As a student, I always aim to be responsible, get things done, and deliver good results. I like to think that students in general aim for that, but sometimes despite one’s best efforts, life brews the perfect concoction for chaos: a generous scoop of challenging undertakings, two cups of perfectionism, and a pinch of decision fatigue are merely a handful of the ingredients this hampering recipe may contain. When wanting to check items off the to-do list, I find that it is hard to even find a place to start, and in the past, this made me feel that I was to blame for not being able to make any significant progress. Little did I know, this disastrous recipe had less to do with the “ingredients” that I was using, and more to do with the amount and the process.
The feeling of being overwhelmed and frozen in inaction when faced with certain challenges is called task paralysis. What distinguishes it from procrastination is that task paralysis happens despite the effort and intent to get to tasks, whereas procrastination stems from a choice factor. There are several potential causes for task paralysis, which may include the desire to achieve excellence or being a perfectionist, being afraid to fail, or becoming overwhelmed. This leads to becoming avoidant and feeling unmotivated from decision fatigue due to having too many choices to make without a clear path ahead. It is worth noting that people with ADHD may have a rougher time with task paralysis, as different thought processes mean different ways of resolving challenges.
Identifying the underlying causes behind why you may be unable to get started with what you have to do is key to understanding how to move forward. In my case, I grappled with perfectionism, fear of failure, being unmotivated, and becoming overwhelmed. Understanding how all these factors contributed to how I was feeling helped me shift from blaming myself and turned it into a reasonable explanation that helped me discover what I could adjust for better results. This issue had haunted most of my student life — to me it felt like being unable to start a task was heavily frowned upon, and that it was synonymous with being lazy. Now I know that is not the case, so if you relate and want to know how to break free from task paralysis, here are my tried and true tips, backed by science:
- To tackle perfectionism, recognize that progress is equally as valuable as results. Rewarding yourself for making progress instead of only wanting a perfect outcome should help you feel that your work is meaningful. This is important, because it shifts weight away from the goal, and makes starting the journey not feel pointless.
- If you are afraid to fail, remember that everyone makes mistakes, and you are allowed to make them too. Mistakes are an excellent way to learn and become better at something, just as a toddler learns how to walk upright by trying and falling until they get it right. And even so, I still trip and fall at the ripe old age of 24, so metaphorically speaking tripping over the same rock twice happens, it’s okay. Failure is a normal part of life.
- When overwhelmed, categorize tasks by ranks — optional, important, necessary, and urgent. Go for what is urgent first, those are the things that must happen then and there. Then you can do things that are necessary, followed by those that are important, and last but not least, optional. Prioritizing tasks can help pave the way forward.
- If you feel like you can’t make another big decision or you’re going to explode, try dumbing them down as much as possible. Simplifying and limiting your options from a hundred to just a couple can make a massive difference. I personally challenge myself to give myself “only two soups” as the Spanish saying goes. Hay de dos sopas, either I go to the market today, or I go tomorrow. Simple.
- Last but not least, if you are feeling unmotivated, remember to not force yourself but also go through the motions of giving it a try. Giving the two minute method a try may surprise you, since that method consists of getting at a task uninterrupted for merely two minutes, with the freedom of stopping after if you don’t feel like it. It is possible that once you get past that initial barrier of actually starting, you’ll find it easier to continue. If you truly aren’t feeling it, then you can try again at another time.
Now, with a cup of analysis, a spoon of compassion, and a teaspoon of cunning, you’ve got a potential recipe for success.
