Every person occasionally encounters moments when the list of tasks that require attention and focused action is too long. So long, that instead of tackling the items one by one, the person gets stuck and doesn’t know where to start. The phenomenon of “task paralysis” is different from procrastination. While one lacks the desire to work on a task, the other refers to a feeling of being overwhelmed, blocked, or powerless in the face of a task.
Ellen Hendriksen of Boston University has studied the reasons this happens. The brain sees the long list as a threat, just as in the days when our ancestors saw life-threatening predators as a threat. In the case of the to-do list, this threat is of failure, of others being disappointed if the task is not completed on time, or of the fear of presenting oneself in a bad light or as one who cannot keep commitments. While it can happen to anyone to block, it is more often seen in perfectionists.
The elephant is eaten bite by bite
In the words of Dr. Pierce Steele, mapping out small steps that will lead to solving a big task is key to achieving it. Otherwise, the task sounds big and hard to achieve, which makes people think of strategies on how to avoid it. It is more correct to list the smaller steps that make the task sound achievable.
Incentives
In moments of blockage, it is good to remind oneself why one has undertaken this task in the first place and what results its completion will bring. Apart from the tactic of starting with the most urgent thing, one can choose another alternative, namely to start with something small, easy and more enjoyable. After that, the work usually goes more smoothly.
Another strategy is to promise oneself a reward after finishing a task that one has been putting off for a long time. Such a reward would be some time to oneself without feeling guilty for not working on something else at that moment.
Avoid avoiding
Setting aside blocks of time in which to work on the to-do list without interruptions and distractions is important. Otherwise, tasks get procrastinated or avoided. This, in turn, leads to additional feelings of busyness, stress and self-criticism. Instead, one can give oneself a few microaffirmations and thus give oneself a “pat on the back” when a task is done and encourage positive feelings.
