The Problem:

I've been reading many posts all saying similar things in different ways:

• I'm stuck
• I can't start
• I'm so lazy
• Stuck in a loop
• No progress

I would categorise all of these under a:

Pattern of being stuck

I really, truly believe this is a problem we all face in different forms. The problem is it shows up in so many different ways and one way we can overcome it is to find a clear and powerful alternative.

My method:

I like to first start by defining what I mean when I say "i'm stuck" because its not clear. Also, you're not literally stuck unless you've glued yourself to the table.

Here is an example from my own life:

"I'm so stuck with this work"

"Alright, what do I mean by I'm stuck?"

"I just can't do it"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I don't know which topic I should start with to study"

Bam, there it is. I didn't know what topic to start with, so I should probably pick one... problem solved. I was never stuck, I just hadn't actually identified what was holding me back.

Why it works:

So the reson this works is because it allows you to get past a generalisation of "I'm stuck" and actually define your problem in solvable terms.

Further help:

I kept this example super general so it could be related to by most people.

But, I can help each of you with specific examples. Coment down below and I'd love to help.

Also, check out other things I've written as I go into specifics of certain topics.

Finally, I can write another post with a specific example if you would like?

For anyone who's burned out on willpower and discipline-based productivity advice and still can't get themselves to work.

The Problem:

I was treating productivity like a willpower problem. Every task felt like dragging myself through wet cement. I'd white-knuckle it for a few days, then collapse. The harder I pushed, the more I resisted.

My Method:

I stopped trying to force the work and started engineering the conditions for flow instead.

The shift was changing the question. Not "how do I make myself work harder?" but "what makes it easy for me to drop into flow?" Once I framed it that way, the fixes were obvious:

• One task only. No tabs, no phone, no mental background processes.
• A tiny, concrete entry point. Not "write the chapter" — "write the first paragraph."
• A 5-minute warm-up on something low-stakes before touching the real work.
• Pre-set the environment. Laptop open, doc up, water poured, before I sit down.
• Pick something slightly past comfortable. Too easy = bored. Too hard = panic.

Why It Works:

Flow isn't a personality trait, it's a state with known conditions — Csikszentmihalyi's research outlines them: clear goal, immediate feedback, challenge matched to skill, and minimal distraction. If you set those up, flow tends to show up. If you don't, no amount of trying harder will summon it.

The other piece is activation energy. Most of the resistance I felt wasn't about the task — it was about starting the task. Every small piece of friction at the front (closed laptop, cluttered desk, unclear first step) is a place where motivation leaks out. Removing friction is cheaper than generating willpower.

And willpower runs on a limited daily budget. Flow doesn't — once you're in it, the work feeds itself. You stop spending energy and start generating it.

How to Try It:

1. Pick one task you've been forcing yourself through.
2. Strip the environment. Close everything that isn't the task. Phone in another room.
3. Define the smallest possible first action — open the file, write one sentence, do one rep.
4. Do a 5-minute warm-up on something adjacent and low-stakes (editing old notes, sketching an outline).
5. Start, and don't judge the first 10 minutes. Flow shows up after you begin, not before.

Common pitfall:

Waiting to feel ready. You won't. The warm-up is the bridge — it gets you moving so flow has something to latch onto.

For me this worked better than discipline ever did, because the problem was never that I wasn't trying hard enough. It was that I was trying so hard I was blocking the state where the work actually gets done.

Further reading: Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Also worth looking up "activation energy" in habit research — BJ Fogg's work covers it well.

Happy to answer questions below or see other things I've written about this topic!

^(Any for anyone claiming ai slop, I followed the posting guidelines!!!)

The Problem: 

I use to think I my procrastination was a motivation problem but I'd actually have an overwhelm problem. Saying "I can't be bothered", motivational issue. But I realised sometimes I would want to do my work but couldn't get started because I'd say "I don't know what to do".

Saying "I don't know what to do" means you've got either too much or too little going on in that head of yours, and its not ordered.

