Glossary

Task initiation

Task initiation is the skill of beginning a task when you intend to, without a long delay. It is usually counted among the executive function skills, and trouble getting started is something many adults with ADHD describe.

Starting is its own step

Knowing what to do and starting to do it are different things. CHADD describes executive function difficulties as affecting the ability to begin, work on and complete tasks, and lists activating for tasks as one of the skill clusters (CHADD). Research on implementation intentions offers one practical lever: plans in the form “when situation X arises, I will do Y” helped people act on their intentions across many studies (Gollwitzer).

Ways people make the first move easier

  • Make the first action physical and small: open the document, write one line.
  • Tie it to a cue: “When I sit down after lunch, I open the budget file.”
  • Start at a set time rather than when you feel ready.
  • Lower the bar: commit to ten minutes, not to finishing.
  • Clear the first obstacle the day before, such as finding the file or the form.

When it is not about starting

Sometimes a task will not start because it is not really one task. “Sort out taxes” hides a dozen steps, and none of them is obvious. Breaking it apart can turn a start problem into a list of small, startable pieces. See also task paralysis.

How Flowo handles this

Flowo gives each task a time, so when to start is already set, and you can ask for task steps when the first move is unclear. It cannot make you start, and it does not claim to. Read about task steps and scheduling.

Sources