Inspired by Chapter 10 of KC Davis’s How to Keep House While Drowning
💬 Confession Time
I’ve bought a yoga mat, ankle weights, a vibrating foam roller, and three different “perfect” workout plans in the last year.
Ask me how many of those things I’ve used more than once. (I’ll give you a hint: it’s fewer than two.)
Sound familiar?
This post is for anyone who’s ever wanted to move more, stretch more, feel stronger, feel better — but couldn’t seem to start. Or who did start, and then couldn’t keep going. And then got stuck in a shame spiral.
Welcome to the ChAOTiC GoOD Book Club, where we embrace soft starts, imperfect progress, and the kind of wellness that actually feels doable. In today Reading Roulette, we’re looking at Chapter 10 of KC Davis’s How to Keep House While Drowning, a book technically about home care, but sneakily full of life-changing ADHD wisdom.
This chapter is called “Gentle Skill Building: Kick-Starting Motivation,” and if you’ve ever struggled to “just do it” when it comes to fitness or wellness routines, this is your chapter. (Actually… there’s another one, too — but we’ll get to that in a separate post. 😉)
Let’s talk about how to move your body without needing motivation.
📚 The Book: How to Keep House While Drowning
KC Davis is a licensed therapist who developed her approach to care tasks during a season of postpartum depression. Her philosophy? Care tasks are morally neutral — they’re not about being “good” or “bad.” They’re just tools to support your life.
In Chapter 10, Davis tackles something that hits close to home for ADHD women: the myth that we just need to try harder. That if we were more disciplined, more organized, more motivated… we’d finally get it together.
But what if motivation isn’t the issue?
🧠 It’s Not Laziness — It’s Task Initiation
If you’ve ever said, “I want to work out but I just can’t make myself start,” you’re not lazy. You’re likely facing a task initiation barrier — a common symptom of ADHD, executive dysfunction, and burnout.
KC breaks it down like this:
“If you want to do the thing, you know why it matters, but you still can’t start — that’s not a motivation problem. That’s task initiation.”
In other words: You want to feel better. You know moving your body helps. You just can’t get up and do it.
The good news? You don’t need to conquer the whole mountain. You just need a better entry point.
🛣️ Enter: The On-Ramp
In the book, KC shares her own story about buying an exercise bike and riding it regularly… for about a month.
Then life happened. She stopped riding. She told herself she’d “just do 5 minutes a day,” and then didn’t. The old shame script kicked in: “You’ve done it again. Just like last time. You never stick with anything.”
But this time, instead of quitting, she asked a different question:
“If 5 minutes was too much, I wonder if I could try 3?”
And guess what. It worked.
She knocked out the 3 minutes — and kept going (and building) from there.
That shift—from forcing consistency to gently finding an on-ramp — changed everything.
💡 7 On-Ramps for ADHD-Friendly Fitness & Wellness
The chapter explores an arsenal of tiny tools to help you move your body and shift your mindset, even when you can’t seem to get started.
Getting into a wellness groove isn’t about willpower; it’s about access. KC’s on-ramp strategies are perfect for ADHD brains, low-motivation days, and anyone trying to make movement feel possible again.
1) 🎶 Move to the Music
Stillness is sticky — music helps loosen it.
Start by tapping a foot. Then a shoulder. Before long, it’s a full-body chair dance. That counts.
Try this:
- Make a “mood moves” playlist
- Choose one go-to anthem to cue movement
- Use music as a bridge between couch and action
2) 🧼 Bundle with Boring
Boring task? Pair it with a little joy. Known as habit bundling, this is the ADHD-friendly way to sneak dopamine into movement.
Try this:
- Stretch while watching your comfort show
- Walk in place while listening to your favorite podcast*
- Clean + dance = bonus points
* Our guilty pleasure? A riveting Crime Junkie episode for longer walks or slow runs. 🍿
3) 💬 Try Body Doubling
Having someone near — even virtually — can give you energy and accountability.
Try this:
- FaceTime a friend while you stretch or walk
- Invite someone to do a 5-minute yoga break with you
- Join a virtual coworking/body-doubling session and say “Today, I’m moving”
4) ⏱️ Use a Visual Timer
Your brain may not “feel” time accurately (hello, time blindness). A visual timer can gently cue you in and lower the pressure.
Try this:
- Set a 7-minute timer and stretch until it dings
- Use a sand timer or Time Timer with color visuals
- Tell yourself: “When this ends, I can stop — or keep going if I feel like it.”
5) ✅ Permission to Start (Not Finish)
You don’t have to finish a full workout. You don’t even have to start one. You just have to… start something. Anything.
Try this:
- Do one squat
- Sit on the mat. Breathe
- Put on your shoes and see what happens next
6) 🧭 Move Toward, Not All In
Don’t aim to do the thing. Just move closer to it — literally.
Tiny transitions create motion.
Try this:
- Walk into the room where you keep your mat
- Fill your water bottle
- Sit in your workout clothes. That’s enough.
7) ✨ Make Movement Ritual-Friendly
Your brain loves associating good feelings with routine. Make movement mean something nice.
Try this:
- Light a candle before your stretch session
- Save a favorite audiobook only for movement time
- End your 3-minute session with a gold star emoji or a dancey “I did it!” moment
🔁 Final Thoughts: Redefine Success — Maybe 3 Minutes Is the Win
Some days, you’ll ride the momentum wave and do more than you expected.
Some days, you’ll barely do anything — and that still counts.
What KC Davis reminds us is that any care task worth doing is worth doing partially. And that includes taking care of your body.
Maybe your ADHD-friendly wellness routine looks like inconsistency. Like bursts and pauses. Like movement that’s playful, unplanned, and sporadic.
✨ That’s not a flaw—it’s a feature. You’re still showing up.
🎯 This Week’s Challenge: Try One Tiny Thing
Let’s make movement feel possible again.
Pick one on-ramp. One song. One stretch. One 3-minute try.
💭 Ask yourself:
“What would 3 minutes of movement look like today?”
Share it with us on Instagram or in the comments using #ChaoticGoodBookClub or tag @Hey.Poppique so we can celebrate the tiny wins with you.
💗 Poppique Pep Talk
You don’t need to be 100% consistent.
You don’t need to push harder.
You don’t need to wait for the perfect Monday, mood, or motivational quote.
You just need a gentler entry point. And maybe a playlist called Stretchy Babygirl Energy.
You’re not broken. You’re brilliant. And your 3 minutes today?
They totally count.
📬 Want more soft starts and supportive tools in your inbox?💌
Subscribe to the Poppique newsletter and we’ll send cozy encouragement your way –with ADHD-friendly vibes, personal growth inspo, and a little chaos, always.
Resources List:
- Buy the Book: Grab a copy of How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by KC Davis, LPC on Amazon.
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