ADHD at work

Beat task paralysis at work

Quick answer: Pick the task with the nearest deadline, ask an AI for a 2-minute first step, and tell one colleague what you're working on. Small and visible beats perfect.

The problem

You sit down at your desk, open five tabs and an hour later nothing has moved. Then the guilt makes it harder.

Copy, paste, go

My work tasks: [LIST WITH DEADLINES]. Which one should I start right now? Give me a 2-minute first step and nothing else.

I've been stuck on [TASK] for [TIME]. What's the smallest thing I could finish in 10 minutes that moves it forward?

Works in ChatGPT, Claude or any AI assistant. Swap the [BRACKETS] for your stuff and go.

Tools worth a look

• ChatGPT
  General AI assistant. Free tier works for every prompt here.
• Focusmate
  Virtual body-doubling: book a live co-working session with a stranger.
• Todoist (affiliate link planned)
  Simple to-do app with natural-language dates.

Little things that help

• Close every tab not needed for step one.
• A quick 'I'm on X this morning' message adds gentle accountability.
• See also our general task paralysis page.

Related fixes

• Stay on top of meetings and action items
• Focus on deep work with distractions around
• Structure a remote work day
• Write an email you've been dreading

FAQ

How do I get unstuck from task paralysis at work?

Pick the task with the nearest deadline, ask an AI for a 2-minute first step, and tell one colleague what you're working on. Small and visible beats perfect.