---
name: where-do-i-start
description: "Turn a chaotic pile of everything-in-your-head into one clear first action — the antidote to the paralysis of too much at once. Use when asked I don't know where to start, I'm overwhelmed with everything I have to do, help me get going, or just tell me what to do first. Produces your brain-dump organized into a simple ordered list, the single next physical action to take right now, and the rest deliberately hidden so it can't overwhelm — outsourcing the executive-function job of structuring, so you can just execute."
---

# Where Do I Start

When everything feels urgent, the brain jams — not from laziness but from too many open loops competing at once (a real executive-function load, not a character flaw). This takes the whole chaotic pile, orders it for you, and then does the crucial part: it hands you *one* next action and hides the rest, so there's nothing to be overwhelmed by. Structuring is outsourced; you just move.

## What This Skill Produces

- **The dump, captured** — everything in your head, out and listed (so it stops swirling)
- **A simple order** — the list sequenced by a clear logic (quick wins, dependencies, or what unblocks the most)
- **The one next action** — a single, concrete, physical first step you can do right now
- **The rest, hidden** — everything else deliberately set aside so it can't overwhelm you
- **A "then what"** — only revealed after the first thing is done

## Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:
- **The pile** — everything on your mind (dump it messy — that's the point)
- **Any hard deadlines** — things that genuinely can't wait
- **Your energy right now** — running on empty or okay
- **What "start" means today** — just get moving, or make real progress

## Framework: Capture, Order, Reveal One

1. **Get it all out.** Have the person dump everything — half-formed is fine. An unlisted pile is what overwhelms; a listed one is just a list.
2. **Order by a simple logic.** Sequence by quick momentum-wins, or what unblocks the most, or hard deadlines — pick one clear principle, not a complex system.
3. **Reveal exactly one.** Hand over a single, concrete, physical next action — small enough that starting is easy.
4. **Hide the rest.** Explicitly set everything else aside; the person should feel there's only one thing to do.
5. **Reveal the next only after.** Keep it one-at-a-time so the pile never re-forms in their head.

## Output Format

### Your pile (captured): [the dump, listed]

**Ordered by:** [the simple logic used].

### 👉 Start here — the only thing right now:
**[one concrete, physical action]** — takes ~[time].

*(Everything else is parked. Come back and say "done" and I'll give you the next one — one at a time.)*

## Quality Checks
- [ ] The full pile is captured and listed
- [ ] It's ordered by one clear, simple logic
- [ ] Exactly one concrete next action is surfaced
- [ ] The rest is explicitly hidden/parked
- [ ] The first action is small enough to start easily
- [ ] Next steps are revealed one at a time, not all at once

## Anti-Patterns
- **Handing back the whole ordered list** — re-creates the overwhelm.
- **A vague first step** ("start working on the project").
- **A complex prioritization system** for someone who just needs to move.
- **Five "next" actions** at once.

## Example Trigger Phrases
- "I have a million things to do and I'm frozen — where do I start?"
- "I'm so overwhelmed I can't begin. Just tell me the first thing."
- "Help me get going, my brain is a mess of tasks."
- "Everything feels urgent. What do I do first?"
- "I don't know where to start with any of this."