Colours dimmed — this page is set for lower stimulation.
Guidance for: Too many things, I can't pick one
Empty the tabs, then pick badly
Start here
Three-minute brain dump. Every open loop onto one page, no order, no editing. Then circle anything genuinely due in 48 hours.
Overwhelm comes from holding the list. Your brain is spending everything it has keeping twelve open loops from being forgotten, which leaves nothing for the work itself.
Then, if you have room for it
- Get all of it out. Paper or notes, three minutes, no ordering.
- Mark only what has a real deadline in the next two days. Everything else is noise for now.
- Pick one. If you can't choose, choose randomly — a suboptimal pick costs far less than no pick.
- Leave the list somewhere you'll see it again, so your brain is allowed to stop guarding it.
Watch
- Overwhelmed? Do thisTherapy in a Nutshell (Emma McAdam, LMFT) · 7 minA therapist's antidote to the state where everything feels equally urgent.(opens in a new tab)
- Overwhelmed by your to-do list? Try thisHow to ADHD · 1 minOne minute. About the right size when reading anything longer feels impossible.(opens in a new tab)
Read
- What causes procrastination in ADHD brains?ADDitudeReaders and clinicians on decision fatigue, overwhelm and fear of failure.(opens in a new tab)
- How to overcome procrastination and get things doneADDitudeSlideshow on perfectionism, nervous-system regulation and making tasks interesting.(opens in a new tab)
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