The switching cost is real. Great to bring awareness to that!
Another hidden cost is how quickly that spiral turns into self-criticism. Understanding that task initiation and switching is hard for your brain helps reframe it not as incompetence, but as cognitive overload.
What about if it’s intentional? I sometimes use a technique that goes like this…I do the 5 min blocks then 10 then 15. It takes away that intimidating feeling as I know I won’t be doing it for long. Interested to hear what you think ☺️. Thanks for your amazing work.
Love this. The short time blocks are doing the same thing as the starter task, just from a different angle. You're removing the "this is going to take forever" feeling before you even begin. And the built-in break means your brain never has to panic about being trapped in something. Thanks for sharing it!
That's exactly what we were hoping for. The "I'll do it later" pile is real, so anything that cuts through that is a win. Glad the digital version is working for you :)
I'm really struggling with tracking food intake. It seems tedious, overwhelming, boring, and yet another task I have to switch to/from multiple times a day. Any tips?
Food tracking hits every ADHD pain point at once. It's boring, it's repetitive, and it asks you to interrupt whatever you're doing multiple times a day. That switching cost alone is exhausting before you even get to the logging part!
A few different angles worth trying:
- First, lower the bar for what "tracking" means. If you're logging every ingredient and calorie, that's a high-detail task on repeat. Could you get 80% of the value by just writing "chicken, rice, broccoli" in a note instead of weighing and entering everything?
- Second, attach it to the meal itself rather than treating it as a separate task. Open the app before you take the first bite, so it's part of eating, not an interruption after.
- Third, honestly ask whether you need to track at all right now, or if this is something a doctor or nutritionist asked for once and it became a "should" that's draining you. Sometimes the most ADHD-friendly move is realizing a task doesn't belong on your plate (no pun intended) in the first place!
All good ideas. Thank you! This is a need for me. I've had breast cancer twice now and being overweight is a significant risk factor. I've got to figure this out.
Number 3 is so key for me. It feels like I’m working out my mindfulness muscle. If a new task pops into my head while I’m working, it immediately gets added to my daily “I’ll get to this later today” sticky note 📝
The sticky note is doing serious work here. Writing it down gets it out of your head so it stops competing with what you're already doing. That's the whole game.
Love it. SImple, straightforwad, doable 😊
Glad you found it helpful Brian! Thanks for the comment
The switching cost is real. Great to bring awareness to that!
Another hidden cost is how quickly that spiral turns into self-criticism. Understanding that task initiation and switching is hard for your brain helps reframe it not as incompetence, but as cognitive overload.
Understanding is SO important Michael, thanks for the comment!
What about if it’s intentional? I sometimes use a technique that goes like this…I do the 5 min blocks then 10 then 15. It takes away that intimidating feeling as I know I won’t be doing it for long. Interested to hear what you think ☺️. Thanks for your amazing work.
Task 1 - 5, 10, 15
Task 2 - 5, 10, 15
Task 3 - 5, 10, 15
Break - 5, 10, 15
Love this. The short time blocks are doing the same thing as the starter task, just from a different angle. You're removing the "this is going to take forever" feeling before you even begin. And the built-in break means your brain never has to panic about being trapped in something. Thanks for sharing it!
Fab, thanks so much! I never really know if I’m just stressing my brain out even more so this helps 💛✨
I really liked the fill in form. It's easier to just go ahead and do the worksheet right now versus my usual I'll do it later. They are stacking up.
That's exactly what we were hoping for. The "I'll do it later" pile is real, so anything that cuts through that is a win. Glad the digital version is working for you :)
I'm really struggling with tracking food intake. It seems tedious, overwhelming, boring, and yet another task I have to switch to/from multiple times a day. Any tips?
Food tracking hits every ADHD pain point at once. It's boring, it's repetitive, and it asks you to interrupt whatever you're doing multiple times a day. That switching cost alone is exhausting before you even get to the logging part!
A few different angles worth trying:
- First, lower the bar for what "tracking" means. If you're logging every ingredient and calorie, that's a high-detail task on repeat. Could you get 80% of the value by just writing "chicken, rice, broccoli" in a note instead of weighing and entering everything?
- Second, attach it to the meal itself rather than treating it as a separate task. Open the app before you take the first bite, so it's part of eating, not an interruption after.
- Third, honestly ask whether you need to track at all right now, or if this is something a doctor or nutritionist asked for once and it became a "should" that's draining you. Sometimes the most ADHD-friendly move is realizing a task doesn't belong on your plate (no pun intended) in the first place!
All good ideas. Thank you! This is a need for me. I've had breast cancer twice now and being overweight is a significant risk factor. I've got to figure this out.
Rooting for you Megan🤍
Can you take a quick pic of your plate and at the end of the day then enter it all in at one time?
Good idea. Thank you!
Number 3 is so key for me. It feels like I’m working out my mindfulness muscle. If a new task pops into my head while I’m working, it immediately gets added to my daily “I’ll get to this later today” sticky note 📝
The sticky note is doing serious work here. Writing it down gets it out of your head so it stops competing with what you're already doing. That's the whole game.