how hard it’s going to be, and maybe you’re not even sure where to begin. Next thing you know you’re doing something else, telling yourself, I’ll do it later. Right later when you say this, what you really mean is not now, and maybe it gets deferred indefinitely. How are you ever going to get started? You’ve tuned into scattered focus, done re-imagining productivity with ADHD, a podcast for ADHD, adults like you want to learn how to adopt the best strategies, tools, and skills to be able to get your essential work done in a way that works with the way your brain is wired. I’m Marla Cummins and I’m glad you decided to join me today on the journey to re-imagining productivity with ADHD so you can get your important work done without trying to do it like everyone else.

 (01:06):

Transitions, starting, stopping, switching tasks are all difficult for ADHD adults. In this episode, episode three, I’m going to focus on starting because of course you can’t finish what you don’t start, but right now you may be putting off a task you need to get done until the last minute until you’re pushed up against the proverbial wall. There may be no time left. You have to do it now if you still have time. In fact, right now, urgency might be your primary motivator and it might also make sense to you when you procrastinate on tasks you don’t consider important, but how bout when you put off working on those tasks though? Well, maybe not intrinsically interesting, are really important to you because your job relationships or the wellbeing of someone you care about depends on your following through. I bet you’re totally frustrated when you put these off and maybe you wonder how could I possibly have done this again, I need to finish this already.

 (02:11):

I know you have a lot on your plate. You need to get done and you obviously need to get started in order to close the loop on all of these tasks, but a focus on the need to finish may leave you feeling overwhelmed because it just feels too daunting. So instead, stick with me. Let’s look at how you can focus instead on persistence starting because the more often you start, the greater likelihood you will be able to finish. Make sense? Right? One of the hallmarks of adult ADHD is that your ability to get started is well inconsistent. That is, while you may procrastinate in some areas, you likely find it easy to engage in activities that interests you. You can play guitar work in your woodshop until all hours. You may even hyper-focus on these pursuits. Getting started in these cases is super easy and there’s no friction, but maybe you neglect your other responsibilities,