My Method: 

So people, the method. What I like to do is:

1. Brain dump
2. Outcome
3. Brainstorm & burn it

I basically brain dump everything onto some paper and go "huh, that's a whole lot of randomness" (1- Brain dump)

Then, I go of all of this stuff, if I achieved one outcome (not action), what would make this day good.
Outcome = 30 mins of study, complete 5 work emails.
Actions: Send emails, study, write to do list, make a list of study topics
This allows me to pick one thing to focus on. (2- Outcome)

Then, I brainstorm things I could do. E.g. if my outcome is workout today actions could be: go for a run, swim, play padel, go for a walk etc...
This is important because if I'd just gone oh I wanna run today and didn't do it, I failed. but If I say I want to exercise and don't run but instead go for a walk then BAM I'm winning baby!!!
Then I just wrote burn it because alliteration but I just mean get after it, cross off the tasks, be the man all that good stuff. (3- Brainstorm & burn it)

Why It Works: 
It works for me because it gets rid of overwhelm, it gives me one outcome to focus on and I can get to that outcome however I want!!!

How to Try It:

When you're feeling overwhelmed, try the three steps:

1. Brain dump
2. Outcome
3. Brainstorm & burn it

Further Reading:

• Tony Robbins RPM planning
• GTD process

Honest side note, I wouldn't do any further reading, it'll just add to the overwhelm.

Unless you wanna read anything else I've written about procrastination in which case I'll have loads of posts and topics and thoughts for you people!

The Problem: 

I use to think I my procrastination was a motivation problem but I'd actually have an overwhelm problem. Saying "I can't be bothered", motivational issue. But I realised sometimes I would want to do my work but couldn't get started because I'd say "I don't know what to do".

Saying "I don't know what to do" means you've got either too much or too little going on in that head of yours, and its not ordered.

My Method: 

So people, the method. What I like to do is:

1. Brain dump
2. Outcome
3. Brainstorm & burn it

I basically brain dump everything onto some paper and go "huh, that's a whole lot of randomness" (1- Brain dump)

Then, I go of all of this stuff, if I achieved one outcome (not action), what would make this day good.
Outcome = 30 mins of study, complete 5 work emails.
Actions: Send emails, study, write to do list, make a list of study topics
This allows me to pick one thing to focus on. (2- Outcome)

Then, I brainstorm things I could do. E.g. if my outcome is workout today actions could be: go for a run, swim, play padel, go for a walk etc...
This is important because if I'd just gone oh I wanna run today and didn't do it, I failed. but If I say I want to exercise and don't run but instead go for a walk then BAM I'm winning baby!!!
Then I just wrote burn it because alliteration but I just mean get after it, cross off the tasks, be the man all that good stuff. (3- Brainstorm & burn it)

Why It Works: 
It works for me because it gets rid of overwhelm, it gives me one outcome to focus on and I can get to that outcome however I want!!!

How to Try It:

When you're feeling overwhelmed, try the three steps:

1. Brain dump
2. Outcome
3. Brainstorm & burn it

Further Reading:

• Tony Robbins RPM planning
• GTD process

Honest side note, I wouldn't do any further reading, it'll just add to the overwhelm.

Unless you wanna read anything else I've written about procrastination in which case I'll have loads of posts and topics and thoughts for you people!

The Problem: 

I use to think I my procrastination was a motivation problem but I'd actually have an overwhelm problem. Saying "I can't be bothered", motivational issue. But I realised sometimes I would want to do my work but couldn't get started because I'd say "I don't know what to do".

Saying "I don't know what to do" means you've got either too much or too little going on in that head of yours, and its not ordered.

My Method: 

So people, the method. What I like to do is:

1. Brain dump

2. Outcome

3. Brainstorm & burn it

I basically brain dump everything onto some paper and go "huh, that's a whole lot of randomness" (1- Brain dump)

Then, I go of all of this stuff, if I achieved one outcome (not action), what would make this day good.
Outcome = 30 mins of study, complete 5 work emails.
Actions: Send emails, study, write to do list, make a list of study topics
This allows me to pick one thing to focus on. (2- Outcome)

Then, I brainstorm things I could do. E.g. if my outcome is workout today actions could be: go for a run, swim, play padel, go for a walk etc...
This is important because if I'd just gone oh I wanna run today and didn't do it, I failed. but If I say I want to exercise and don't run but instead go for a walk then BAM I'm winning baby!!!
Then I just wrote burn it because alliteration but I just mean get after it, cross off the tasks, be the man all that good stuff. (3- Brainstorm & burn it)

Why It Works: 
It works for me because it gets rid of overwhelm, it gives me one outcome to focus on and I can get to that outcome however I want!!!

