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Your Tasks are Too Big: The Mandatory ADHD Hack to Stop the Overwhelm | 005 · Quick Wins for ADHD Moms - Short Episodes, Real Solutions for Burnout and Overwhelm

• 0:01
  Jessica: This is the ADHD mom podcast.
• 0:04
  Jessica: I'm Jess, and today we are breaking down tasks for your ADHD brain.
• 0:09
  Jessica: The micro step method.
• 0:11
  Jessica: How can we break down tasks into ridiculously tiny steps that actually work for our ADHD brains?
• 0:17
  Jessica: First, let's talk about why traditional to-do lists often don't work for us.
• 0:22
  Jessica: When we write clean the kitchen, our brains immediately go into overwhelm mode.
• 0:28
  Jessica: Think about your kitchen right now, unless you're really organized, which is amazing.
• 0:32
  Jessica: How does it feel when you have dishes piling up in a sink with like milk and cereal in them?
• 0:38
  Jessica: Your coffee cup, last night's dishes?
• 0:42
  Jessica: Yeah.
• 0:42
  Jessica: It's overwhelming, right?
• 0:44
  Jessica: And also the task clean, the kitchen, it's, it's too big and it can be too vague and honestly it's, it is kind of scary.
• 0:52
  Jessica: So instead of writing down the task, clean the kitchen.
• 0:55
  Jessica: We're going to use the micro step method.
• 0:58
  Jessica: So here's how we're going to break down using the kitchen cleaning as an example.
• 1:04
  Jessica: Instead of clean the kitchen, let's be very, very specific.
• 1:09
  Jessica: We start with pick up one dish off the counter.
• 1:14
  Jessica: Our next step is walk that dish to the dishwasher.
• 1:19
  Jessica: Then our next task, open the dishwasher.
• 1:23
  Jessica: And then our last task, put the dish in.
• 1:28
  Jessica: I know.
• 1:28
  Jessica: I know what you're thinking, Jess.
• 1:30
  Jessica: This is absolutely ridiculous.
• 1:32
  Jessica: But here's the thing.
• 1:34
  Jessica: Our ADHD brains need these micro steps.
• 1:37
  Jessica: Each tiny act builds momentum.
• 1:41
  Jessica: So here's where the magic happens.
• 1:43
  Jessica: We're going to pair each one of those micro steps with something enjoyable.
• 1:48
  Jessica: Some people call this joy pairing.
• 1:50
  Jessica: Which I don't know that I would say it's joy pairing.
• 1:53
  Jessica: Maybe it's task pairing.
• 1:56
  Jessica: But the idea is that you get a dopamine hit that combines with a task.
• 2:01
  Jessica: So put on your favorite playlist.
• 2:04
  Jessica: If you like nineties music or finding a playlist, like singing in the shower, uh, A CDC Thunderstruck is great for cleaning toilets.
• 2:14
  Jessica: Maybe you'd rather listen to an audio book that you could never have time to listen to.
• 2:19
  Jessica: Or maybe you should just put on a funny podcast'cause you need a little bit of comedy in your life right now.
• 2:24
  Jessica: Or maybe you have another friend that you can body double get on the phone, put your earbuds in and do the dishes while you guys talk and catch up.
• 2:33
  Jessica: The key is to choose something that makes a task less dreadful.
• 2:37
  Jessica: Building a habit, doing the dishes, or doing that small task the same time every day.
• 2:43
  Jessica: Also helps with the overwhelm because it becomes a routine and it's a part of what you do.
• 2:48
  Jessica: I do micro cleaning every morning once the kids get on the bus, so before I sit down to do my inbox zero or clean out my inbox, I tidy up the kitchen and living room.
• 2:58
  Jessica: I get laundry started and the dishwasher emptied or filled up and turned on, and that's now become my habit.
• 3:06
  Jessica: I just work better in a cleanish environment, plus working from home has its benefits and distractions, and I just find ways to make it work.
• 3:15
  Jessica: But it involves those micro tasks.
• 3:18
  Jessica: Another thing I do, um, as soon as the kids get off onto the bus, um, the kitchen is overwhelming or the living room's overwhelming.
• 3:27
  Jessica: There's stuff everywhere.
• 3:28
  Jessica: I start with a simple microtask of walking around the house, turning all the lights out, and sometimes that's all the energy I have is just turn the lights out.
• 3:40
  Jessica: But if I start with something really small, like turning the lights out, that leads to walking through the living room and seeing socks on the floor.
• 3:47
  Jessica: So I'll pick up a couple socks, which leads to taking it to the laundry, which leads to, oh, maybe the dryer needs emptied.
• 3:57
  Jessica: So I'll empty it into a laundry basket and take that to my room.
• 4:01
  Jessica: And currently I have a pile of like six laundry baskets sitting there.
• 4:04
  Jessica: But the thing is, it's clean laundry.
• 4:06
  Jessica: So at least I got that far right.
• 4:08
  Jessica: So when you pair a task with something you enjoy making it into those little micro steps.
• 4:14
  Jessica: You can get into a state of flow.
• 4:17
  Jessica: Those of you who are very creative understand the creative flow by combining small, manageable tasks with something you enjoy and the something you enjoy can also change.
• 4:28
  Jessica: Because I have an ADHD brain, I like to switch things up every now and then.
• 4:32
  Jessica: Sometimes I'm in a learning mode, so I'd rather do a business podcast.
• 4:36
  Jessica: Other days I need a break from business stuff, and so I just listen to music.
• 4:40
  Jessica: But it's also important to keep in mind this is a micro step, not full out cleaning mode, and it's really easy to slip into full on cleaning mode once you start getting into the flow.
• 4:51
  Jessica: So I have to make sure I don't overdo it.
• 4:53
  Jessica: I set a time limit.
• 4:54
  Jessica: I give myself 10, 15 minutes to do the.
• 4:57
  Jessica: Home tidy before I dive into my work, and then I can get into my inbox, zero answer emails, get my mind wrapped around what has to happen for the day.
• 5:07
  Jessica: So how can the micro method work for you this week?
• 5:11
  Jessica: Pick one task that you have been avoiding or that feels really big.
• 5:15
  Jessica: Break it down into the smallest steps possible.
• 5:18
  Jessica: Remember it wasn't clean the dishes or do start the dishwasher.
• 5:22
  Jessica: It was pick up the plate.
• 5:24
  Jessica: That's the micro step.
• 5:26
  Jessica: So once you've picked something and you break it down into these smallest steps, teeniest steps possible to get your momentum going, then choose something enjoyable to pair it with.
• 5:37
  Jessica: That's it.
• 5:38
  Jessica: Remember, we're not aiming for perfection.
• 5:41
  Jessica: We're just aiming for progress and a little bit of momentum, one tiny step at a time.
• 5:46
  Jessica: Oh, and this works for our kids too.
• 5:49
  Jessica: They also get overwhelmed.
• 5:51
  Jessica: So as you're learning this method and as you're applying it to your life, teach your kids too, what works for you.
• 5:58
  Jessica: I'd love to hear it.
• 5:58
  Jessica: You can email me, jessica@theadhdmom.com, or visit us at theadhdmom.com.
• 6:06
  Jessica: I'd love to see how creative you can get with us.
• 6:08
  Jessica: Until next time, make it a beautiful day.