Like many adults with ADD, I also have moderate GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder).

On my worst days, the ADD gets me behind schedule, and then the GAD
makes me worry that I’m so far behind schedule that I’ll NEVER finish
the things I need to get done. And of course I’m too scared to get
started, because I know that as soon as I start a task, I’ll see that
it really IS impossible. So to reduce the anxiety stress, I distract
myself with something pleasant like glancing at a magazine or cleaning
off my desk, and the next thing you know I’ve frittered away an hour.
And then I’m even MORE worried, so to reduce the anxiety…

Death spiral!

On days like these, the most important first step is to break the
cycle, and here’s a method that always works (when I remember it). I
remove the pressure by promising myself to work “just ten minutes at
the top of the hour, every hour.”

Limiting the commitment to ten minutes takes away the stress of
thinking that I’m obligating myself to get it all done, no matter how
difficult or large the task may be. All I’m committing to is ten
minutes, and I can handle ten minutes if there isn’t the pressure to
get everything done.

And if know that I’ve promised to start work at the top of every
hour, I don’t worry that a little bit of goofing off will derail me for
the entire day. For instance, if I decide to get a soda at, say
half-past the hour — and maybe talk with someone on the phone, I won’t
fear that I’m about to really screw myself. “After all,” I say, “the
worst thing that’s going to happen is that I lose a half-hour to
goofing around, since the top of the hour is coming in 30 minutes.” The
“top of the hour” promise also discourages me from starting long
distractions (say, making a sandwich) when it’s nearly the top of the
hour.

As you might guess, after working on a task for ten minutes, I
usually discover that it really isn’t going to kill me, me, and I can
work a good while longer. And even if I don’t, I still got ten minutes
of progress done, which (especially when I do it again every hour) goes
a long way toward reducing my anxiety.

Crazy solutions for crazy people?  Sure.  But if it works, I’ll take it.