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In Norwegian there's an expression that translates roughly to "The threshold mile" (threshold, as in door threshold).
Because Dørstokkmila (which is obviously a metric mile - 10km), is terribly long when you need to start something.
The closest expression I've heard as a translation was when Green Day sang:
Peel me off this Velcro seat
And get me moving
I sure as hell can't do it by myself
Because task starting is legit hard and I don't think it needs some mystical explanation. The way to adress this is to break it town to small tasks and start at it. When I start my remote software engineers work day I start with a checklist to what I want to do - thats already first tiny task that sets me into work mood. Then make the first points easy loke "check email x", "check website Y" etc.
It's important to be descriptive with your tasks and just don't write "check all emails" because those are demotivating and tiring just looking at it. Use multiple points of "check customer X emails", "check email replies".
Ive been working remotely for over 20 years so I'm very familiar with this issue and this tip is the best one I can give!
This is true for starting anything. When I'm getting ready to run, I know I have a five minute warmup then a stretch, then the run, but when I start, it's just a five minute warmup -- nice and easy, no rushing.
For a work example, if I'm dreading starting something, I'll spend a little time the day before just getting ready for it. Get the data accessible, write a checklist (as above, very helpful for offloading brain work onto the page), get reference documents ready (printed), etc.
I don't know why but this reminded me of a joke..."My parents took me to the doctor because they thought I had mono. Turns out I was just lazy". I think that underneath it all we are like cows and just want to eat grass and bask in the sun as a default behaviour.
Because "knowing it" isn't the whole picture.
It's actually only a very tiny part of the picture.
You're asking about what motivates you. Knowing can motivate. Experience motivates more tho. So does habit and some other stuff.
You might have executive dysfunction
I think it is worth being very clear that "Executive Dysfunction" is not a disorder, it is a term to describe a symptom that appears across multiple disorders as well as independent of disorders.
Task initiation is an uphill battle for MOST people, and on its own does not indicate a disorder. Uncertainty and anxiety are very real barriers that can overwhelm anyone.
... Which is probably why they qualified their statement with "might".
OP might have an executive dysfunction.
I am not a doctor, but I agree that the possibility that OP has an executive dysfunction is nontrivial. Depending on where you live, finding out might be free. Just saying.
Furthermore you don't diagnose symptoms, those are reported or observed. Definitely still valid to avoid the immediate jump from symptom to one of the many complexes which develop it.
I'm still not a doctor, but as a first-aid certified person, signs and symptoms can be extremely useful in helping someone. It gives you a starting point to try to figure out what's happening.
Further investigation is always required.
Medical diagnosis is a science. Things need to be proven. You can't just go on vibes or feelings or whatever.
Since OP describes some symptoms that can be associated with executive function disorders, doesn't mean that they definitely have those conditions. Only a qualified doctor should be making that kind of conclusion.
To be clear I'm agreeing with you. I'm saying Ios_chill had a point with executive dysfunction being a symptom of many conditions. So jumping to one of those conclusions based on one symptom without further context nor a systematic approach is wasteful for everyone.
Wasn’t sure if this was a dig or a legit suggestion so I looked it up and, honestly, yeah - maybe.
It sounds like ADHD is a prime (or the?) example of this and that definitely wasn’t on my radar. The HD part of ADHD does not ring true to me but maybe it manifests in unexpected ways.
Oh... Uhhh... Hyperactivity in the name, isn't behavioral hyperactivity. That can certainly be a symptom but the naming comes from hyperactivity in specific brain functions, as in, your brain works too much on things inappropriately.
While that can manifest as hyperactive behaviors, it doesn't always.
Executive dysfunction is a symptom of many other conditions such as depression, stress/anxiety, and autism.
ADHD diagnoses are expensive, intense, and take a long time. You wouldn't want to spend your time, energy, and money on it if your real problem is something else.
In any case, therapy is the phase to start. Probably CBT or ACT as they directly focuses on OP's complaint and are the most common forms that help ADHD anyways. They should also be able to help you identify whether a diagnosis is worth pursuing.
There are 2 types of ADHD: ADHD (hyperactive) and ADHD-PI (primarily inattentive). I have ADHD-PI, which does not really manifest hyperactivity. More like the "I can't drive once my meds wear off because I'll get distracted and drive up a curb"-type.
Executive dysfunction is a major part of my diagnosis, as well.
Not saying that you absolutely have ADHD, but it's something to be mindful of if you find that its hugely affecting your life in a negative way.
