Overwhelmed by Big Tasks? Six Strategies to Cope with Daunting Projects
When you are in school, college or working a job, you often encounter tasks or projects that overwhelm you, especially when they are complex and stretch over a long time. You can feel like you are standing in front of a mountain with no idea how to scale it.
But instead of feeling hopeless and defeated – which more often than not leads to distractive behavior like playing video games or scrolling through your social media feed to curb your rising panic – you can try the following six strategies below. Those strategies will help you break down complex tasks so that you can stop procrastinating and get things done, one step at a time.
1. Define the Big Picture and Set Goals
Start by understanding what the task at hand entails. Write down the overall goal and why it matters.
Make sure you understand precisely what the final product is supposed to look like. For instance, if you need to write a paper for a class, find out how many pages your paper needs to be, the required font and font size, how many sources you must include—and whether you completely understand the general theme your paper is supposed to discuss.
Once you are clear about the parameters, you can start structuring and organizing your project in a way that will help you get it done.
2. Break It Down into Smaller Steps
People with ADHD often struggle with tasks that feel too big or abstract. Break the task into bite-sized steps that feel achievable.
Going back to your paper – you now have a general idea as to what the content and format of your paper is supposed to be. But how do you get started on a project that seems quite unwieldy?
Make a list of all the different steps you need to take to arrive at the finished product. When it comes to your paper you need to:
1. find a topic you are interested in exploring and is also doable on the limited number of pages you have for your paper.
2. do research on your topic and find various articles or books that discuss your topic from an academic point of view.
3. set time aside to write and format your paper according to the style sheet you received form your professor.
Write down all the different steps you can think of, then set your list aside and take a break. Come back to it after a while to see how you feel about your list. Each step should be small enough to feel doable without triggering any overwhelm.
3. Break It Down Even Further into Micro-Steps
Once you have a rough idea of the different steps you need to take to arrive at the completion of your project, go over your list again and try to break down each small step even further – into micro-steps.
For example, you might suddenly realize that finding a topic entails multiple steps that you didn’t account for in your current list. You might have to add the following sub-steps:
Find a topic you are interested in – but you have no idea how to come up with one. Possible steps include
a) do some research online to learn more about possible topics;
b) talk to classmates to find out what they intend to write about and get inspired;
c) talk to your professor to get his or her input, and eventually approval on your topic.
2. Do research on your topic – but you don’t know how to use the library. You could
a) talk to a librarian to get some help.
b) do some research and find out whether there are any instructions online.
c) ask a classmate to explain the library system to you.
When you make your list, think of all eventualities and the possible questions you might have. It’s better to plan for delays and uncertainties you might encounter on the way.
Important: Spell out your tasks as thoroughly as possible so that it becomes clearer to you what it is you need to do step by step to get your project done on time.
4. Use Visual Tools and Checklists
Seeing your tasks visually can make them feel more tangible. Write your micro-steps on sticky notes, a whiteboard, or a digital task manager.
Personally, I like to use sticky notes that I put on different sheets of paper (in different colors) on my wall. For example, my first sheet is blue and entitled “Not Started Yet”, the second sheet is red and reads “In Progress”, and the third one is yellow and says “Completed.” Now, I can move all my sticky notes to the first sheet and slowly switch them to sheet 2 and 3 as I progress with my project. That way, I can visually see how much I am getting done and feel a sense of accomplishment when I move my notes from the first to the third sheet.
If sticky notes are not your style, you can use an app which works well for organizing tasks visually. It very much depends on your individual preferences and what works best for you.
5. Set Time Limits and Use Timers
Many people with ADHD struggle with predicting how long a task will take and when to get started. Thus, it is very important to sit down with a calendar and determine how long each task might take you – and then, if possible, double the time to account for distractions. Use time blocks in your calendar to mark those hours you can spend working on your project. That way, you will have it on your calendar and will be reminded each time you look at it.
6. Do the Easy Tasks First
Even with the above strategies, getting started can feel overwhelming. Make sure you begin with an easy step each time you sit down to work on your project. If you have three things on your list for that day, pick the one that is the shortest or the one you feel the least aversion toward – and get that thing done.
While common wisdom often tells us to “eat the frog first,” neurodivergent folks need to build up momentum before they can tackle the frog. So, start with something easy to get going – and when you are in the swing of things, you can start working on more complex tasks.
Getting a bigger project done is never easy, but if we take one step at a time to reduce the overwhelm, a task becomes more manageable. The most important thing is to keep going without putting too much pressure on yourself. And if you fail to complete a step during your scheduled time, give yourself some grace and try to follow through the next day. It’s a journey, and the further you advance on it, the better you will get.
