Cornerstones, Part 2: The Commencements
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This article is part of the Cornerstone Series, which focuses on neurodivergent friendly productivity, specifically designed to combat executive dysfunction. Tap here to get caught up.
You know the feeling: A mountain of tasks, to-dos, emails and messages, plus the perpetual stuff like eating and doing dishes... and also all the fun stuff you actually want to be doing. Facing down this endless list, where do you even begin?
You might notice that none of the advice so far has asked you to "Pick a Top 3", or "Shrink Your List". That's intentional. For those of us whose working memory can be... unreliable, that long list isn't a character flaw— it's a vital support tool. Advising us to leave things off of it is a recipe for forgotten appointments and missed deadlines.
The strategies I'm sharing aren't about tackling the size of the mountain. They're about learning what you need to take the first step, and the step after that, no matter how tall the mountain gets.
For many of us with ADHD brains, where anything (and sometimes everything) can feel like a monumental task, this is where the grim overwhelm settles in. It's that stuck feeling you get when you're scrolling away the time-- you know you could be doing something else, you're not even enjoying what you're doing instead, but you just can't make yourself start.
This is task paralysis, The Gatekeeper, one of the cardinal figures in the League of Executive Dysfunctions, and a big ole jerk.
To fight it, we need tools designed for a single purpose, to get us into action (or keep us moving). Enter the second Cornerstone: The Commencements, a collection of rituals that help us build routines and break the chains of inertia when we're stuck idling despite being ready for the race.
The Commencements
For building and maintaining routines, and when you just need to get moving.
Useful when: Trying to build a new habit that just won't seem to stick. Or you're stuck, there are a lot of things that need to be done, you don't know where to start, or you don't know how to stop.
The Hourglass
Try it with: The Cards
We all know The Hourglass. It's just a fancy name for a timer. Timers don't really belong on this list because they're an irritatingly common suggestion, but I'll give 'em an honorable mention because they do work for a lot of people.
That said, I refer to my version as The Hourglass because I only use it for short periods of time and, while they certainly exist, hourglasses that go on for more than a few minutes at a time are tough to come by.
My main usage of The Hourglass is in 2, 5, or 10 minute increments as transition periods, moments when I am most vulnerable to The Locksmith —if this stoic twin of Hyperfocus takes hold of the keys to my attention, it can feel impossible to switch tasks.
Stark transitions like the one between writing an article and going for a walk can be pretty tough for my brain. So I've developed the habit of kindly giving myself a little buffer to finish up whatever I'm doing, take a breath, and check in with my body to see if I will need a bathroom break, a drink, or a meal soon.
It has turned out to be a surprisingly effective way to avoid the frustration or irritability that can result from the "attention residue" of having to quickly switch between tasks, or when transitioning from one mode to the next (e.g. from work-mode to evening wind-down mode).
Attention Residue, a term coined by researcher Sophie Leroy, describes how our thoughts and cognitive processes linger on the previous task when we switch to something new, often leading to poor performance. I first learned about this concept from author Chris Bailey in his book, "How to Calm Your Mind": The Hourglass is the direct result of his suggestion to mindfully transition between tasks as a way to reset your attention for what is to come.
The Quest
Useful when: Crafting a routine, everything seems boring, or both.
Try it with: The Oracles, The Pebble
Link unrelated tasks into a heroic journey:
"I must deliver the Tribute of Trash to the Great Outdoor Bin, then Decrypt the Scrolls and Sip from the Bean Goblet, to gain the strength to meet The Laundry Dragon in battle. 🦾"
Aside from the fact that writing that sentence was a fun little creative exercise, using narrative gamification to reframe chores or otherwise undesirable have-to-dos activates the novelty center of the brain, which can provide the dopamine boost we need to get on track and slay today's dragons.
The Speed Run
Try it with: The Oracles, The Loyalty Card
Start with the single fastest task on the list: Put your shoes by the door, reply to one text then put your phone down, brush your teeth, archive one email, unload the top rack of the dishwasher, chug a glass of water.
