Getting Started

Question 3 of 6: How do I get there? · The whole story

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🎧 Listen to this article · 3 minA conversation between Emma and Sam, AI voices

You have a plan. So why isn’t it happening?

You’ve chosen what matters and made a clear plan. And yet the task sits there, day after day. This is not laziness. Putting things off is usually a way to avoid an unpleasant feeling: boredom, doubt, fear of doing it badly, or not knowing where to begin.

The good news: you don’t need more motivation. Motivation usually comes after you start, not before.

Why we put things off

The task is too big or too vague. “Work on the project” gives your brain nothing to grab.
Fear of doing it badly. If it can’t be perfect, it feels safer not to start.
The reward is far away. The effort is now, the benefit is in months. Scrolling rewards you right away.
Too many choices. When everything is possible, nothing gets chosen.
Low energy. Sometimes the honest answer is that you’re tired (see Sleeping Well).

Ask yourself which one it is. Naming the reason already makes it smaller.

Make the first step tiny

Shrink the task until it feels almost silly:

Not “write the report”, but “open the file and write the title”.
Not “get fit”, but “put on your shoes”.
Not “sort out my finances”, but “find last month’s bank statement”.

A tiny step is hard to refuse. Once you’ve started, continuing is much easier than starting.

The two-minute rule

Tell yourself: “I’ll do it for just two minutes.” You’re allowed to stop after two minutes. Most of the time you won’t, because the hardest part, starting, is behind you.

Make it easy to start, hard to avoid

Decide when and where. “Tuesday at 9, at the kitchen table” works much better than “this week”.
Prepare the night before. Leave the file open, the shoes by the door, the papers on the table.
Remove the easy escape. Phone in another room, notifications off, one tab open.
Tell someone. Saying “I’ll send it by Friday” to a friend or colleague adds a gentle push.

Be kind when you slip

Everyone puts things off sometimes. Blaming yourself adds a bad feeling, which makes you want to avoid the task even more. Instead, notice it, without judging, and ask: “What’s the smallest next step?” Then take it.

When it’s more than putting things off

If you can’t start anything for weeks, even things you used to enjoy, it may be low mood or exhaustion rather than a planning problem. Check in with how you feel, and talk to someone you trust or a doctor if it lasts.

Your next step

Try today: Pick the task you've been avoiding the longest. Write down its tiniest first step, and do it for two minutes.

✓ End of chapter 3: How do I get there?

Next, chapter 4: How do I keep the energy?
Starting is one thing. Keeping going takes energy, and energy starts with sleep.

Sleeping Well →

Go deeper: Tracking and Update