4 ADHD Techniques to Overcome Laziness
Summary
TLDRAli Al carulli, a systems engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, shares four self-talk techniques to combat laziness and procrastination, particularly for those with ADHD. The first technique involves breaking tasks into smaller, manageable steps to reduce overwhelm. The second emphasizes reframing tasks from obligations to choices, enhancing a sense of ownership and empowerment. The third focuses on identifying short-term rewards to motivate action, as ADHD brains often require immediate dopamine hits. Lastly, self-love is crucial; it's about self-respect and providing oneself with the necessary support. Al carulli advises against self-criticism and instead promotes self-compassion and problem-solving to understand and overcome obstacles. These strategies are aimed at helping individuals with ADHD or anyone struggling with task initiation and follow-through to become more productive and realize their full potential.
Takeaways
- 🚀 **Start Small**: Break down overwhelming tasks into smaller, manageable steps to make starting easier.
- 🌟 **Choice and Ownership**: Reframing tasks from something you 'have to' do to something you 'get to' do can increase motivation.
- 💡 **Clarity of Purpose**: Understanding the short-term benefits and 'why' behind your actions can provide instant motivation for ADHD brains.
- ❤️ **Self-Love and Respect**: Avoid self-criticism and instead practice self-compassion and problem-solving to overcome setbacks.
- 🧠 **Inner Dialogue**: The conversation you have with yourself (self-talk) significantly influences your ability to start and continue tasks.
- 🛠️ **Environment Design**: Create a conducive environment that supports focus and reduces distractions to help with task continuation.
- 📈 **Short-Term Rewards**: For those with ADHD, focusing on immediate rewards can be more effective than long-term goals for motivation.
- 🔄 **Iterative Process**: Changing self-talk requires repetition and iteration to internalize new, positive patterns of thinking.
- 📋 **Tracking Progress**: Using tools like a tracking sheet can provide a simple starting point that leads to a chain of further actions.
- 🤝 **Social Support**: Having a support system or being part of a community can help in maintaining motivation and overcoming laziness.
- ⏰ **Time Management**: Effective time management, such as planning the next day's tasks, can lead to increased productivity and self-esteem.
Q & A
What are the four techniques Ali Al carulli discusses to help overcome laziness and get started on tasks?
-The four techniques Ali Al carulli discusses are: 1) Reducing overwhelm by breaking tasks into smaller components, 2) Giving oneself a sense of choice and ownership over their tasks, 3) Focusing on short-term rewards and benefits to motivate action, and 4) Practicing self-love and avoiding negative self-talk to maintain self-esteem and motivation.
How does Ali Al carulli define laziness in the context of the video?
-Ali Al carulli defines laziness as a state of inaction, not necessarily a lack of desire to do something, but rather a barrier or resistance that is often tied to one's self-talk and mindset.
Why does Ali emphasize the importance of self-talk in overcoming laziness?
-Ali emphasizes self-talk because it shapes the internal conversation we have with ourselves, which influences our motivation, perception of tasks, and our ability to take action. Positive self-talk can help reduce overwhelm, increase a sense of choice and ownership, and promote self-love.
How does Ali suggest changing the perspective on tasks to make them seem less overwhelming?
-Ali suggests breaking down tasks into smaller, more manageable steps. For example, instead of thinking about making a whole YouTube video, one should focus on the immediate next step like turning on the ring light.
What is the significance of reframing tasks from 'have to' to 'get to' according to Ali?
-Reframing tasks from 'have to' to 'get to' shifts the perspective from obligation to opportunity, enhancing a sense of choice and ownership, which can increase motivation and decrease feelings of being forced to do something.
How does focusing on short-term rewards help individuals with ADHD to overcome laziness?
-Focusing on short-term rewards provides an immediate dopamine hit that can be more motivating for individuals with ADHD, who may struggle to find motivation in long-term goals due to lower dopamine levels.
What role does self-love play in Ali's strategy for overcoming laziness?
-Self-love, as defined by Ali, involves self-respect and providing oneself with the support needed. It discourages negative self-talk and self-criticism, which can demotivate and perpetuate laziness. Instead, it encourages self-compassion and problem-solving to address the root causes of inaction.
How does Ali Al carulli's approach to overcoming laziness apply to individuals with ADHD?
-Ali's approach is particularly relevant for individuals with ADHD because it addresses common challenges faced by this group, such as difficulty starting tasks, lower self-esteem, and the need for immediate rewards. His techniques are tailored to help manage these issues and promote productivity.
What is the relationship between self-talk and one's ability to execute tasks, as discussed by Ali?
