The Task Initiation Trap
Why Starting Is Harder Than Finishing
On a recent Tuesday afternoon, I found myself in a familiar place. 43 tabs open, multiple to-do lists, tons of good intentions, and yet I sat staring vaguely and accomplishing nothing.
I fell into the Task Initiation Trap!
If you have ADHD or struggle with executive function skills – there’s a VERY good trap this happens to you, too – and more often than you’d like.
You have things to do…..you have the things you need to do the things….but getting started feels like the most difficult step in the entire world. The struggle to get started is REAL.
You aren’t lazy or unmotivated – your brain needs an extra spark to shift gears.
Let’s chat about why starting feels SO hard – and I’ll share a few ADHD-friendly ways to trick your brain into action.
Explaining The Task Initiation Trap
Task initiation is the getting started. The spark that lights the match. It’s not about the motivation – you WANT to do the thing – sometimes desperately – it’s about activation.
It’s hard to get the ADHD brain to move from “thinking about it” to “doing it.” You might see that your phone needs to be charged – it’s at 18% – all you have to do is grab the charger from the other room. Struggling with task initiation may have you waiting until the phone has 2% left or has died. Because then the need is URGENT.
Or you may have a test to study for, have weeks to do so, tell yourself every single day that today you will study….and yet the night before you are in a sheer panic cramming because you haven’t “studied all along.” Then you may spend some time beating yourself up and promising tomorrow will be different.
Let me remind you – you don’t lack willpower – your brain just needs some help bridging the gap from thinking about it to starting. The task initiation gap.
Why Do ADHD People Struggle with Task Initiation?
There are a few factors at work in the ADHD brain. Here are just a few of the reasons task initiation can be so difficult.
-
Executive function lag: The brain systems that help plan, prioritize, and initiate action take longer to warm up — especially for tasks that feel boring, unclear, or emotionally loaded.
-
Dopamine delay: ADHD brains need more stimulation to trigger interest. Until the brain senses novelty, urgency, or reward, it stays stuck in idle.
-
Decision paralysis: Too many choices (“where do I start?”) can overwhelm your working memory and freeze your ability to act.
-
Fear of failure or perfectionism: If the task feels high-stakes, your brain may protect you by avoiding it altogether.
-
Time blindness: When you can’t accurately sense how long something will take, it’s easy to procrastinate because the task feels infinite or unpredictable.
- All-or-nothing thinking: If you feel like you have to do the whole thing perfectly or not at all, your brain might choose “not at all.”
Hacks To Get UNstuck
Here are a few tips to try to get started. Remember – nothing will work for everyone, and nothing will work ALL of the time. Use what works for you, when it works!
-
Start With JUST The Next Step: It’s wayyyy way easier to “open the document” than it is to “write the report.”
-
Set A Tiny Time Limit: Decide you are going to do “the thing” for 10 minutes. Does that still feel like too much? Go to 5 minutes. When your brain doesn’t get overwhelmed, it can start.
-
Body Doubling and Co-Working: Excellent ways to work with someone else. People working together on their own tasks is like magic!
-
Make It Fun/Pleasureable: ADHD brains are motivated by urgency, interest, and FUN. Trying to get started on the treadmill? Watch your favorite TV show. One client I have hated meal prepping for herself – until she decided to do it while dancing naked in the kitchen. She doesn’t hate it now.
For me, the “do the next step” and “body doubling” are my top two that I use. What ones work for you? What do you have to add?
Want More Tips?
Download this FREE Guide – Ten Tips for Tackling Task Initiation
Don’t Delay Joy
Kat Sweeney, MCLC