Complete it. Cross it off. Boom.
The little hit of dopamine I get from accomplishing any task is usually enough to keep me going. I just pick the next quickest thing and before I know it I'm done!
I don't use timers for The Speed Run, the pressure of a countdown can be triggering for my anxiety in some contexts, which is the last thing I need when I'm trying to get sh*t done. But I do look at the clock when I start the first thing and finish the last, so I have an idea of how long it took me to do a set of tasks. That way, next time, (if I feel like it) I can try to beat my personal record.
The Pebble
Useful when: Starting a task that feels daunting, trying to form a new habit, getting out of A Big Sit, breaking an Impostor Syndrome Cycle.
Try it with: The Speed Run, The Magic Mirror
The art of putting the bar on the floor ...and then stomping on it a few times to see just how low you can get it. Make the first part of the task so embarrassingly, laughably --nay, hilariously-- small that you can't help but do it.
If you've spent a bit of time in the productivity space you may have heard of finding "your level of resistance", "your entry point", or asking yourself "what if this were easy?". It could just be me, but I found these concepts frustrating. They just didn't click, leaving me feeling lost or thinking "What? That's just as hard!"
The game changed when I heard someone say they started a morning running habit by reducing it to putting one foot on the floor and calling that the win. They went on to explain how they had tried everything from setting their clothes out the night before, to sleeping in them (including shoes!) without success; and having permission to feel a sense of accomplishment at putting one foot on the floor, even if they pulled it back into bed afterward, was the trick that finally worked. All at once the idea of making it ridiculously small slammed into place.
The magic wasn't in making The First Step easy, it was in elevating that step to the level of Goal.
Like the ripples even a pebble can cause in a still body of water, one tiny win often leads to another.
This changed my damn life. I have used it countless times myself, and had many really fun conversations helping others brainstorm the silliest ways to make tasks tiny. It breaks my heart that it was P.G. (Pre-Grimoire) so I never wrote down where I heard that example. (I think it was a podcast, if you know please tell me so I can give credit where it's due, and if I come across it again I will update this post.)
The Scoreboard
Useful When: You need to focus, but are worried about losing track of time.
Try it with: The Pebble, The Speed Run
If traditional timers ramp up your anxiety but a total lack of them leads to losing hours in a hyperfocus tunnel, The Scoreboard might be your new best friend. Instead of using a timer that counts down, The Scoreboard hinges on a stopwatch that counts up, a simple but powerful switch. The goal isn't to beat the clock, it's to create a record of progress. It's incredibly motivating to look up, see 13 minutes on the clock, and think "Well hey, I've been productive for that whole time!" or "It only took 2 minutes to do that?!"
My most common uses of The Scoreboard follow two scenarios:
- When I'm trying to get into the flow of a new routine and/or improve an existing one
During transitional seasons (like going from full-time student to full-time blogger while looking for a "real" job) or when I feel in a rut and my habits could use a refresh, I use The Scoreboard. I'll roughly sketch out a routine, estimate how long each task will take, then use a stopwatch to see how long each thing actually takes. This is my favorite way to combat The Time Thief, one of the sneakiest members in The League of Executive Dysfunctions, who often charms me into thinking a task will take only five minutes when it really takes fifty.
Over time, this technique has helped to hone my awareness of how long every day tasks generally take, allowing me to estimate more accurately while taking my personal level of energy fluctuation into account.
I personally use Routine Flow for my Scoreboard, but a pen, paper, and watch or stopwatch app also do just fine!
- As part of my Focus Ritual
My Focus Ritual is all about creating awareness without interruption. Since I know I am prone to getting locked in hyperfocus-mode, I use a stopwatch that chimes at set intervals. (10 and 30 minutes seem to be the sweet spots for me, but experiment and find which work best for you.) The gentle chime doesn't force me to stop, it acts as a tap on the shoulder, reminding me that time is passing. This vital component of my routine helps me stay grounded and aware, giving me the option to continue or notice that it's time to start wrapping up.