-According to Ali, self-talk is a critical component of execution as it dictates the internal dialogue that either motivates or demotivates a person to take action. Positive self-talk can help reduce feelings of being overwhelmed, increase a sense of choice, and promote self-love, all of which can enhance执行力 (executive function).
Why is it important to catch and change the self-talk from 'I have to' to 'I get to' when feeling lazy?
-Changing the self-talk from 'I have to' to 'I get to' is important because it alters the perception of the task from an obligation to a choice, which can increase motivation and a sense of control, making it easier to start and continue the task.
How does Ali suggest using reminders to reinforce the techniques discussed for overcoming laziness?
-Ali suggests using reminders through devices like phones or computers, or visual cues like pinups on the wall, to consistently reinforce positive self-talk and the strategies discussed for overcoming laziness on a daily basis.
What does Ali mean when he says that 'eventually you could have the most amazing plan in the world but until you act, nothing's going to happen'?
-Ali is emphasizing the importance of execution over planning. No matter how well thought out a plan is, success is contingent upon taking action and doing the tasks required to achieve the plan's goals.
Outlines
🚀 Overcoming Laziness and Kickstarting Tasks with ADHD
Ali Al carulli, a systems engineer at NASA Jet Propulsion Lab, introduces four techniques to help individuals with ADHD start tasks instantly and overcome laziness. He emphasizes the importance of execution, which involves clarity, prioritization, time management, and removing distractions. Ali shares personal experiences, such as completing his PhD and growing his YouTube channel, to demonstrate the effectiveness of these techniques. He also discusses the two aspects of execution: starting and continuing, and how self-talk plays a crucial role in overcoming laziness.
🤔 Tackling Overwhelm and Finding Motivation
The second paragraph focuses on reducing overwhelm and increasing motivation by breaking tasks into smaller, manageable parts. Ali suggests reframing 'have to' into 'get to' to instill a sense of choice and ownership. He also highlights the importance of understanding one's 'why' and focusing on short-term rewards to motivate action, especially for those with ADHD who may not find long-term goals as compelling.
💪 Harnessing Self-Love and Positive Self-Talk
Ali discusses the concept of self-love as a form of self-respect and support. He argues against self-criticism and negative self-talk, which can perpetuate laziness and low self-esteem. Instead, he advocates for self-compassion and problem-solving when faced with setbacks. Ali emphasizes the need to avoid beating oneself up and to focus on understanding and addressing the root causes of any issues, which can help in overcoming laziness and improving productivity.
📢 Engaging with the Audience and Encouraging Interaction
In the final paragraph, Ali invites viewers to engage with the content by leaving comments and introducing themselves. He expresses his intention to respond to comments on his new channel and encourages viewers to ask questions. Ali also hints at additional resources and further information available through his program, offering a link for those interested in learning more about productivity, whether they have ADHD or not.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡ADHD
💡Self-talk
💡Overwhelm
💡Choice and Ownership
💡Short-term Rewards
💡Self-love
💡Problem Solving
💡Laziness
💡Clarity
💡Prioritization
💡Time Management
Highlights
Ali Al carulli, a systems engineer at NASA Jet Propulsion Lab, shares four techniques to help individuals with ADHD overcome laziness and procrastination.
The importance of clarity, prioritization, and time management in executing tasks is emphasized.
Removing distractions is key to maintaining focus and productivity.
Ali discusses the difference between starting a task and continuing it, with starting often being the bigger challenge.
Self-talk plays a significant role in overcoming laziness, with the internal conversation influencing one's ability to begin tasks.
Technique one involves reducing overwhelm by breaking tasks into manageable pieces.
Technique two is about reframing tasks from a sense of obligation to one of choice and ownership.
Technique three focuses on understanding and articulating the short-term benefits of a task to motivate action.
Technique four stresses the importance of self-love and avoiding self-criticism to maintain self-esteem and motivation.
Ali shares personal experiences and how he applied these techniques to graduate with a PhD at 26 and secure a job at NASA.
The video also covers how to grow an online presence, as evidenced by Ali's success with his YouTube channel.
The concept of laziness is explored, showing it as a state of inaction rather than a lack of desire to complete tasks.
Ali challenges the negative connotation associated with laziness and emphasizes the internal resistance faced by those perceived as lazy.
The video provides actionable advice for individuals with ADHD to improve their productivity and achieve their goals.
The importance of short-term rewards for ADHD individuals is highlighted as a motivator for task initiation.
Ali offers a link to his program for further guidance on productivity and managing ADHD.
The video concludes with an invitation for viewers to engage with the content by leaving comments and asking questions.
