If you’re an adult coping with ADHD, you may have a love/hate relationship with to-do lists.
Sure, they can be helpful for keeping track of tasks —
…if you can keep track of your list
…if you remember to actually use it
…if you don’t look at it and become instantly overwhelmed with shame about all of those tasks you’ve been avoiding, and avoid them even more because of that shame
…if you know the right way to create and manage an ADHD to-do list
(Wait - there’s a ‘right’ way to create an effective to-do list for adult ADHD?? Why, yes! You can learn more about it here.)
Unfortunately, one of the biggest barriers to creating - and actually using - an effective task list is breaking down the tasks. You’ll see it on just about any article on ADHD time management, productivity, procrastination, overwhelm - “break down the task into smaller, more manageable steps.” But no one ever seems to talk about how to break down a task; and it’s not always obvious.
So, whether you’re not sure how to break down tasks effectively, or didn’t know you needed to do so in the first place, this blog is for you.
If you’re already on board with the whole ‘breaking down tasks’ thing, you can skip ahead. Otherwise, here’s why breaking down tasks is so helpful for adults with ADHD:
In fact, motivational speaker and productivity coach Melissa Gratias, PhD, says “Breaking tasks down helps us to see large tasks as more approachable and doable, and reduces our propensity to procrastinate or defer tasks, because we simply don’t know where to begin.”
Brains have limits; we can’t hold an infinite amount of information in our heads AND process that information at the same time. So when a task or project requires several different steps, and we don’t break that down, we’re essentially giving our brains an impossible job - and it shuts down in response, leading to procrastination, overwhelm, stress, and brain fog.
TLDR: Breaking down long, complex, or overwhelming tasks is one of the best coping skills for adults with ADHD because it helps reduce overwhelm, improve motivation, and improve productivity.
So, now that you know all the benefits of breaking down projects, how do you actually do it? Let’s review how to break down tasks ADHD - style.
Before you break it down, it’s important to understand the big picture. Make sure you can answer the following questions:
This may not be applicable every time, but if a project is particularly large, it may be helpful to identify some milestones along the way. For example, if a project is going to span a great length of time, you might create weekly or monthly milestones. Or, if the project is very complex, you might break it into phases (i.e. planning, producing, revising), categories (i.e. party invites, food, entertainment), or parts (i.e. clean living room, bedroom, kitchen)
Here’s where we identify smaller “sub-tasks” that make up the project. For example, if you had an assembly line for this project, what would need to be done at each station?
This may be the most important step for adults with ADHD. It’s very easy to skip, but identifying and addressing barriers now will go a long way toward setting yourself up for success. The kinds of barriers you’re likely to face are going to vary both from project to project, and from person to person, since ADHD shows up differently for everyone. Some of the most common to check for are:
Once you identify those barriers, you can add in steps to address them. For example, gathering all the tools/materials you’ll need before you begin working, reaching out to schedule necessary meetings now, so that you don’t forget later (and have some bonus accountability), or setting up reminders to turn on some motivational music, take breaks, etc., when things get hard.
Now that you have a plan, you’ve identified milestones, created bite-sized tasks, identified and addressed barriers…you’re ready to roll!
So glad you asked. When you’re already feeling overwhelmed by a project or task, taking the time to think about and do all of the above is (if you’re anything like me, at least) pretty unlikely. So, how to make all of that easier?
Technology is your friend, here. There are a ton of great apps out there that can help make breaking down tasks easier for folks with adult ADHD. Here are a couple to try:
An ADHD life coach or executive function coach can make ADHD management a heck of a lot easier.
According to CHADD, ADHD coaching is “a practical intervention that specifically targets the core impairments of ADHD such as planning, time management, goal setting, organization and problem solving.” That means learning the coping skills for ADHD and how to consistently use them - for example, helping you learn how to break down big projects in a way that works for your brain (among other things).
There are task managers aplenty these days - so many, in fact, that finding one that works well for ADHD management is an overwhelming task all on its own! One that’s worth a try, though, is Llama Life. Their app is more than just a glorified to-do list; Llama Life is designed to help you work through a list by transforming your dreaded tasks into manageable, bite-sized chunks of productivity.
My favorite things about Llama Life:
Managing adult ADHD doesn’t have to be hard. The adult ADHD coaches at Shimmer can help you identify ways to make your life easier and less overwhelming. You’ll learn not only learn new tools, strategies, and skills; you’ll identify barriers to using those skills and strategies, and find ways to overcome them.
Let’s tackle your ADHD, together.