TOOL11–14 minFocus & StudyFrom the app · always free

Start focusing for 10 minutes

Pick one task and do the first tiny step8 short steps; you can stop at any point.

Why it works: Procrastination is about mood, not time: people put off a task to escape how it makes them feel, and the discomfort peaks just before starting. A tiny first step gets you past that peak. Sirois and Pychyl, Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 2013

STEP 1 OF 8 · Start

Let's start

You want to focus on something. Right now. Your brain might say it is too hard, or too much, or not the right time.

We are not going to argue with that. We are just going to do the first tiny piece for ten minutes. That is all. After that, you choose what happens next.

STEP 2 OF 8 · Read

What is the one task?

Be specific:

  • Not ‘finish my essay’, but ‘write the introduction paragraph’
  • Not ‘clean my room’, but ‘put dirty clothes in one pile’

STEP 3 OF 8 · Write

What is the first tiny step?

Not the whole task. Just the very first thing you need to do. It should take less than one minute to understand.

  • ‘Open the document’
  • ‘Write the first sentence’
  • ‘Find the assignment in my email’

STEP 4 OF 8 · Read

Do the step right now

You wrote down your first tiny step. Now do that one thing before moving on. When you have done it, tap Done below.

STEP 5 OF 8 · Timer

Now: ten minutes of focus

Work on your task. It does not need to be perfect. It just needs to exist.

Let the timer run. If your mind wanders, just bring it back.

600

STEP 6 OF 8 · Choose

What comes next?

You have done something real. You can stop here, or keep going. Either way, you have moved forward.

What do you want to do?

STEP 7 OF 8 · Reflect

One thing you noticed

What was different about just doing ten minutes? Was it easier than you thought?

Did you want to keep going? Write one short sentence about what you noticed.

STEP 8 OF 8 · Read

You showed up

That is what matters. Come back anytime you need to start again.

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READ · 2 MIN

Procrastination is not a time problem

You are not avoiding the task. You are avoiding how the task makes you feel.

Read it →

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