Ever felt unmotivated to complete your work? Or a sense of dread when you think about certain projects or tasks? Have you ever worried that your bouts of procrastination are holding you back in life?

This is normal. I've felt this way too. Damn, I feel this almost every day! It can also be a good sign and/or usable as a compass. The tasks with the most Resistance are usually the important ones.

Here is a trick that helped me, originally from the book The Now Habit by Neil Fiore. It’s a seemingly small brainhack, but it can be powerful:

"I choose to start for just 5 minutes."

That simple little phrase is a game-changing procrastination antidote for 3 reasons.

1) "I choose" - Take note of your self-talk when you feel the urge to procrastinate. If you were to verbalize what you're saying to yourself the sentence would almost always begin with a "I have to".

• I have to finish this presentation.

• I have to finish this email.

• I have to finish my taxes.

"I have to" is the language of oppression. It's as if you're being forced to do something that you don't want to do. This will instantly generate resistance, and procrastination provides the escape route... the opportunity to delay things a little more.

The thing is you don't need to "want" to do your taxes - as an example - but you can still "choose" to do them, and this language of choice helps you feel in control.

2) "to start" - Glance back at those example sentences above regarding the presentation, proposal, and taxes. Notice how they all have the word "finish" in them?

When we think about doing something we don't want to do, we often not only use the language of oppression, the "I have to" part, but we also create feelings of anxiety and overwhelm by thinking about all the things we need to do to "finish".

Instead, just focus on continually starting and finishing will take care of itself.

3) "for just 5 minutes" - No matter the dread or complexity associated with a piece of work we can easily start working on it for just 5 minutes.

And here's the magical part - I never know when the 5 minutes are up. They go by in a flash and suddenly, without realizing it, I've been working on a task for 20 minutes, 30 minutes, or an hour and more.

So, as simple as this sounds, give this simple sentence a try.

Notice how you talk to yourself in those procrastination moments. Recognize the anxiety and overwhelm in your words.

Switch from negative self-talk to positive self-talk.

Swap I have to finish with I choose to start for just 5 minutes, over and over, throughout your day.

I hope that helps... and I hope you‘re having a good week so far! 🌸