If you’ve ever stared at a big project and thought, I don’t even know where to start, you’re not alone. Whether you struggle with ADHD, executive dysfunction, or just good old-fashioned task avoidance (we’ve all been there!), figuring out how to break tasks down into smaller steps can feel harder than the task itself.
And yet, this skill is one of the biggest game-changers I’ve seen in my own life and in the lives of my Executive Function coaching clients. When we learn how to shrink a huge, overwhelming project into bite-sized steps, we reduce stress and increase focus, which helps us actually get things done.
In this post, I’ll walk you through why breaking tasks down matters, the common challenges that get in the way, and practical strategies you can try today. Much of the content from this blog post is taken from the Focus Forward episode on the same topic, so if you’re looking for more, check that out. Okay, let’s dive into How to Break Big Tasks Down into Smaller Steps to Avoid Overwhelm
Why Breaking Down Tasks Matters
Breaking a project into smaller steps might sound simple and often feel unnecessary. Some of my clients (and I, too!) resist it because they’d rather just jump in. Even today, I was sharing with one of our MAP participants that I, even as an Executive Function coach, struggle with actually taking the time to break down a task. But here’s what we know from an Executive Functioning viewpoint: when you don’t know what the first step actually is, jumping in isn’t realistic. Instead, we stall, avoid, and procrastinate. None of which feels good or has good outcomes.
Another important aspect of breaking down tasks is that it helps us identify the true first step of a task or project. Sometimes, what we think is the first step is actually too big a step or skips an important thing that we need to do first.
A third argument for why it’s worth taking the time to do this comes from scientific research on breaking down tasks, which has found that when tasks are broken down into smaller steps, both the quality of the finished product and the experience of doing the task improve.
An example from my own life for you: When I kept putting off recording the intro and outro for a Focus Forward podcast episode, I told myself I was avoiding it because plugging in my mic felt like a hassle (it’s not). But that wasn’t the real reason. The truth? My desk was too cluttered to even set up my mic. The real first step wasn’t recording or even plugging in the mic; it was clearing off my desk, which took maybe two minutes. Once I did that, I set up my mic, recorded in five minutes, and didn’t even need to do a retake. The whole task, which I’d been avoiding for days, was over in under ten minutes.
The lesson we can all take away from this? When we don’t take time to break down a task into smaller steps, we risk getting stuck on the wrong starting point. When we do break it down, we unlock momentum.
Why Breaking Down Tasks Feels Hard
Of course, knowing that breaking things down is helpful doesn’t mean it comes easily. I just shared that I avoid it myself! There are plenty of reasons why our brains resist this process:
- Executive dysfunction: Stress, ADHD, autism, depression, or anxiety can make it harder to identify and sequence steps.
- Perfectionism: Sometimes we avoid starting the task entirely because we’re worried about “doing it wrong,” so we believe that no amount of breaking things down will help.
- Task avoidance: Let’s be honest, sometimes breaking a task down feels like a sneaky way of avoiding the real work, amiright?
- It’s boring: Nobody wakes up excited to make a detailed step-by-step plan.
And yet, even if it feels boring or unnecessary, the payoff is huge. The moment you discover the real first step and feel momentum building, the task stops feeling impossible. Over time, this practice gets easier, and the freedom you get and the good feelings you have when you actually finish things are worth it.
How to Get Started When You Don’t Know Where to Start
Before diving into specific strategies, I want to share a framework I love, which can really help you get started, especially when you're not sure where to start! This framework is called "STM", which stands for Steps, Sequence, Time, and Mapping. I learned this tool from our CEO and founder, Michael Delman, who shares it in his book, Your Kid’s Gonna Be Okay.
Here’s how it works:
- Steps: Write down everything you’ll need to do, getting as detailed as you like.
- Sequence: Put those steps in the right order, or what feels right at the time.
- Time: Estimate how long each step will take. Bonus points if you time yourself later.
- Mapping: Place the steps into your calendar or planner.
This tool transforms a vague, overwhelming task into a concrete plan. I use it with clients for everything from writing papers in college to completing creative projects at home. If you’re curious, I’ve shared more about the STM in some of our Focus Forward podcast episodes (Episodes 11 & 14 are a good place to start). I also like to pair this tool with a SMART goal for extra Executive Function oomph.
