Parking downhill
When you have ADHD, some days you’ll be really on and in the zone, while on others you’ll struggle to even get started. This is particularly true if you take a break for a few days (or longer) before revisiting a task.
Earlier this week, one of my coaching students used the phrase parking downhill to describe how they address this.
With ADHD, getting moving is often the hardest part. Our brains have a lot of inertia. At rest, it’s hard to get us moving. Once moving, it’s hard to stop.
Imagine a car with a manual transmission parked on a hill.
If you park pointed up the hill, getting started is going to suck. If you park pointing down the hill, you can mostly just take your foot of the brake and start rolling.
When you’re having a really on day, or you know you’re going to step away from your work for a bit, park downhill. Set yourself up in such a way that you just jump in and go when you pick it back up.