Effort, Not Perfection: How Starting Small Builds Real Progress
A common frustration we hear is, “I know what I’m supposed to do, or at least I think I do, I just can’t get myself to do it or don’t know where to start.”
For many neurodivergent individuals, this isn’t about laziness. It’s often tied to executive functioning challenges, cognitive overload, or emotional barriers that make starting feel overwhelming.
This is where two key ideas come together: effort vs. outcome and behavioral momentum.
Outcomes are the visible results, such as finishing a task, following through, and meeting goals. They matter, but they don’t tell the full story. For neurodivergent individuals, even starting can take significant energy. That’s why we focus on effort first.
The effort in building a positive rapport with the YA’s is the most important step in allowing the YA’s to give us, as staff, space to create space so they achieve their goals beyond their own personal expectations. Effort can look small from the outside. To some, these tasks may seem thoughtless; to others, they’re how we start our day with small tasks. Such as getting out of bed or pausing before reacting, but it represents something important: movement.
A common frustration we hear is, “I know what I’m supposed to do, or at least I think I do, I just can’t get myself to do it or don’t know where to start.”
For many neurodivergent individuals, this isn’t about laziness. It’s often tied to executive functioning challenges, cognitive overload, or emotional barriers that make starting feel overwhelming.
This is where two key ideas come together: effort vs. outcome and behavioral momentum.
Outcomes are the visible results, such as finishing a task, following through, and meeting goals. They matter, but they don’t tell the full story. For neurodivergent individuals, even starting can take significant energy. That’s why we focus on effort first.
The effort in building a positive rapport with the YA’s is the most important step in allowing the YA’s to give us, as staff, space to create space so they achieve their goals beyond their own personal expectations. Effort can look small from the outside. To some, these tasks may seem thoughtless; to others, they’re how we start our day with small tasks. Such as getting out of bed or pausing before reacting, but it represents something important: movement.
