Getting Started
Written by:
Doug Grundman, BA, BEd, OCT
| April 2026
It is common for students, especially those with ADHD, to experience everyday tasks as an insurmountable mountain to climb. While the natural parent response may be to say “just get started,” what is often missing is clear, practical guidance on how to begin. Without a strategy for that first step, students may sit down at their desk or computer and remain stuck, unsure how to move forward.
The challenge is not attitude, it is the transition from one comfortable activity to another, especially when the next task is not enjoyable.
Why getting started feels so hard
Often, the difficulty arises when your child knows what to do and how to do it, but struggles to begin.
Task initiation is an executive function skill in its own right, and for many students, especially those with ADHD, it does not come easily. Getting started requires shifting attention, managing effort, and tolerating discomfort, all of which can be challenging in the moment.
This can be compounded by what ADHD educator Jessica McCabe describes as the Wall of Awful, the emotional resistance that builds around a task. When this is present, starting can feel significantly harder, even when the student understands exactly what needs to be done. As a result, what appears to be a simple first step can feel like the hardest part of the climb.
If you would like to explore this further, her videos Why Is It So Hard To Do Something So Easy (Parts One and Two) provide a helpful explanation.
Shifting our lens on task initiation
When students struggle to start, it is important to recognize that this is not about attitude or personality. Too often, these students are described as lazy or unmotivated, and just as often, they internalize that message.
Empowering students with a new strategy offers more than just another way up the mountain, it offers hope. It creates a new path forward and shows them they are not stuck at the base, but able to take steps, even small ones, toward the climb. New strategies represent action, shifting students toward approaching the mountain like a problem-solver.
Even if a strategy does not work right away, the value is in the attempt. The student is no longer standing still, they are engaging with the climb and trying new routes. Over time, this builds persistence. At the end of the day, they can reflect on the steps they took, rather than focusing only on how much of the mountain is left.
Reasons why we don’t start a task
There are often many reasons not to begin, and only one reason to start. Most of these reasons reflect how the task feels in the moment, not whether it matters in the long term.
Five reasons not to start:
- It is hard
- It is boring
- It is a lot to do
- It feels overwhelming
- I would rather do something else
The one reason to do it:
- It has to get done
When these are weighed side-by-side, it makes sense that avoidance often feels like the easier choice in the moment.
A strategy for getting started
The alternative to avoiding the climb is to be strategic about when you begin. When I work with students, I ask them to consider two options: the 3-to-7 approach and the 7-to-3 approach.
3-to-7 Approach
Do I want to feel like a 3/10 and get started now, and then gradually move toward a 7/10 as I make progress?
Starting early means tolerating an initial dip in comfort, followed by increasing satisfaction and lower stress over time.
7-to-3 Approach
Do I want to avoid the task, feel like a 7/10 right now, and then drop toward a 3/10 as the deadline approaches?
Delaying the task creates short-term relief, followed by rising stress and decreasing satisfaction.
In both scenarios, the student experiences both low and high feelings, the difference is when they occur.
Action over avoidance
By reframing the challenge of getting started from a personal failing to a lack of strategy, we empower students to choose action over avoidance. The goal is not to eliminate discomfort, but to decide when to experience it.
The mountain is not who they are, it is simply the task in front of them. With small, intentional steps and a focus on trying, students can find a path upward and build the habit of taking the next step, even when the mountain still feels big.
Doug Grundman, an experienced teacher and executive function coach, is the co-Director of Executive Function Coaching at Red Oak. As a self-identified ADHDer, he relies on his professional and personal experiences to meet his students where they’re at. His devoted clients appreciate his down-to-earth approach to helping them have less annoying days.