How to Try It:

When you're feeling overwhelmed, try the three steps:

1. Brain dump

2. Outcome

3. Brainstorm & burn it

Further Reading:

• Tony Robbins RPM planning
• GTD process

Honest side note, I wouldn't do any further reading, it'll just add to the overwhelm.

Unless you wanna read anything else I've written about procrastination in which case I'll have loads of posts and topics and thoughts for you people!

I Stopped Visualising My Goals and Started Visualising The Behaviour

Problem:
I had the productivity apps, the methods, the plans and clear goals… but I still couldn’t get myself to work.

It wasn’t that I didn’t know what to do.

I knew exactly what I needed to do.

I just couldn’t get myself to actually sit down and do it.

My method:
I started using mental rehearsal — basically visualisation — but instead of visualising the goal, I visualised myself doing the behaviour.

So instead of picturing the outcome, I would picture myself actually working.

Opening the laptop.
Starting the task.
Writing the first sentence.
Staying with it even when it felt uncomfortable.

Specifics:
I would visualise it in first person, as if I was looking through my own eyes.

Not watching myself from the outside.

Actually seeing what I’d see if I was doing the work.

I’d also try to bring in an elevated emotion while I did it — usually gratitude, joy, or a feeling of authenticity.

So I wasn’t just picturing the behaviour coldly.

I was trying to attach a better emotional state to the act of working.

Why I think it worked:
Mental rehearsal seems to help because your brain is practising the behaviour before you physically do it.

There’s research around mental practice, including old studies on basketball free throws, showing that visualising a movement can improve performance.

The way I understand it is this:

If your brain has rehearsed the behaviour enough times, the behaviour starts to feel more familiar.

And when something feels familiar, it becomes easier to actually do.

I also think adding gratitude or another elevated emotion helps because it changes the feeling attached to the behaviour.

For me, working stopped feeling like this heavy, painful thing I was trying to force myself into.

It started to feel more natural.

How to try it:

1. Pick one behaviour you want to do more consistently.

For example:

• Starting work
• Opening your laptop
• Writing for 10 minutes
• Studying
• Going to the gym
• Cleaning your room

1. Visualise yourself doing that behaviour in first person.

See what you would see.

Feel yourself doing it.

Picture the first few minutes, not just the outcome.

1. Add an elevated emotion.

Gratitude, joy, calm, pride, authenticity — whatever feels real to you.

Try to feel good while imagining yourself doing the behaviour.

1. Repeat it 5–10 times.

You don’t need to do it for ages.

Just rehearse the behaviour a few times before you actually do it.

1. Then test it.

Don’t overthink it.

Visualise the behaviour, then go and do the first small action.

For me, this worked better than just visualising the goal.

Because the problem usually wasn’t that I couldn’t imagine the outcome.

The problem was that I hadn’t made the actual behaviour feel familiar enough to start.

I made a fuller free walkthrough of this because the examples matter.

I won’t link it here because I don’t want to break the sub rules, but it’s pinned on my profile if useful.

If anyone has questions, drop them below.

I've been building this for a while so let me know your thoughts (I've attached a video of the build, just one day. I would add images but not allowed...).

I used to think procrastination was a discipline problem.

But the more I looked at it, the more I noticed something else:

I didn’t avoid tasks randomly. I avoided tasks when they triggered a specific belief.

Stuff like:

“I’m already behind.”
“I don’t know where to start.”
“This needs to be good.”
“I’ll do it when I feel clearer.”

Once that belief was running, the task felt heavier than it actually was.

The exercise (I called it The Reframer) that helped me most was:

1. Write the task you’re avoiding.
2. Write the belief making it feel difficult.
3. Challenge that belief with evidence from your own life.
4. Replace it with a belief that makes the next step feel possible.

Example:

Task: Start the project.
Belief: “I don’t know where to start.”
Challenge: “I don’t need the whole plan. I only need the first rough step.”
New belief: “Starting messy is still starting.”

That tiny shift usually removes enough resistance to move.

