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You open the doc, look at it, and close the doc. The project is enormous; every piece of it seems equally important, and there is no obvious way in. This week we're pulling four strategies for exactly that kind of ADHD project overwhelm, and they come from a rather unusual place: a 1500-piece Harry Potter puzzle on my dining room table. Turns out starting at the beginning isn't always the best place to start, and sometimes that's what's keeping us stuck in the first place.
In Episode 374, You Will Discover:
- Why your usual approach to starting a big project might be keeping you stuck, and how cognitive inflexibility keeps us there
- How to sketch a "box lid" so your ADHD brain knows what done actually looks like before you take the first steps
- A question that helps you begin when your brain insists it doesn't know where to start
- Why the details of a project only become visible once you get close to one section, and why "just break it down" stalls out without that step
Work With Me:
Resources From This Episode:
More ADHD Resources:
Paula's Favorite Resources
Many of the items below are affiliate links with discounts and free trials available. They are all products I personally use and love. I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support! Disclosure info here.
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- Wispr Flow: The best tool for talk-to-text. Awesome for verbal processing and saving time. Free trial, no credit card required.
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Chapter Outline
00:00 Puzzle To Project Overwhelm
01:23 Why Starting Is Hard
02:56 Harry Potter Puzzle Setup
05:18 Border Trap And Inflexibility
09:17 Tip One Easier Entry
10:26 Tip Two Sketch The Lid
15:11 Tip Three Start With Known
20:11 Tip Four Zoom Out Then In
26:50 Program Overwhelm To Action
28:30 Recap And Next Steps
29:54 Final Thanks