Transcripts
hey guys my name is Ali Al carulli I am
a systems engineer at the NASA jet
propulsion lab and in this video I want
to show you four techniques especially
if you're someone who has ADHD or higher
up on the ad ADHD spectrum that can help
you get started instantly on tasks and
overcome laziness and I made a previous
video where I went over this entire four
steps to H hyperfocus the ADHD system in
this video I really want to focus on the
execution piece and in the previous
video I basically mentioned that in
order to execute and get things done you
first need to get some things in order
such as Clarity prioritization time
management you need to remove
distractions things from your life and
whatnot and and there's a few other
things but this uh video I really want
to talk about execution because
eventually you could have the most
amazing plan in the world you could have
everything mapped out but until you sit
down and act and do the right things
repeatedly over and over uh nothing's
going to happen and I know this works
because this exactly what I've done to
graduate my PhD at 26 get my job at Nasa
uh this was also what helped me grow my
other uh YouTube channel my engineering
YouTube channel 30k subscribers which is
projected to 100K in like few months um
so I know this stuff works so I really
want to talk about the execution so
again when it comes to execution well
like what is laziness laziness is not
wanting to do something right it's it's
a state of of just kind of sitting there
and not doing something right and
obviously that's not desirable because
you want to get up and get things done
and execute and achieve your wildest
dreams because eventually I mean we live
in a physics based world it's the action
that's going to cause the reaction which
is your results and business and in life
and most people don't understand this
but there's actually two pieces to
execution uh there's starting and
there's continuing and a lot of people
struggle with starting some people
struggle with continuing I would say
actually starting is usually the bigger
problem because once you get started
often it is easier to continue um But
continuing is often again about
environment design like just making sure
that your phone is not near you no one's
distracting you um if you like the task
then that's going to help you hyperfocus
it's going to help you get really down
on what you need to do but I really want
to talk about the starting piece right
starting often has to do a lot with
selft talk has has to do with the things
that you're telling yourself the stories
you're telling yourself if you take two
people who someone uh gets started very
easily and and is not is not very lazy
or someone who's a bit more lazy has a
hard time starting uh it really just
comes down to the inner conversation
they're having inside their brain and I
want to show you the techniques in a
little bit but I also want to make it
clear that um laziness very often is
very misunderstood and is very
misinterpreted like people who are
perceived as lazy and we kind of give
them a negative connotation oh just stop
being lazy just be more disciplined bro
just come on just get the thing done
like what people don't understand is
those lazy undisciplined people uh they
want to be disciplined and not lazy like
more than anyone else they just like
something is is blocking them there's
some resistance and that resistance has
to do with the selft talk so I want to
go over uh four different selft talk
techniques again especially relevant if
you're someone with ADHD or higher up on
the ADHD Spectrum meaning you're
struggling to start on Tas you struggle
to focus for extented periods of time
you tend to have lower self-esteem
because you're not you know you're smart
but you're not realizing your full
potential so I really want to go over
these techniques and explain them in
detail so um again what is selft talk
selft talk is the conversation you're
having with yourself right it's
basically either you reacting to
something that's going on or you issuing
a command you telling yourself hey go do
this thing or go do that thing but more
importantly it's about the relationship
you have with yourself right A lot of
people don't understand this but the
there's this subconscious conversation
going on all the time between you and
yourself there's two people there's the
one who's talking and there's the one
who's listening and these people make up
who you are basically and um the first
one that you need to do to overcome
laziness and and and kind of Kickstart
uh inertia is to annihilate overwhelm
very often laziness is a function or a B
product of overwhelm and to give you
some examples when you tell yourself I
got to sit down and I make I got to make
a YouTube video like oh oh I got to I
got to make a video I got to do this
overwhelming thing which has multiple
components which what are the components
are again what do I have to do I have
like yeah yeah I'll just do it later
I'll oh what is this let me grab my
phone right this is how the brain works
like when something seems daunting
overwhelming when there's a big project
going on then you're going to be a lot
more likely to put it off now imagine if
instead of saying I I got to make a
video all you said is oh I just got to
turn on the the the ring light and
record and this something this is a
process I went through as I was making
this video I have this ring light right
here and initially I was feeling that I
was feeling the resistance even as an
ass engineer PhD blah blah blah all that
like very cool person like I'm I'm still
a human and I and I have ADHD I'm pretty
high up on the Spectrum and I can detect
when my brain is like oh I got to make a
video and immediately I'm like no no no
I don't have to make a video I just got
to turn on my ring light and and and get
my slides up and up and up and running