I wrote a free guide breaking down the full exercise with examples. You get to click through it so its not just a block of text. I’ve also turned it into a physical guided journal, so feedback would be genuinely useful. (GO HAM ON THE FEEDBACK)

Here it is if you're interested: https://centred-work.myshopify.com/pages/the-reframer-explainer

https://preview.redd.it/h6i75x3hwh1h1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=41086b078b3973f531e2477e27714047ca90cd82

https://preview.redd.it/u8nxmmohwh1h1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2fda5e4483f66078260d52ba2f1f9fec06189914

https://preview.redd.it/6o9uwnohwh1h1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ec3bbd8caad85dee13ab7d30cb136d3b63372513

https://preview.redd.it/00cusmohwh1h1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2e49ec1e1e9264d237c37f03adcf88451ec34376

https://preview.redd.it/m5ft2nohwh1h1.jpg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c73c1b426418444f420cd6598df55f646f41c883

https://preview.redd.it/y2j1nmohwh1h1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2f69c751a7f980f57ca569afc2da33960ca95289

https://reddit.com/link/1tesp80/video/bii91h6iwh1h1/player

I've been building this for a while so let me know your thoughts (Images & videos of me building on the website...).

I used to think procrastination was a discipline problem.

But the more I looked at it, the more I noticed something else:

I didn’t avoid tasks randomly. I avoided tasks when they triggered a specific belief.

Stuff like:

“I’m already behind.”
“I don’t know where to start.”
“This needs to be good.”
“I’ll do it when I feel clearer.”

Once that belief was running, the task felt heavier than it actually was.

The exercise (I called it The Reframer) that helped me most was:

1. Write the task you’re avoiding.
2. Write the belief making it feel difficult.
3. Challenge that belief with evidence from your own life.
4. Replace it with a belief that makes the next step feel possible.

Example:

Task: Start the project.
Belief: “I don’t know where to start.”
Challenge: “I don’t need the whole plan. I only need the first rough step.”
New belief: “Starting messy is still starting.”

That tiny shift usually removes enough resistance to move.

I wrote a free guide breaking down the full exercise with examples. You get to click through it so its not just a block of text. I’ve also turned it into a physical guided journal, so feedback would be genuinely useful. (GO HAM ON THE FEEDBACK)

Here it is if you're interested: https://centred-work.myshopify.com/pages/the-reframer-explainer

I've been building this for a while so let me know your thoughts (I've attached a video of the build, just one day. And some images...).

I used to think procrastination was a discipline problem.

But the more I looked at it, the more I noticed something else:

I didn’t avoid tasks randomly. I avoided tasks when they triggered a specific belief.

Stuff like:

“I’m already behind.”
“I don’t know where to start.”
“This needs to be good.”
“I’ll do it when I feel clearer.”

Once that belief was running, the task felt heavier than it actually was.

The exercise (I called it The Reframer) that helped me most was:

1. Write the task you’re avoiding.
2. Write the belief making it feel difficult.
3. Challenge that belief with evidence from your own life.
4. Replace it with a belief that makes the next step feel possible.

Example:

Task: Start the project.
Belief: “I don’t know where to start.”
Challenge: “I don’t need the whole plan. I only need the first rough step.”
New belief: “Starting messy is still starting.”

That tiny shift usually removes enough resistance to move.

I wrote a free guide breaking down the full exercise with examples. You get to click through it so its not just a block of text. I’ve also turned it into a physical guided journal, so feedback would be genuinely useful. (GO HAM ON THE FEEDBACK)

Here it is if you're interested: https://centred-work.myshopify.com/pages/the-reframer-explainer

https://preview.redd.it/m00a8ohzvh1h1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=735033cd5f031b1b8dcd8bc8b767c19b9581ca56

https://preview.redd.it/5kd3t920wh1h1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2d65122314b07f4f60a2a3e7950be3263af493ec

https://preview.redd.it/cn3xl0o0wh1h1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7b176fc1cf70de4ea679458b683ba4a2cccb38dc

https://preview.redd.it/3bqh62b1wh1h1.jpg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=549f580ad0fa77e0fc627f11cabef3626d8edfc7

https://preview.redd.it/yn60j6o1wh1h1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=27e4cef95a68a7dfef41b9d558bfd15f3712170c

If any of you actually want to stop procrastinating, I can cure it (in under 20-minutes).

I have testimonials of my method, I've done it with friends and strangers. I've done it over the phone and in person. It works.

DM me if you want to know how.

(I guess the above counts as self-promotion but I can't help people on here as it requires 1-1 conversation so I'm hoping this gets approved please mod!!!!)