One of the most common challenges I see in ADHD—especially for adults—is not doing the task, but getting started.
I was working with a young adult who was balancing both school and work and kept falling behind—not because he didn’t care, but because he couldn’t get started.
After long days, he would sit down to do homework and end up stuck, ruminating for hours about how to begin. He would replay the assignment in his head over and over, but never actually move forward.
Days would go by like this, and the work would pile up.
From the outside, it can look like avoidance.
But from the inside, it’s something very different.
What “Booting Up” Looks Like
ADHD doesn’t just impact doing the task—it impacts getting into the task.
The phrase “booting up” describes the brain’s ability to activate enough thinking, focus, and energy to begin; a term I learned from my fellow coach, Jeff Copper.
For many ADHD brains, that startup process is the hardest part. It’s not that they don’t know what to do—it’s that their brain hasn’t fully “gotten into the flow” for that task yet.
This young adult wasn’t doing anything—his brain was trying to boot up, but it didn’t have the right approach.
What Actually Helped
When we met, he was frustrated and would naturally get up and pace—and that’s when things started to shift.
As he talked out loud while walking, he was able to think through his next steps, organize his thoughts, and find clarity on what he was missing.
In one 50-minute session, he made more progress than he had in days on his own.
What changed wasn’t effort—it was how he worked.
ADHD Brains Often Need a Different Starting Point
Instead of trying to solve everything in his head, he began externalizing his thinking—talking things through and moving, as well as using speech-to-text —so he didn’t have to hold everything in his impaired working memory.
He also gave himself longer, uninterrupted chunks of time so his brain could actually get into the flow, instead of constantly restarting.
What looks like procrastination or avoidance is often a brain that needs a different way to begin.
You Don’t Have to Figure It Out Alone
You don’t have to force yourself to work like everyone else to move forward. Sometimes the biggest shift comes from understanding how your brain actually works.
Working with a coach is a great way to explore what works best for your unique brain to help you move forward.
At the Center for Living Well with ADHD, we can help identify what you need to get started.
Reach out to me about how I can help identify what you need to get started. I am also now offering in-person coaching in Southeast Minnesota.
Meet our team and explore each coach’s expertise. Book your complimentary get-acquainted session — with one coach or a few. No pressure, no commitment. Just a conversation to see if the fit is right.
Alicia Kohls, M.Ed, PCAC
ADHD Coach and Life Coach, Executive Skills Coach