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Does anyone else get paralyzed on fixing small things because they're terrified of it becoming a larger thing? And how do you overcome it? (startrek.website)
submitted 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) by to c/homeimprovement@lemmy.world
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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.

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[–] 9 points 6 months ago (1 child)

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.

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  • [–] 12 points 6 months ago (2 children)

    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.

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  • [–] 5 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    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!"

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