Decades have passed since I had a “term paper” on my to-do list, but I remember its weight as if it were yesterday.
It starts with a syllabus, one of the few times in life we know exactly what we’re required to do for the next five months. I am my favorite self at the start of a semester, planning in a notebook, adding every reading assignment, quiz, test, and due date.
By week three, the “whole new me” fantasy is shaken, but I’m current on the readings and ready for the quiz. By the first test, I’m up late cramming, but prepared. By the second test, I’m hanging onto competence by the tips of my fingers.
And that term paper is LOOMING every single day. I search for a way to begin. Today, I declare every morning, is the day I’ll work on the term paper. But by the time I collapse into bed, I sigh, “Definitely tomorrow.”
Here’s what I didn’t know then: the problem wasn’t me. It was the list.
When the project is a term paper, we put “write term paper” on our to-do list. And that’s not actually an actionable item. So day after day after day, we look at the list and see “term paper,” and it doesn’t tell our brain what to do. It just sits there.
That’s because “term paper” isn’t a task. It’s a project. A project needs to be broken down into the many, many actionable tasks inside it.
So we break it down. Something like:
Brainstorm topic
Research topic (figure out where we stand on it)
Confirm that’s the topic we want
Gather resources
Read the resources
Pull quotes from the resources
Write an outline
Write the introduction
Write body paragraph 1
Write body paragraph 2
Write body paragraph 3 (and as many more as needed)
Write the conclusion
Format it correctly
And on, and on. Writing a term paper is actually 40-plus actionable steps. Once we see that, we can complete it in a way that’s not possible if we treat it like something we can do in one fell swoop.
Note: I am not saying you never sat down the night before a term paper is due and pounded out something worthy of a passing grade. Maybe even a good grade. You probably did. A lot of us did, but that was anxiety, and the way a brain changes when it’s backed into a corner. That’s legit fuel. We made miracles of that fuel in the past. It’s also super hard on the body, and that old approach isn’t working anymore, or you wouldn’t be reading this right now.
Something on your list is pretending to be a task (maybe everything?)
You’re probably not writing a term paper. But something on your list is pretending to be one.
Maybe it’s “send newsletter.” That’s on my list right now, and it’s not one task. It’s a project wearing a task’s clothes. It’s actually:
Decide which regular features to include
Write blog post 1
Write blog post 2
Edit blog post 1
Edit blog post 2
Publish blog post 1
Publish blog post 2
Write fiction book recommendation
Write nonfiction book recommendation
Create images
Create template for monthly newsletter
Insert the prepared content
Edit newsletter
Publish newsletter
Promote newsletter on socials
...and a handful of other steps I haven’t even named yet. My brain can’t just “write newsletter.” It has to take all of those individual actions. And “write newsletter” has sat on my list, undone, for weeks because it was never actually a task. It was a project in disguise.
A note from real life: Writing out all these steps helps me see I don’t have time to do all of it today. So I need a new plan. First, I write a message to my list and send it using the old template. (Rebranding has one thousand action steps that will probably take nearly two years for me to complete.) Next, I transfer all these “create new newsletter project” steps into the open spaces on my calendar, over as many days as it takes to finish.
Why the tiny steps matter
This may feel frustratingly tedious. You’re grown, you’re competent. I get it. Truly.
But if you’re struggling to move on something, getting specific about the individual pieces often closes the gap between what you need to do and what you’re actually doing. Writing down the steps eases the transition your brain has to make, from not doing something to doing something.
Even if it feels trivial. Especially if it feels trivial.
You don’t need to get this detailed for every project that pops up. Save it for when you need to Do The Thing and your brain keeps walking away.
In case of emergency, use the BREAK IT DOWN tool:
Break the project down into all the actionable tasks you’re aware of (you can add more as they rise).
Write them down. Paper or device, whichever is best for your brain.
Do them one at a time, in the open spaces on your calendar, for as long as it takes to finish the project.
What makes a task actually actionable
It has one verb and one noun. Research something. Format something. Write this specific paragraph. Edit this one piece.
Not “the whole thing.” One step at a time.
This is an accommodation
If you’re dealing with executive function challenges, this is the accommodation. Yes, accommodation. Wide doorways and automatic door openers make spaces more accessible for wheelchair users. Small, clear steps make your to-do list easier for your brain to access.
This is about getting clear with yourself. Not more disciplined. More clear.
If something on your list has been pretending to be a task for weeks or months (years?), and you'd like company breaking it down, we can do that in private sessions. No shame, no "just try harder." Just clear, small, doable steps. Learn more here, or book a free Discovery Session to see if it's a fit.