that's no big deal and that alone kind
of creates a relief okay like I'll I'll
do that that sounds a lot more doable
it's a lot more manageable uh another
example is if you're someone like who's
running a business and you have to run
paid ads is instead of telling yourself
oh I got to make 10 new ads like that
sounds so overwhelming so terrifying
imagine if you just said no I just got
to write a hook or an outline for just
one ad right I just got to do that one
small thing and get started and that
alone will get you the in to get started
very often once you write one ad you
will want to write the second and the
second and the second but again very
often laziness in this example is just a
function of overwhelm you know that the
thing you have to do is just so
difficult and daunting like oh man I
don't want to do it where like if you
just say yourself I just got to do this
small thing very often that'll help you
keep going again a very simple one is
like let's say you have an evening
routine that helps you get ready for bed
and whatnot and you lay out the steps
when you say oh I got to do my evening
routine like that sounds like like that
sounds like work but instead you could
say oh I just got to open my tracking
sheet like for example if you have a
sheet that tracks your evening ran
that's all I got to do and once you do
that then you'll say oh I'll do the next
thing and then the next thing and the
next thing and so on now that's that's
technique number one is to use selft
talk to reduce um uh overwhelm and to
basically make it easy to get started on
something second thing is again
something that's going on in the back of
your mind you're often not detecting is
choice and ownership this one's very
important because very often when you
say again like
when when it comes to laziness you're
you're often thinking oh man I uh I I I
have to do this thing I have to make a
video and I have to sit down and do this
thing and it sounds like someone's
forcing something on you Skilling your
freedom killing your ownership um and
and this is very very important to
change is instead of saying I have to
record a video you just say oh I get to
make a cool video like you have to
constantly sell yourself and reframe
yourself on what it is that you're
trying to do now this is actually a lot
harder than it seems you may have even
heard this before but implementing it
requires a lot of iteration and
repetition because for example in my
case when I when I my my default selft
talk would be oh I got to sit down and
make a YouTube video and I again I was
able to catch myself and say no no no I
get to make it cool I'm literally
changing people's lives I'm helping
people right now who are I don't know
who may perceive themselves as lazy who
get scrutinized by Society all the time
and they just need to make small small
than minor tweaks and when I think of it
like that I'm like yeah that's something
I want to do I give myself empowerment
and
ownership um and and again that kind of
feeds into a spiral of of selft talk of
like man you know actually I love making
videos I love this YouTube channel this
thing this thing is awesome I want to
share my ideas with the world I want to
do these things and all that started
with again that very simple trigger of
like catching myself whenever I I I
think I have to or I got to or someone's
making me someone's holding a gun to my
head it's like yeah just do this thing
like you're your immediate response as a
humanist to be like nope I don't want to
do that now third technique is so again
first thing we covered is an i
overwhelmed by breaking things to very
very small things to just make starting
easy um giving yourself choice and
ownership third one this again very very
important is very often like you're lazy
uh because you don't know why you're
doing what you're doing and many people
are clear on their like big why like for
example I want to take care of my family
I want to scale my business so I can
achieve all these amazing things I want
to live my life to the fullest I want to
travel and see the world like people
have a very long why that they they kind
of uh make a lot of sense of but again
especially if you're someone with ADHD
uh long-term stuff don't really seem to
motivate you what you need is kind of
like uh short-term uh rewards right the
ADHD brain is lower on dopamine the
lower like like there's there's there's
Hardware differences that make people
with ADHD again a lot more likely to be
lazy than someone now with ADHD again
because if you you know something's
important long term and you have a
strong why for like six months from now
but that just doesn't do it for you your
brain needs kind of a more of an instant
uh like dopamine hit so you got to sell
yourself on it especially you got to do
it in in the short term and you got to
remind yourself of the benefits
especially like the short-term benefits
right so um like for example when you're
thinking oh I got to plan tomorrow uh
you can't just say I have to plan
tomorrow and and your brain doesn't even
know why you're doing that and you're
like oh man that sounds like a chorer
instead again using techniques 1 2 3 you
say I'll write down three things to do
tomorrow so I'll have a productive day
and feel good about myself like for me
when I think okay tomorrow like when I
visualize myself feeling better tomorrow
morning uh that's going to motivate me a
lot more than achieving some crazy goal
in six months again that's just how my
brain works and I have to work with that
right another example is say oh I have
to go to the gym um again sounds like a
chore okay yeah in six months I'll get
the amazing abs like all that cool stuff
but short term the the the reward is a
lot more appealing to me where I say oh
I'm going to exercise for 30 minutes
because I can feel more confident and
and I'll have energy to get things done
and that's something I can do today
