Super Skill: How to beat the burden of getting started on a task
Why this matters
This week, I caught myself procrastinating in real time.
The slot was in the calendar. The environment was clear. There was no reason not to start.
And yet, there was this heaviness. This weight sitting between me and the first action. I just... didn’t want to begin.
Maybe you know this feeling.
It’s not laziness. It’s not a lack of discipline. Research shows 88% of workers procrastinate at least one hour every day. So if this is you, you’re in good company.
The real issue isn’t willpower.
It’s that we make starting feel bigger than it actually is.
I eventually got started, but only after remembering what I know about how procrastination works. And these three reframes helped me get moving.
The Super Skill
Three traps procrastination sets (and how to bypass them)
Trap 1: Thinking about the whole thing
Your brain imagines finishing, not starting. “I don’t have time for a 45-minute workout.” That thought alone shuts you down.
The bypass: Think in mini-tasks. Your only job is to begin. Put on the gym clothes. Open the doc. Make the first mark. Momentum will carry the rest.
Trap 2: All or nothing
“If I can’t do it properly, why bother?” This is perfectionism disguised as practicality (my biggest kryptonite).
The bypass: Partial progress is real progress. A 10-minute walk still counts. A rough draft still moves the work forward. Done imperfectly beats not done.
Trap 3: Forgetting the why
You feel the effort now but can’t feel the benefit yet. “This is going to be boring or tiring.” And so you stop before you start.
The bypass: Reconnect with why this matters. Whether in the moment or regularly, writing how this small step connects to the bigger picture. It shifts the emotional weight. (I started adding the big picture 1-word to the task name/calendar invite as a reminder)
You just need to start.
Once you get started, let the momentum carry the load.
Becoming Super
Procrastination is often less about the task and more about our relationship with discomfort.
The moment you can notice the heaviness (and stay curious about it instead of reacting to it) everything shifts. That’s not a soft skill, that’s a trained one.
If you want to build that kind of awareness from the inside out, the skills I teach in my Attention and Stress Mastery training are rooted in exactly this; the same evidence-based practices taught by psychologists at Oxford University. It might be the next step for you.
If you’re interested, you can apply or see the details here.
Which of the three traps do you fall into most? I’d love to hear.
Have a Super Sunday ⚡️
With much joy,
Hashim