Practical Strategies for Breaking Down Tasks
Now let’s get into some specific strategies you can use. Each one works a little differently, so try a few and see what clicks for your brain. And don’t forget that you don’t need to use these strategies exactly as written. Feel free to play around with them and see if any modifications would make it work better for you. I always encourage my clients and our MAP participants to do this. It’s critical to finding success!
1. The Brain Dump
When you don’t know where to start, try dumping every possible step onto paper. Don’t worry about order or neatness - that’s not the point. Just get it all out of your head.
Example: If you’re mowing the lawn, you might jot down:
- Get the lawnmower out
- Put on old shoes
- Choose a podcast to listen to
- Pick up sticks from the yard
- Fill the mower with gas or make sure batteries are charged
Once you’ve written everything down, you can put the steps in order. Just seeing the whole picture helps reduce task overwhelm. A note about this: For some people, getting really granular helps because they see that each individual step is pretty small and fairly easy. For others, this granularity is overwhelming, and all they see is a ton of steps. So, if this is true for you, it’s okay to make your steps a little bigger. Try to find the sweet spot as you experiment with this strategy.
2. The Two-Minute Rule
This one’s about lowering the barrier to getting started. Ask yourself: What’s the smallest action I could take in under two minutes?
If you’re writing a history paper, the first two-minute step might be opening a Google Doc and pasting in the assignment prompt. That tiny step can melt some of the resistance you’re feeling and help you build momentum.
3. Working Backward
Instead of asking, What’s the first step? ask, What’s the last step?
Take the same history paper assignment I just mentioned. The last step is submitting it to your professor or teacher online. Before that, you’ll likely do your final edits. Before that, perhaps it is writing the conclusion, and so on. By reverse engineering the steps, you create a logical roadmap that feels more approachable. I also recommend building in some buffer time at the end in case something comes up that slows you down or any steps of the process take longer than you expect.
4. Chunking by Category
For the people I mentioned earlier who find that getting super detailed is overwhelming, you might try chunking steps into categories instead of tiny steps.
For example, when I’m preparing a podcast episode, I am personally responsible for three broad categories:
- Research
- Recording
- Editing
Within each of these categories, I have multiple smaller steps that I know in my head, and sometimes there’s some flexibility in the order in which I complete them. A benefit of this is that you can choose a starting point without being boxed in by too much detail. This looser structure works especially well for people who thrive on flexibility. If at any point you feel you need some more structure, go ahead and do a more granular breakdown.
5. Tech Support
If breaking tasks down feels impossible, let technology give you a boost. Tools like Goblin.tools (specifically the “Magic To Do” feature) or any other generative AI tool can automatically break tasks down for you. And, as we always need to remember when using AI, it isn’t perfect, but it can give you a starting list you can refine. Sometimes that’s enough to get you unstuck. If you’d like to learn more about using AI tools to support your work (but not do your work for you!), check out our recent blog post on the topic, How AI Helps ADHD Brains Work Smarter, Not Harder.
Bonus Tips for Beating Task Avoidance
Here are three more little tricks that make a big difference:
- Don’t reinvent the wheel: Reuse broken-down task lists for repeatable projects. (I have one for every podcast episode I produce and blog post I write.)
- Help your future self: Lay out materials, prep your space, or charge your devices ahead of time to reduce friction when it’s time to get started.
- Use a timer: Work for just five minutes, either racing the clock with a countdown timer or easing into it with a countup stopwatch. You’ll often find you can keep going once you’ve started. And, when you do get started, can you challenge yourself to work for a longer period of time?
How Coaching Can Help You Get Going and Stay on Track
If breaking things down feels nearly impossible—or if you know what to do but still can’t get yourself to do it—you don’t have to figure it out alone. This is exactly the kind of skill our Executive Function coaches teach.
A coach can help you:
- Identify the real first step when you don’t know how to start
- Build personalized systems for reducing overwhelm
- Practice strategies until they become second nature
- Stay accountable when avoidance kicks in
Here’s the truth: you don’t need to muscle through every task on your own. Executive Function isn’t just about willpower—it’s about learning strategies, experimenting, and finding the right supports so you can actually follow through. Coaching creates a space where you’re not just told what to do, but guided through the process until it clicks.
Breaking big tasks into smaller steps is a skill. And like any skill, it gets easier and feels more natural the more you practice. With the right support, you can go from feeling paralyzed by overwhelm to actually starting (and finishing) the things that matter most to you.
👉 If you’re ready to stop spinning your wheels and start making real progress, see how our coaches can help you build these skills and more.