I know what you're thinking: Remy, isn't that just the pomodoro method? 🤨
Sure it's similar, but the pomodoro method differs in two pivotal ways: One being that it uses the traditional countdown, and two, the pomodoro method hinges on taking breaks between intervals, neither of which are the point of The Scoreboard.
Meditation timers like the Open Ended Meditations in the free tier of the Calm app, or Meditation Timer Online are perfect for The Scoreboard. When I want to stop at a specific time I use MultiTimer to create a CountUp timer that goes off at my chosen interval over the span of time I plan to be focusing. I add a 10 minute buffer alert near the final alert, then make the final alarm continuous so I will know that's the end. I love this because MultiTimer tracks how many times you start and stop the CountUp timer, over time this builds an aggregate of the amount of time you spend focusing.
The Loyalty Card
Useful when: Building new habits, trying to stick to routines, or you know you respond well to positive reinforcement/visual progress markers. This could be a fun way to employ your inner completionist.
Try it with: The Quest, The Pebble
The final Commencement turns repetitive activities into a satisfying game. Like the punch cards from your favorite coffee shop except, instead of a lil treat, you're buying the motivation to build and/or stick to a routine, then trading in that stack of accomplishments for a personalized reward.
How It Works
- Choose The Thing you want to work on: It could be as simple as Moisturize Face Every Day, or as complex as Publish One Article Per Week. The important thing in this decision is that the answer to whether you did it be binary, the implicit (or explicit) question should be some version of "Did you do The Thing?" so that your answer is either Yes, or No. This prevents you from wasting additional time and energy waffling over whether you get the punch or not, leaving no opening for Decision Fatigue or The Inspector (perfectionism) to creep in and steal your hard-earned win.
- Create your card: Grab an index card, blank business card, or piece of construction paper, whatever you have that seems like it will last long enough to get all your punches. Decide how many punches make sense and draw one box, circle, "X", or whatever else makes sense to you, for each time you will punch your card before it's considered full. I like odd numbers because somehow they make me feel like I did The Thing one extra time, but you do you. Shoot for an amount that feels doable.
- Define your reward: Decide what you get when you fill the card. It doesn't have to be big. It can be buying a fancy coffee, spending a guilt-free hour doing whatever you want, adding a new book to your collection, something that will feel a little special for you. Don't forget to write it on your card to remind you what you're working toward!
Why This Works
The Loyalty Card leverages two powerful psychological principles. First, as researcher Teresa Amabile describes in The Progress Principle, even small wins can be super satisfying and great for consistent motivation. Second, it employs the Goal Gradient Effect —a fancy term describing how we feel more motivated to reach a reward as we get closer to the finish line. It's what makes that ninth punch feel so much more exciting than the second.
No matter which one you choose, from the instant gratification of The Speed Run to the slow-burn satisfaction of a full Loyalty Card, I hope these Commencements give you the power to kick The Gatekeeper to the curb while injecting a little more fun into each day. Don't let the size of the mountain intimidate you, just focus on one step at a time and you'll get much farther than you thought --I know you've got this!
Join me next week as we explore the final Cornerstone: The Alchemies, a potent quintet of cognitive reframing techniques that transform anxiety and overwhelm into curiosity and empowerment.
✂️ TL;DR
- Make it small: The core principle behind The Commencements is to beat Task Paralysis by making the act of starting ridiculously easy. Use The Pebble to shrink your first step into a teeny, tiny, totally-achievable goal, or use The Speed Run to do the absolute fastest task on your list first and build the momentum you need to keep the ball rolling.
- Make it a game: Turn your to-do list into a game that shifts your brain out of idle. Use The Quest to reframe boring chores into a hero's journey, or use The Loyalty Card to build routines with the satisfaction of visual progress and hard-won rewards.
- Make time your ally: Change your relationship with time to diffuse anxiety and outsmart perseveration (the technical term for being stuck-in-hyperfocus-mode). Use The Hourglass as a gentle buffer to make the transition between tasks less jarring, and use The Scoreboard to track your focus without the pressure of a deadline.