"We all have things that we need to get done, but tend to put off. Sometimes, the underlying cause is anxiety-you feel overwhelmed just thinking about the spreadsheet, the exercise, the garage, and don't know where to start. Or, maybe you have ADHD and get easily distracted and sidetracked. Or, you're depressed, and some voice in your head says, "Why bother?" Or, you just simply don't want to do it."
"If you tend to be emotionally driven-you do what you do based on how you feel-because of ADHD, anxiety, depression, or simply your personality, it helps to prime your brain and motivation by planning. This behaviorally translates into sitting down with yourself on Sunday and mapping out the five things-not fifty-that you need to get done that week. And before you go to bed each night during the week, decide on the three things-not thirty-you need to get done the following day."
Anxiety, depression, ADHD, and simple unwillingness often undermine the ability to start and complete necessary tasks. Planning ahead reduces overwhelm by selecting five weekly priorities and three daily tasks, and by priming motivation before each day. Doing the hard tasks before easy ones and adopting a curiosity-driven attitude help sustain effort. Building in rewards and breaking tasks into baby steps supports progress and allows course corrections. Behavioral strategies—such as Sunday planning and nightly selection of next-day goals—help overcome emotional variability and make daunting tasks actionable. These approaches apply whether avoidance stems from overwhelm, distraction, low mood, or simple resistance.
Read at Psychology Today
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