3 Proven Strategies to Start a Task When You’re Stalling

I haven’t skipped a morning workout in over a decade, but it’s not always easy to get started.

Sometimes I don’t feel like exercising. I may be tired, or my body hurts, or I have other things weighing on me. Sometimes I just don’t feel like it.

In those days I might find myself puttering, delaying or stalling before I start.

The same habit comes up with my work.

These delays aren’t necessarily procrastination.

Those of us who are neurodivergent often need a little more transition time between activities. We can struggle with task initiation.

But there’s a moment where reasonable “getting ready” can cross the line. What often happens at that point is we beat ourselves up for being inefficient and sabotaging our intentions.

Then cue the downward spiral that kills self-esteem.

If you know, you know.

Over the years, I’ve developed many strategies to help me kick my own butt into gear when I find myself puttering — or even before I get there.

Of all the tools and techniques I’ve used, there are three core strategies that consistently prove their mettle. They are particularly helpful for neurodivergent brains, but they can work for you even if you aren’t neurodivergent.

3 Strategies to Help You Start a Task When You’re Stalling

If you find yourself stalling or puttering with a task, here are 3 tools that can help you start.

(1) Space

Step one is to put yourself in a space that is conducive for the task you need to do.

The physical space you are in provides contextual triggers to your brain for the activity you’re going to do. It sets the tone.

To use an obvious example, if you are delaying on cooking dinner, head to your kitchen.

You’re not going to start cooking dinner while you’re in your office.

Let’s talk about two specific cases where we are most likely to stall before starting: exercise and creative work.

Exercise

For years, I have said that my “fitness first” routine is not about the gym. You can workout anywhere, and I have. During the pandemic I turned the dining room into a yoga space.

That said, it was much harder to get started with my workouts when I was working out at home.

Gyms, fitness studios, and yoga studios offer a context that triggers the activity.

When you walk into a gym, it’s clear from the environment what you’re going to do there.

The same isn’t true of your living room or foyer.

The gym also offers the added advantage of other people in the space who are doing the activity you are there to do. Having other people around you who are engaged in the same or similar activities provides a big boost of motivation to get started.

Work

When it comes to your work, that space may be your office or your desk, but it might not be.

When I was growing up, my parents insisted that homework be done at our desks in our rooms. I would putter endlessly — out of sight of any supervision. As a result, it took me hours to finish my homework.

In college and law school, I discovered I worked better in the library or in open lecture halls where students had access to go to work.

As a lawyer in a big law firm, I had a private office and I again struggled with work. That was when I was finally diagnosed with ADHD, and I started down the long road of learning how my brain works.

Many neurodivergent people actually don’t work well at a desk or in a traditional office or “work” setting. We often need more ambient noise and activity around us.

In people with ADHD, moderate ambient noise actually facilitates cognitive performance — a phenomenon known as stochastic resonance.

Your desk or office also are not the best location if looking around the space gives you constant reminders of other things you need to do. Likewise, this isn’t the best space if you will be tempted to clear or organize your space before starting. The goal is to eliminate stalling tactics, not create new ones.

Sometimes, the right space can get “stale,” requiring a change of location for a new task.

Tip: Create a list of spaces that work well for you to do various tasks you do often. When you find yourself stalling, go to those spaces.

(2) Structure

Sometimes putting yourself in the right space is enough, but not always.

I’ve been known to arrive at the gym only to putter around before I start. This is tricky because stalling in this context can look like a warm-up.

Many neurodivergent people tend to putter and delay before starting. This isn’t necessarily procrastination. Often we simply need more transition time: time to settle into a space, to allow our nervous systems to adapt to the location.

Sometimes it’s simply about needing some extra transition time, but sometimes it’s actual delay. Only you know when you’ve crossed the line.

That’s where structure helps.

If you know you’re prone to excessive puttering, it helps to have a structure that keeps you on schedule.

When I find myself puttering, or I know I will be prone to puttering given my mood that day, I will take a class as a way to get started. The structure of class forces me to start moving and I don’t have to think about it, reducing decision fatigue.

Tip: Sign up for a class, meet up with a buddy to do the work together, hire a trainer or coach to do it with you, or find a person who will be a body double and force you to start.

(3) Soundtrack

Everything is easier with a good playlist.

For neurodivergent people, music can help in a few ways.

First, those of us with ADHD don’t actually have a problem with paying attention; the challenge is that we pay attention to too much.

We lack the filter that weeds out what isn’t important or relevant, making it hard to focus on the task at hand.

Music can drown out ambient noise, helping us to focus. It’s that principle of stochastic resonance again.

Second, those of us with ADHD often live by our emotions. That means we can feel challenged to move through that place where we “aren’t feeling like it.” Music influences emotions. The right playlist can change our state and spark our motivation.

Third, music is a great trigger to stimulate action. Notice how when a good song comes on you might sing along or find yourself grooving to the beat.

We can use music as a cue and train our brains to respond to specific songs as triggers for action.

I have different playlists for when I first wake up, for when I’m driving to the gym, for different types of workouts, and for writing.

Tip: Create playlists for different activities, or even designate specific songs that you listen to when doing a specific activity. Pair the activity with the song or playlist consistently and eventually you’ll train your brain to respond to the cue of the song by taking action.

Give These a Try

Next time you find yourself stalling or delaying before you start a task, give one or more of these strategies a try.

Share your results or challenges in the comments. If you have questions need more support, reach out to me.

I love helping neurodivergent people find the strategies that will help them succeed.