Stuck in the state you are in
In the accounts I analysed, transition difficulty came up again and again: once sitting, showering or scrolling, getting out of that state was the problem, not the task waiting afterwards.
Research on autistic inertia describes something similar as difficulty moving from one state to another, both starting and stopping (Buckle et al., 2021; Rapaport et al., 2024). Executive function research describes the switching itself as effortful, and ADHD makes that effort more expensive.
Bridges people use
Instead of a hard switch, build a short bridge:
- A start ritual
- The same song, drink or small action every time you change mode, so the switch has a signal.
- Change one physical thing
- "Wearing shoes indoors cues the brain into an active mode and makes it harder to slip into rest."
- Countdown
- Five to one out loud, then stand up on one. A bounded moment to switch.
- Chain by place
- Pick up a task physically near the next one and let proximity carry you over.
- A heads-up before the switch
- A warning a little before the change gives you time to wind down the current thing.
How Grip helps
Grip gives you a heads-up before each task instead of a cold alarm on the minute, with a small way in on the widget. Lock in adds a heads-up an hour before for the things you cannot miss.