If that sounds all too familiar, you’re in the right place! Let’s take a closer look at what’s going on in the ADHD brain and some simple hacks you can use to lower the brain’s internal “activation threshold”.
Why Getting Started is Hard for ADHD People
ADHDers often need a lot more mental energy and stimulation to start a task than neurotypical people. And that’s especially true of boring tasks. Maybe you don’t know where to start, you’re afraid of doing a bad job, or worried you won’t find it rewarding. Before you know it you’re stranded in the doldrums of ADHD paralysis.
Dopamine Dysregulation and Executive Dysfunction
On a neurobiological level, studies suggest ADHDers have a blunted dopamine response to rewards. Dopamine helps us feel motivated and take action. This means it’s harder for us to start a task unless we know it’s really urgent or we’ll get a big payoff immediately.
Our brain decides whether to act by weighing the benefits of “go” against “no-go”. Delaying or avoiding often wins if it’s a boring task. We often avoid these tasks for as long as we can until we’re forced to by urgency and stress hormones. As a kid I remember sweating to get my homework done because I’d left it to the last minute!
On the flip side, if something grabs our attention it’s easy to hit the “go” switch. This is known as the interest-based nervous system. The ADHD brain loves tasks that are novel or spark our curiosity. That’s why we excel at exciting, stimulating activities but struggle with routine everyday tasks.
How to Reduce the Threshold for Go/No-Go Activation
So how can we make it easier to start tasks? In practical terms we have two options:
- Make the task more appealing. We’re far more likely to be able to engage if it sparks our interest or we get a small reward at the end.
- Lower the perceived effort or complexity. Sometimes breaking a task down or just committing to doing a few minutes helps build momentum.
We’ll expand on these principles in the hacks below to help shift the balance in favor of “go”. Often all it takes is a tiny mindset shift to lower the barrier and get you moving.
1. Body Doubling
Body doubling is simply working in the presence of someone else. You don’t even need to be in the same room or on the same continent. Your body double could be with you on a video call. The idea is that they just sit there in the background rather than actively coaching you.
Why it works: Having someone there can make it easier to focus and get boring tasks done. Body doubles act as an accountability partner since you feel more pressure to keep working with someone else around. Work buddies can add a bit of novelty and social reward, making you feel less isolated or bored. These factors all help lower the threshold to “go”. Body doubles can also serve as behavioural models which encourage the ADHD brain to mimic that state.
How to do it: Ask a friend or coworker to work alongside you while you complete boring tasks. Or alternatively you could try out a coworking space or simply working from a cafe. There are also online co-working platforms like Focusmate that specialize in virtual body doubling.
2. Breaking Tasks Into Bite-Sized Chunks
This one is all about making tasks seem easier. Taking one step is a lot easier than climbing a whole mountain. A small, simple task is much more palatable than a big, complex project. For some people even just writing out today’s date or the title of what you’re working on can help you get unstuck.
Why it works: Lowering the perceived difficulty and effort required helps reduce the energy you need to get started. ADHDers often struggle with planning or prioritizing, so having a clear roadmap and well-defined tasks reduces barriers to action. Completing each small step can also release dopamine and give you the momentum to keep going.
How to do it: The K.I.S.S. approach or “Keep It Super Simple” is a great place to start. First identify the smallest possible thing you could do to begin a task. That might just be opening a new document and writing one sentence. Making the first step as simple as possible gives you an easy win and helps you jump on to the next steps.
You could also try using checklists to help you track what needs to be done next. You’ll get a sense of accomplishment (and a drop of dopamine) as you tick off each task. If you get overwhelmed easily, cover up the rest of the list so you only focus on what’s next.
- “Good Enough” Thinking
Perfectionism is another common roadblock for ADHDers that stalls our “go” signal. Sometimes we’ll avoid tasks because we want to do them perfectly or not at all. But what if it didn’t matter? That’s where “good enough” thinking comes in. Your first attempt doesn’t have to be perfect. You can always go back and improve it later.
Why it works: It’s much easier to do something that’s good enough rather than aiming for perfection. This way you put less pressure on yourself and lower the threshold for getting started.
How to do it: Instead of aiming to produce a masterpiece the first time, commit to producing a “good enough” version. This might mean writing up a rough draft or sketching out a plan on the back of a napkin. Allow yourself to produce something that isn’t up to your usual standards, knowing that this is just a starting place.
- Add Some Spice
You’ve probably noticed you can stay glued to the screen for hours when it’s something you’re really into. One really simple hack to get started with boring tasks is to find little tweaks to make them more engaging.
Why it works: ADHD brains are wired to crave tasks that are interesting, challenging, or novel. They cause us to release more dopamine which helps with focus and taking action. This can turn into hyperfocus with a constant flow of dopamine that makes it easy to keep going almost indefinitely.
How to do it: Easy fixes include listening to your favourite music, turning it into a fun game with rewards, or doing the task in a new environment. Some ADHDers love working in cafes or public spaces where you get a little bit of background noise. Or if you enjoy a challenge and you can handle a little pressure, why not use a stopwatch to give you that feeling of being against the clock. You could even turn it into a friendly competition by joining an online challenge like a focus sprint.
- Give Yourself a Little Treat
ADHD brains like immediate rewards. That’s why it can be so hard for us to study for an exam that’s weeks away or save money for a distant future goal.
Why it works: Giving yourself immediate and tangible rewards makes task completion much more attractive. As discussed earlier, people with ADHD have a blunted dopamine response to rewards. Promising yourself a small reward after you finish a task can help swing the balance from no-go to go.
How to do it: Think about small treats you can use as rewards, like a favourite snack, watching an episode of a show, or a fun activity. This works best if it’s something immediate, proportionate, and easy to access. Positive feedback can also act as a reward, even when you simply acknowledge your own progress.
Advice for ADHD Entrepreneurs and Executives
How can I adapt my workday to manage the go/no-go struggle?
I recommend frontloading your day by tackling high-friction tasks in the morning. Most people get more fatigued across the day, and it’s much easier to reach the activation threshold when you’re fresh.
Later in the day you can switch to easier or more fun tasks where you can hyperfocus or be in flow state. Switching to these easy flow tasks also gives your brain a break and means you avoid spending all day in anxiety-fueled high cortisol mode.
What are the best strategies for ADHD entrepreneurs to get to “go”?
Body doubling is my number one because having people around you is a great way to get to the “go” state. Plus it also helps with indecisiveness. With ADHD task initiation often fails because we haven’t decided what we’re going to do.
We can tackle this by separating decision-making from the actual tasks. Spending some time at the beginning of the week planning out what needs to be done makes it easier to start doing.
High-performing entrepreneurs and executives with ADHD can appear highly-productive on the surface but feel overwhelmed. What’s going on?
Often these high-performers are sticking to tasks where they can easily reach their “go” state. They avoid important tasks that they find more challenging, and perhaps make excuses for not completing this work. It’s common for them to feel ashamed and unable to ask for help from a coach or a trusted colleague.
When I’m working with a client as a coach we usually start with those challenging tasks and figure out why they’re struggling to get started. Sometimes it’s as simple as setting deadlines or splitting tasks into small pieces that can be completed over multiple days. Often all people need is a little guidance and support to get them on track.