How to overcome task start paralysis and continue learning
Have you ever felt the need to start a task, but have you not been able to reach that first step? Maybe it’s a home chore, a course you’d like to pursue for a while, and even incredibly trivial things simply feel impossible. This experience is a combination of overwhelming freeze and spiritual freeze, defining the reality of millions of people around the world. And there’s the name of it: Starting Paralysis of the Task. The good news is there is a way to overcome it. Let’s look at ways that individuals experiencing task start-up paralysis can build enough momentum to stay with their learning goals, even when they are unmotivated, overwhelmed or procrastinated.
Task start paralysis overview
People experiencing task start paralysis often explain the permeation of anxiety. They know they have something to do and want to do them, but they have no motivation or stamina to start them. This experience often manifests itself as procrastination, avoidance, or inability to start something, even if it is small or very important. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon to be mistaken for lazyness from an outside perspective, but those who experience it know that it’s something else.
Furthermore, task-initiated paralysis is frequently associated with ADHD and anxiety, but can affect those suffering from executive functioning. It can also be exacerbated by other underlying factors such as fear of failure, perfectionism, and negative self-image. Let’s take a look at some of the most common symptoms of starting task paralysis.
The difficulty of decision making. I’m struggling with time management. Avoiding tasks that require continuous focus. Overthinking and brain fog. The difficulty of prioritizing.
The symptoms mentioned above are small fragments of the condition described by an individual with task-started paralysis. The truth is that there is a significant lack of formal research on this topic. Therefore, there is no figure regarding its statistical prevalence or universal solution.
Of course, this article is not intended to provide counseling, it simply edits the tips you can use to build momentum on your learning journey. If you are struggling with starting task paralysis, you need to know exactly what works.
How to conquer the start of tasks on your learning journey
Learning Create a “menu”
If you’re navigating social media, you’ve probably heard of the dopamine menu. The dopamine menu is a list of activities ranked at effort level and is something you can do to induce the production of happy chemicals. For example, if you have low energy levels one day, you can do x small things to get your dopamine. Similarly, the Learning menu contains the given tasks you choose when you feel that you are beginning to start task paralysis.
Here are some tips to help you create your own learning menu:
Find your goals. This is usually the first and most important step. Are there any goals you want to reach? Make sure your study menu corresponds to its final result. Includes microstarts. These are small learning-related tasks that will build momentum and usually last only a few minutes. They are an excellent way to get some small victories and make your L&D journey feel overwhelming. Classify by effort level. Divide the menu into low, medium and high effort tasks (for a pleasant day). Doing so will help you get your headspace stock and choose what you don’t want to give up anytime soon. Add diversity. It’s better than nothing. Even if something is too meaningless to include it (“Download the next PDF”), just include it in your menu anyway. Variety is essential to novelty and allows you to move forward when you need it most.
I’m looking for novelty
As mentioned above, even if you’re struggling to get started with the task, novelty is a great way to help you progress. Novelty during the learning process helps activate brain regions associated with memory and attention via dopamine-mediated reward pathways. Essentially, whenever we encounter something new, our brain releases dopamine and indexes that information into fresh neural connections. This instant, novel effect provides a temporary boost. Thus, regular involvement of the brain in new experiences enhances the ability to ultimately form new connections, improving memory retention and cognitive flexibility, leading to a more successful learning experience and a better prospect of task initiation.
Queue start time
It is very important to distinguish relaxation modes from learning modes. What does that mean? Essentially, select a specific cues to indicate that it is time to learn. Through iteration, these queues act as triggers and help to shift into a more learning-oriented headspace to start the task. When you start associating selected queues with task initiation, you start building more sustainable habits and routines, lacking cognitive resistance associated with task initiation paralysis.
Ultimately, you can choose the cues you think are appropriate, such as specific sounds, scents, and sensory cues that contain images. For example, you can light up a vanilla candle every time you start a learning task. Alternatively, you can create task-specific playlists that will only play during L&D times. The possibilities are endless, but consistency is important to strengthen the selected queue.
Find your community
Communities provide important support not only with regard to learning, but also to overcome challenges. They provide accountability, emotional regulation, and a fresh perspective through shared understanding. When it comes to starting task paralysis, finding a community can help you create a support system to move forward when you are struggling with your learning goals. It can show you new ways to break down overwhelming tasks and provide actionable assistance.
A very convenient method for people suffering from starting task paralysis is to double the body. Body magnification involves working with someone else virtually or directly, without necessarily doing the same job. It creates a sense of accountability and a shared purpose, and helps transform the often overwhelming and lonely learning journey into a more manageable and collective effort.
Conclusion
Task start paralysis is a critical issue for many learners. Often, you’re just starting out the next module and it’s all you want to do, but that’s not feasible. In such cases, it is essential to find the one that suits you individually. The method must be tailored to your experience and to take the next step in your L&D journey. The key is to build momentum rather than striving for perfect execution.