that's a reward I can achieve today a
reward I can reap today and again that's
something very very important with again
with ADHD brains um you want to focus
more on short-term stuff long-term stuff
is going to inspire you it's going to
make you feel amazing but you're not
going to take action we're we're trying
to motivate action here again because
overcoming laziness has to do with uh
overcoming um with taking action and
basically that's an example now fourth
one which is extremely important again
uh like this one is is is is something
that's kind of made to be this esoteric
thing or this kind of like fluffy thing
on social media which I hate is the idea
of self-love and most people like think
of self Lov as like oh you just I don't
know like take yourself to spas and what
not and like I don't know like I don't
even know how people perceive self- L to
me self- Lov is like about self-respect
and about just kind of giving yourself
the support you need and and the example
I use is that it's often you against the
whole world like the world is so
competitive and again like it like
imagine if there's two people inside of
you there's you Who's acting and then
there's you who's listening uh if if
you're not going to love yourself if
you're not going to take care of
yourself how the hell are you going to
fight the whole world on your own right
like you need all the support you need
so for that I say never ever ever ever
ever ever ever ever ever ever beat
yourself up like there's literally zero
benefit in self-criticism in any type of
negative selft talk and like oh dude
you're so dumb you just did this thing
again come on I can't believe you did
that come on last week you said you wer
like this kind of selft talk does not
help at all right instead what you want
to do is you want to give yourself
compassion and say okay I did something
which I don't know why I did it maybe I
do know why I did it instead of
criticizing myself let me see why I did
it let me try to solve the problem for
example if I'm I don't know if I if I
just ate fast food and I promis myself
that I'm not going to eat fast food then
maybe I shouldn't have so much junk
laying around my house right maybe I
should I should not um hang out with my
friends who all they do is eat fast food
and I know that they're going to uh just
want want to do that like maybe I just
need a minor tweak in my environment
like it's it's nothing wrong with me
nothing's wrong with me it has nothing
to do with me or who I am is just my
system or my environment something is
wrong something that I'm doing is wrong
something about my behavior is wrong
something about my decision is wrong so
again it's not something that's wrong
with me it's something that's wrong with
my decisions my behaviors obviously
these things are mine but the idea is
that I can I can change those things but
if I'm going to criticize myself and and
beat myself up that's going to be of no
helpful guess what that's going to do
that's going to make me not want to do
any work and that's going to feed into
the laziness cycle and I'm going to be
even lazier and guess who that benefits
absolutely no one so if you're having a
long day and you say oh I didn't get
much done today I kind of wasted the
whole day I'm such a piece of blah blah
blah blah like you could say okay I
didn't accomplish much that's fine like
why why didn't I accomplish much right
like you want to instantly switch from
self-criticism to like putting on your
problem solving hat and
thinking let me be inquisitive why did I
not get much work okay maybe I don't
know what I need to do maybe I haven't
figured out what I need to do maybe my
environment needs
like change maybe I should not be in my
room all day maybe I should try grabbing
my laptop and going to some coffee shop
or some University nearby maybe I should
call a friend I feel lonely as hell and
that makes me not motivated to take any
work like you instantly start diagnosing
and solving the problem and you spend
like no time beating yourself up
right now um again what I like about
this is it does not lower your
self-esteem it does not feed into that
laziness cycle of like oh I don't want
to do this to like okay let me figure
out why I'm not doing it and there's a
quote I want to I want to I want to
finish off with which is when you love
yourself you are far more likely to
become the best person you could be and
if you genuinely want to overcome
laziness long term one area that you can
very quickly detect and see if if it's
going wrong is if you're someone who
criticizes themselves and instantly try
to be someone who's like no no no
nothing's wrong with me I'm going to try
to solve the problem I'm going to solve
the problem right I'm going to figure F
out why I did that okay so again these
are pretty much the four techniques that
I would use and now again I don't want
you to just go ahead and like forget all
about this um there are ways that you
like like there are ways that you can
reinforce this on a day-to-day one day
is you can have reminders whether
through your phone or through your
computer or things that nature another
one is you can have like Pinups uh on
your wall or something like that um and
I go in a bit more detail in my program
I'll put a link for that below but you
don't have to get it uh if you can go
ahead and watch watch the rest of my
videos so you can just familiarize with
what what else is going on on how to be
more productive whether someone uh who
has ADHD or not uh and again if you
found this video useful or if you have
an idea on or if any of this resonated
leave a comment below introduce yourself
say hi this still a very new channel so
I'll be responding to all the comments
as of now so you can ask me anything you
want so yeah with that being said I see
you in the next video Peace Love
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