I guess “hire someone” is always an option, but it’s a difficult task sometimes, especially finding someone reliable. It’s not even that the larger thing is outside my ability, it’s just “ugh, I don’t have time for this”.

Curious if anyone has any tips and tricks to overcome this kind of paralysis.

  • ikidd@lemmy.worldEnglish
    35·
    3 days ago

    Every time I get involved in something like that, I think of the Malcolm in the Middle episode where Hal starts to fix a light bulb and by the time he’s done he has the car apart because everything breaks along the way. Lois walks in and he comes unglued when she asks about the light bulb.

    I have to fix the tools I use to fix the tools that fix the thing.

      • ikidd@lemmy.worldEnglish
        9·
        3 days ago

        As for motivation to tackle that sort of thing, my Grandpa would say “Starting the job is half the job”. It’s kinda stuck with me so the only thing I think about is just grabbing something to start with.

        You know by the time you’re done you’re going to have every tool you own on the ground beside you, so you might as well just grab something vaguely related and begin walking. You can make the rest up as you go.

        • mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
          11·
          3 days ago

          That’s called persistent starting, and it can be a valid strategy for overcoming things like executive dysfunction.

          Oftentimes, the hardest part of a task is simply starting it. So persistent starting basically says “tell yourself it’s okay to quit after [x]”. Have a sink full of dishes to wash? It’s okay to stop after you only wash two cups. The whole sink may be daunting, but two cups is much more manageable. So starting becomes easier. And chances are good that you’ll go “eh, my hands are already wet. Might as well wash the rest while I’m here.” Now the dishes are done, even though you only set out to wash two cups.

          • starelfsc2@sh.itjust.works
            5·
            3 days ago

            I think it’s also important that sometimes the 2 dishes is just the 2 dishes, otherwise your brain starts to say “sure you say 2 dishes, but that really means the whole thing!”

            • Samskara@sh.itjust.works
              1·
              2 days ago

              Make a stack of dishes next to the sink. Put two items or a handful into the sink. Only wash the items in the sink.

              A sink blocked by a stack of dishes is not a usable sink.

    • yermaw@sh.itjust.works
      3·
      3 days ago

      I always think of it as like an old point n click adventure game. By the time youre like 6 puzzles deep you forget entirely what you started out trying to do.