Podcast Snippets: Helping Your Student Develop Task Initiation
By Monica McGuire, Director of Communications, Russell Coaching
Sometimes the hardest part of a project is getting started. As parents, we often struggle with how to motivate our kids to do the things they need to do.
In her podcast interview for Parenting ADHD & Autism, Dr. Russell shows how to break down large and often overwhelming tasks into smaller, easier to accomplish ones. Not only does this approach make it easier to get started, but it also helps build motivation to complete the task. In the podcast, Dr. Russell gives an example of an upcoming project of her own — cleaning out her super messy garage. She wanted it to be clean, but the thought of actually cleaning it was overwhelming. So Dr. Russell came up with a plan. “I'm going to start with a couple of high reward tasks, I'm going to get out the leaf blower, and I'm gonna blow all the dust off the garage floor. And that is enough that it kind of gets me going. And then I’ll go and I’ll do the trash. I don't think about the whole project at once. Because if I did, I would just sit down and cry just the same way my teenagers do. But I do one thing. And then I say what's the next one thing, and what's the next one thing. And so I think teaching our teenagers and sometimes even our tweens, you may not feel motivated to do this. But don't wait for the motivation. Figure out how to develop the skill of task initiation and do one thing, and then the next thing and the next thing, and the motivation may come to you.”
Accomplishing even a small task helps get the endorphins going and the serotonin synapses firing, which in turn helps us to keep going. Accomplishing many small things leads, eventually, to the completion of a bigger project. That’s why your student’s coach often spends the last 15 minutes of a session helping your student get going on their toughest project. Getting a small part of it done during the session helps create momentum for them to see the project through.
You can hear more about motivation and teens by clicking on the podcast link HERE.
About the Author
Monica McGuire is a writer and parent who believes all relationships, including parent-child relationships, flourish under mutual respect, curiosity, kindness, and compassion. She lives in Michigan with her family where she is constantly being challenged to listen to, understand, and appreciate her teenagers’ points of view. You can reach her at monicamcguire100@gmail.com.