Starting

I struggle with task initiation.

I can plan, want to do the thing, think about it all day… and still just not begin.

The gap between “I know what to do” and “I am doing it” always feels weirdly huge.

For a long time, I relied on my ability to hyperfocus once I finally got started. I’d procrastinate until I had enough urgency-driven dopamine, then power through fast.

But as the stakes got higher in my career, I realised that starting on time is as important as being effective, especially when juggling multiple responsibilities.

I have gotten a lot better though, though. Here are a few things that have helped:

- Start with the smallest possible action.

Not “work on it”, but “open the file” or “write one line”. Big starts feel impossible; tiny ones don’t. The commitment isn’t to the work itself, but to the single physical action that puts you in a position to work.

- I give myself a fake rule

or artificial time constraints like “just 3 minutes” or “until this song ends”.

This works because the hardest part is entering the state of doing the work, not maintaining it once you’re there.

- Remove access to distraction during the transition moment.

If the phone is in another room, the path of least resistance shifts. The friction needs to work in your favor. This isn’t about discipline or resisting temptation; it’s about not having to resist in the first place.

- Give yourself explicit permission to do it badly.

Yes, Start badly on purpose. Waiting to feel ready makes it worse. Messy is better than frozen. You can fix bad work; you can’t fix work that was never started.

- Stop before you’re depleted.

If every work session ends in complete exhaustion, your brain learns to associate starting with suffering. The next transition becomes harder because you’re walking toward something you’ve learned is unpleasant.

But if you stop while you still have energy, the next start is easier. This compounds over time.

Many times, it’s not that the task itself is hard.

It’s the transition into it.

So instead of trying to be more disciplined, I’m just trying to make that transition smaller.

Because the size of your first step doesn’t determine the quality of your work—but it does determine whether I’ll start at all.

What helps you get started?