Why you can't open the tracker you built (and what actually works)
Tell me if this sounds familiar. You built a project tracker. Or a lead tracker. Or a client management system.
You know it's helpful. You know where it is. You can picture exactly what it looks like.
And yet... you just can't make yourself open it.
This isn't laziness. This is task initiation - one of the most frustrating ADHD things - and it's why perfectly good systems sit unused.
Your brain needs momentum to start something, even something simple. And if the system requires too much activation energy to begin, your brain will just... not.
So here's what actually helps:
1. Make the first step absurdly small
Don't start with "update the project tracker." Start with "open the tab."
That's it. Just open it. You don't have to do anything once it's open. But opening it is the only goal.
Half the time, once it's open, you'll do the thing. But even if you don't, you've practiced the first step, which makes it easier next time.
2. Reduce blank page syndrome
If opening your tracker means staring at an empty field or a blank template, your brain will stall out.
Pre-populate it. Add placeholders. Create a "start here" section that's already half-filled with prompts or examples.
For a lead tracker: instead of blank rows, have one fake example lead already in there showing what goes in each column.
For a project tracker: have template tasks or phases already listed so you're editing, not creating from scratch.
Editing is almost always easier than starting from nothing.
3. Attach it to something you already do
Task initiation gets easier when it's connected to an existing habit or routine.
"After I finish my morning coffee, I open my project tracker."
"During my Monday morning meeting with myself, I review the client system."
The existing habit becomes the on-ramp. You're not trying to remember or force yourself, you're just adding one small thing to a routine that's already happening.
4. Make it visible (or use a ridiculous reminder)
Out of sight = out of mind = never happens.
Pin the tab. Put a sticky note on your monitor. Set a phone alarm with a weird name that makes you laugh.
I'm serious about the weird reminder name. "TIME TO TRACK THOSE LEADS, BABYGIRL" is more effective than "update tracker" because it cuts through the brain fog.
5. Time-box it aggressively
"I'm going to spend 5 minutes on this, that's it."
Your brain is much more willing to start something when it knows there's an end point. Five minutes is not intimidating. You can do anything for five minutes.
Set a timer. When it goes off, you're done. Even if you only got one thing updated, that's one more thing than yesterday.
The real point:
Your system doesn't need to be used perfectly. It needs to be used at all.
Lower the barrier. Make the first step tiny. Attach it to something that already works. Time-box it so it's not overwhelming.
Task initiation isn't about willpower. It's about reducing friction until your brain says "okay, fine, I can do that."
Talk soon,
Em
