Unlocking Productivity: Therapist-Approved Task Initiation Strategies
As a therapist, I've witnessed firsthand the struggles my clients (kids and adults) face when it comes to initiating tasks, whether it's starting a new project, tackling daily responsibilities, or pursuing personal goals. I often find myself guiding clients toward practical strategies to navigate the challenge of task initiation. This blog post serves as a curated list of those very strategies—ones that countless individuals have found helpful in their quest to kickstart productivity and overcome procrastination. Let us know if you have any strategies that you have found helpful in the comments!
“KISS” – Keep it Super Simple teach the child to break down a task to find the most simplest part of first step to beginning the task. Ridiculously simple. So simple , so tiny, it is almost unavoidable and provide immediate performance specific praise for completion of the first step.
Ie: Write your name on the paper. Great job getting started, what’s next?
This is chunking but the difference is we are teaching them to chunk it, not doing it for them.
With KISS- we are collaboratively breaking the task into manageable parts and using behavioral momentum.
Kids tend to remember this strategy because it’s “ gross”.
Provide an Interactive Checklist: Providing a checklist for the task helps see the beginning, the end and makes it less HUGE .
Provide a Chunking Folder: File folder with cut windows that breaks a worksheet into manageable parts . This prevents the visual overwhelm , from a task that appears like it will take forever.
Countdown – Invite the child to use a countdown, like a rocket-ship. It works for many kids. 5-4-3-2-1- Blastoff .
Timer: Invite the child to try using a timer to race against in a fun way, to start the task.
Attack Choice: Providing a choice on how they are going to get started, this gives them power and autonomy. Two highly effective starting choices are Eat the Frog” , in which you start with the hardest part first or Climb the Ladder, in which you begin with the simple part.
Body Double- this is where the child is paired with someone doing the same task. They can come sit by you, or a positive peer. It is the proximity of a working person that gets them started.
Spice it Up: What can you do to make this task doable right now ? This one engages the interest based nervous system. Small changes to the task can have a huge impact. Can they listen to music, change the environment ( sit somewhere new) , use a special colored pen etc… Kids have incredible ideas.
