Task Paralysis & Lack of Motivation

Micromanaging a gremlin with no snacks and terrible boundaries

You know that feeling when you want to do the thing, you know the thing needs doing, and yet… you’re just sitting there, emotionally welded to the couch? Welcome to task paralysis—an ADHD special where your brain hits the brakes before you even hit “go.”

And motivation? Yeah, that little rascal is off somewhere, probably building a treehouse or reorganizing the spice rack instead of helping you start your taxes. It’s not just procrastination. It’s a full-blown executive function traffic jam.

Let’s talk about your Task Management System:

Imagine you’re trying to manage a gremlin.

A chaotic little creature who:

  • Doesn’t respond to authority
  • Only works under the threat of doom or the promise of snacks
  • Gets distracted by shiny objects (or existential dread)
  • Has no idea how long anything takes
  • Needs constant supervision or will start painting the walls with jam

The problem? The gremlin is your executive function system.

You’re both the manager and the gremlin. And the only snacks that work are dopamine and adrenaline — and your supply chain is a bit… unreliable.

Task paralysis might look like:

  • Staring at your to-do list like it’s written in Elvish
  • Feeling overwhelmed before you’ve even begun
  • Starting to start… but then forgetting what you were doing
  • Telling yourself “just one more video” for six straight hours
  • Doing everything but the one thing that matters
  • Getting stuck in guilt/shame loops about not starting

It’s not laziness. It’s a broken internal system.

Motivation in ADHD brains doesn’t flow in a straight line. We don’t get “do the thing → feel good.”

We get “do the thing only if there’s:”

  • A deadline breathing down our neck
  • An immediate, shiny reward
  • A hyperfocus window open
  • A sudden spark of interest… which may vanish in 30 minutes

What helps when the gremlin won’t move?

We’ll go deep on this later, but here’s your starter snack pack:

  • Make it teeny-tiny — Choose the tiniest first step. Gremlins hate big jobs.
  • Add novelty or urgency — Pretend it’s a game. Or a dare. Or a fire drill.
  • Create rituals — “This is how we begin” helps trick your brain into motion
  • Bribe the gremlin — Snacks, stickers, fake deadlines, drama… whatever works.
  • Body double — Let someone else’s presence keep the gremlin semi-behaved.
  • Work in weird ways — Do it in a silly voice, in a different room, or upside-down if needed.

This section links to a full Task Paralysis & Motivation Deep Dive, where we’ll unpack:

  • How dopamine & executive dysfunction mess with your ability to start things
  • The difference between motivation and activation
  • How to outwit your internal gremlin without burning out
  • Why shame makes it worse, and how to practice compassionate accountability
Deep Dive