Focus on the 1%
Overwhelm can come in many forms.
You can feel the pressure of a looming deadline with not enough time left to get the task done.
You can be looking at a task list a mile long, where everything feels the most urgent and most important, and you don't know where to start.
You can even feel overwhelmed internally; struggling under the weight of your own self and emotions.
The big takeaway from all these (and many more) scenarios related to overwhelm is the feeling of losing or not having control. You know you should be doing something, but the overwhelm can cause a thick layer of brain fog that you can't seem to navigate your way through. It can feel like you couldn’t make a single decision—even if your life depended on it.
When you're faced with overwhelm and too many choices, it can feel like you need to do something big to start chipping away at whatever is feeling like too much.
Unfortunately, the act of finding a starting point and getting started is an executive function where ADHDers tend to struggle. Even when you break your tasks down into smaller steps, it can feel like all you're doing is adding more work that needs done.
Focus on the 1%
Recently, on The ADHD Podcast, one of our guests, ADHD coach and author, Brooke Schnittman, shared the concept of taking "1% actions".
ADHDers often find themselves overwhelmed—staring at a never-ending list—and there tends to be a strong desire to try and do everything, all at once. As an ADHD coach and mother of a child with ADHD, trust me when I say, "multitasking" is a myth. In fact, no one can do everything all at once.
Instead, try focusing on completing 1%—even just 0.1%—of a task. Even if all you can do in the moment is write one sentence on one email, it's still progress. That is still more than you had before you wrote that sentence. Eventually, these small steps can create momentum and can help reduce the overwhelm attached to certain tasks or projects.
No matter how "small" or "insignificant" 1% might feel like to you—1% is still progress.
Now it's your turn
I would encourage you to explore this strategy of 1% the next time you're feeling overwhelmed and don't know where to start.
If you have other methods you like to use to combat overwhelm, I would love to hear about them! Please feel free to Contact Us and share your thoughts and ideas!
Thank you for your time and attention,
Nikki