It presents in many ways that often don’t seem to make sense. Stimulants usually have opposite effect for those with adhd. They can be calming
I’ve heard that some people who have ADHD can have a real hard time with “transitioning” from one frame of mind to another as is required for starting a new task of any kind. I imagine people who don’t have ADHD can also struggle with that sometimes
Autistic people can also struggle with transitions from one task/state to another.
There's a large overlap between ADHD symptoms and autism symptoms.
I definitely have autistic traits but always hesitate to talk about; I think there’s a lot of negative sentiment towards undiagnosed folks self-diagnosing.
You are the most qualified person to diagnose yourself since you're the only one that knows what happens on the inside which is where autistic symptoms predominantly are.
Neurotypicals lump themselves to early with autism and autistic people do it too late since they feel the criteria is very strict. Think NT saying "yes, I have autism because..." and autistic people say "no, I don't because of...".
Honestly, just take some tests and use them as a screening tool and take it from there. Good luck!
I can understand some negative sentiment in contexts where it's used dismissively (e.g. "I'm [self-diagnosed] autistic and I don't have this issue, so you're obviously just a bad person"), or if you use it as an excuse to be a shitty person. Although I'd say that a professional diagnosis wouldn't make any of these scenarios better.
In your case, you're experiencing problems and you're trying to solve them. A self diagnosis helps a lot in narrowing down what the causes could be and help you prioritize different potential solutions to try. It makes no sense to handicap yourself and try to fix things like a neurotypical person when you have good reason to believe you're not.
Frankly at this point self-diagnosis shouldn't be as demonized as it is. Because getting a diagnosis is, 1. Expensive, 2. Involved as all hell sometimes, 3. Not all professionals being great, and 4. In certain countries cough the US cough, it gets you literally put on a list
I say this as someone who is diagnosed. Just preface any statements you make with you not being professionally diagnosed and that you think you might likely have it and such, and you should be fine. Ultimately the point of the diagnosis is to help you. If you feel like the autistic framework is useful to understanding yourself, use it.
I self diagnosed myself and thought about going to get an official diagnosis but ultimately decided not to. I realized it didn't matter what a professional said because everything I was reading about how to deal with autism was helping me. If the "solutions" benefited me, it was in my best interest to continue believing I have autism; whether I do or not.
Yup this is a typical symptom of adhd. This alone doesn't mean you have adhd, but it means you should put it on the possibility list and maybe get evaluated by a professional
What kind of professional and to what end? I don’t think an explicit diagnosis would really help, but I have been thinking talking with a therapist/counselor could help with numerous issues I have.
Speaking of tasks though, finding and choosing a counselor has been daunting and keeps leading me to decision paralysis.
Ideally a psychiatrist. Failing that, a licensed therapist. If you can get a hold of a social worker they can often point you in the right direction.
[edit: or talk to your doctor about it]
I have ADHD (inattentive type) and I call this task initiation avoidance, which I derived from the similar community term pathological demand avoidance. It's fundamentally related to executive dysfunction but more specific.
How do you get anything done ?
Asking for a friend
Meds
Do you perhaps fear failure? That you might do it incorrectly?
That's a bit what's stopping me often from starting something new.
That’s definitely part of my anxiety issues. But that wasn’t what was slowing me down from the particular task in my sights when I made this post.
A lot of people are saying ADHD, but I think in some cases it could also be anxiety or depression.
I think the cause isn't as important because, for all of them, I think, the solution could be the same.
Take one small bite of that huge daunting pie, and get the ball rolling. Then take another bite; do something easy. And then another. And now you're off.
I have tasks lined up for yeeeeears I think. It's daunting. I do it a bite at a time.
I don’t feel depressed, but anxiety is definitely on the menu…
Depression isn’t “feeling sad.” It has a lot of symptoms people do t commonly associate with it, including irritability and lack of motivation.
Because everyone is struggling and tired of it? I think mental exhaustion, burnout, anxiety are common currency these days. Don't be hard on yourself if you need a warm up before you get started, like an old reliable beloved car.
A body at rest requires more energy to reach a given speed than one already in motion.
Shut up! And get out of my head!
I don't know but I know the feeling.
ADHD
I think it all comes down to attitude if you approach the new task as a welcome challenge as opposed to a chore it tends to be a more positive experience initially
I don’t think this is it. Like I said, I actually know I’ll enjoy it once I get started but I will scramble to come up with anything else to do instead to avoid starting it.