Most of us don’t procrastinate because we’re lazy; rather, it’s because something feels big, vague, or a bit threatening. Then our brain quietly votes for “Anything but that, thanks”. Photo: vecteezy.com.
Paul Lyons has a simple mantra for those facing a complicated report, or a difficult conversation with a client, and simply feel too intimidated to move forward.
Emma has a report due on Friday. It’s Tuesday. She’s opened the file three times, each time finding a good reason to “just check email” or “quickly look at LinkedIn newsletters” instead.
By the time she finally shuts the laptop, she’s knackered, slightly annoyed with herself, and no further forward on the report.
If you recognise Emma, you’re in good company. Most of us don’t procrastinate because we’re lazy; rather, it’s because something feels big, vague, or a bit threatening.
Then our brain quietly votes for: “Anything but that, thanks.”
Here’s the useful bit. You don’t need a new app or a personality transplant (although my partner, M, has suggested that for me).
You need one simple pattern: Notice. Shrink. Start.
Notice: Catch yourself in the act. When you feel that familiar urge to do literally anything except the important thing, pause and name it.
“The task I’m avoiding is … finishing the report.”
“The task I’m avoiding is … calling that client.”
That tiny moment of honesty is you taking back a bit of control. You’ve moved from a vague sense of dread to a specific target on the page.
Shrink: Stop thinking: “I must do the whole thing”. Instead ask yourself: “What is the smallest next step I can do in 10 minutes or less?”
Make it embarrassingly small. Open the previous report and list the sections; write three bullet points for the introduction; draft the first two lines of the email you are going to send with it.
If that still feels too heavy, shrink it again. The aim is not heroics here; it’s getting to a step that you cannot reasonably argue with.
Start: Now you add a bit of gentle commitment. Set a 10‑minute timer and say to yourself: “For the next 10 minutes, this is all I will do.”
No scrolling, no “quick look” at anything else. When the timer rings, you’re done. Stand up, get a drink, and deliberately notice the shift in you from stuck to moving.
Some days you’ll carry on. Some days you’ll stop after 10 minutes. Either way, you’ve done the hard bit in that you’ve turned avoidance into action.
If you try this once a day for a week, you may find what Emma found — that the task doesn’t magically become fun, but it stops feeling like a monster.
Your confidence starts to come from evidence, which is: “I’m someone who starts.”
Paul Lyons is an experienced business leader, adviser and coach enjoying a diverse career across Australia and Asia. He can be contacted at [email protected]. This article first appeared on the Mental Toughness blogsite.
