One kind stuck dey wey no get anything to do with say you no care. You sabi the task. You sabi say e matter. You fit even sabi exactly how to do am. And you just sidon, and the distance between you and the first move dey feel like physical thing.

People wey never feel am dey think say na motivation problem. Most times e no be. The motivation dey already — na why e dey pain.

Wetin dey actually happen

To start work no be one action. Na plenti small decision pile on top each other wey dey happen so fast until most people no dey notice am: where I go do this one, wetin I need, wetin be the first move, wetin happen if e spoil, how long e go take, wetin go happen to the other thing wey I dey do.

Attention and self-regulation difference dey make that pile expensive. NIMH describe inattention as "having difficulty paying attention, keeping on task, or staying organized" — and na organising be exactly wetin that pile dey demand, before any work wey eye fit see go start.

Three things dey make am worse:

  • The task no clear. "Work on the report" no be task, na category. Your brain no fit start category.
  • Dem never identify the first move. If step one still be decision, no be the work you dey procrastinate on, na the decision.
  • The task carry emotion. Task wey you don fail before, task wey dem don shout for you about, task wey you don avoid for three weeks — all of that thing dey follow am come. To avoid am dey reduce the discomfort sharp sharp, na exactly why e dey repeat.

The move wey dey work: make the first step small anyhow

The strategy no be "break the task into steps". E narrow pass that: find the smallest physical action wey go leave you in contact with the task, and do that one alone.

No be "write the report" — open the document, type the title. No be "read book" — put the textbook for table, open am for the chapter. No be "reply that message" — open the chat, type one word.

Two things dey make this work. First, the action small reach say the decision pile go collapse: nothing remain wey you go figure out. Second, once you don dey in contact with the task, to continue na different decision wey cheap well well pass to start.

You get permission to stop after the small thing. No be trick — if you genuinely stop, you don still move from zero. But most times you no go stop, and na that be the point.

Attach am to something, no be to time

"I go do am later" dey fail because later no dey ever arrive with edge. Better form na if-then plan: one exact cue, one exact action.

When I sidon after dinner, I go open the document and type the title.

This no be ordinary talk. Meta-analysis of 29 experimental studies for people wey get mental-health difficulty find say to form these if-then plans get big effect on whether person actually reach the goal. That review no be ADHD-specific, so take am as "general technique wey get strong support" instead of ADHD treatment — but e cheap, and e exact, and na that be the whole point.

Wetin to do when e still no move

  • Make am small again. If two minutes be like too much, do fifteen seconds. Open the file. Na the whole task be that.
  • Change where you dey. Sometimes na the chair the stall attach to, no be the work.
  • Do am badly on purpose. Give yourself permission make the first version bad. You fit edit bad first paragraph; you no fit edit empty page.
  • Talk am loud to person. To tell one person say "I dey open the document now" na cue wey strong surprisingly.
  • Check the obvious. You don chop? You don sleep? Some stall na physical.