Procrastination Remedy

Simple technique to help you make progress today

Constraints Lead to Great Achievements

When Charles Dickens was writing, he didn’t wait for perfect conditions or endless time. He worked to tight publishing deadlines. The constraint wasn’t a burden it was the motivation.

Roger Federer famously trained in focused practice sets rather than endless hours. Elite performers rarely rely on “when I feel like it.” They rely on structure.

Short blocks lower resistance. And lowered resistance increases starting.

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Our Brain Loves Completion

Our brain is wired to crave closure.

When we finish something, even something small, we get a subtle dopamine release. Completion builds confidence. It tells your nervous system:

“I start things. I finish things.”

Open tabs (literal and mental) drain energy. Closed loops restore it.

Confidence doesn’t come from thinking. It comes from finishing.

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The post was inspired by studying the burnout data last year. Burnout is on the rise, impacting over 66% of the workforce. Burnout doesn’t just make us tired, it reduces focus, motivation, and the quality of team relationships.

This research led to the creation of two new sessions: Calm for Focus & Sleep, and How To Prevent Burnout. 15% off both sessions before 15th March, just get in touch with my colleague susan@tinypause.co.uk

A good fit for Stress Awareness Month in April or Mental Health Awareness Week in May

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The Technique: The 10 Minute Commitment

There is something important you need to get done. Or something you’ve avoided starting or continuing with. This is normal. Many people are experiencing symptoms of burnout. It’s understandable why work can feel hard.

Instead of planning to “do it the whole thing,” plan to do 10 minutes today.

That’s it.

Three clear benefits:

1. It reduces overwhelm instantly

2. It increases your chance of starting

3. It builds momentum faster than waiting for motivation

Most of the time, once you start, you continue.

But you don’t need to promise continuation. Just 10 complete minutes.

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Increase Success With This Pre Start Checklist

Before you begin, tick these off:

☐ Phone out of sight and beyond arm’s reach
☐ Close all background tabs
☐ Clear your desk of unrelated items
☐ Set a visible timer - the countdown timer I use
☐ Decide the single outcome for this block

Reduce distraction. Increase focus.

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Apply This to Exercise

You can apply this to any aim in your life.

For exercise try:

• 5 minute walk
• 5 minute run
• One yoga stretch for 10 breaths
• 10 push ups
• 3 minutes of mobility

Over the past three months, I’ve increased my resting heart rate variability, a key measure of cardiovascular health and nervous system resilience, by using a simple HIIT(High Intensity Interval Training) workout constraint:

3 minutes slow cycle
3 minutes fast cycle
Repeat twice

12 minutes total. No long session required. Just a defined start and end.

Consistency beats intensity.

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If I Just Had More Time…

We often say: “If I had more time…” “If I had more freedom…”

But look at the weekend.

We often have pockets of freedom. And yet procrastination expands to fill it.

Take a look at the hours you spent on your phone yesterday. The biggest companies in the world make most of their money by doing everything they can to capture our attention. This comes at a cost. The time we give to the internet is time we steal from ourselves and the things we really want to do.

And it’s worse than that, because we often, or at least I do, spend time online watching videos of other people doing those very things!

Freedom without structure becomes a kind of guilt ridden drift.

The good news is we have the power to make a change. One change leads to another, which leads to another.

Starting small is the key. Once we begin pedalling the bike, we can start to freewheel both mentally and physically.

Progress becomes much easier once we are in motion. One step at a time.

You are a good person, doing your best. That’s enough.

“What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while.”

— Gretchen Rubin

Need a hand? Feel alone? Don’t wait, contact someone today. You deserve support as much as anyone else. You are not alone. Reply to this message if that’s easiest.

• Text Shout - 85258 - simple support via text, I used when I wasn’t sure who to turn to

• Call Samaritans 116 123 - no problem too small, I’ve used a couple of times, once during a relationship break up, once when one of my family said they were suicidal and I wasn’t sure who to ask for help

• NHS Every Mind Matters - simple and effective resources you can access immediately here