Procrastination isn’t laziness.
It’s ambiguity.
If you can’t name the first 5 minutes, you don’t have a task.
You have a vibe.
And vibes don’t get done.
Most people “plan” like this:
“Work on the project”
“Get in shape”
“Start the business”
“Clean the house”
That’s not a plan.
That’s a threat.
Your brain hears it and says: too big, too unclear, too risky.
So it reaches for relief.
Phone. Snack. Email. “One quick thing.”
Then the day is gone and you call it procrastination.
No.
You didn’t fail discipline.
You failed clarity.
Here’s the rule:
If you can’t start in 5 minutes, you’ll never start.
Because the first 5 minutes are the bridge from intention to motion.
If that bridge is missing, you just pace the shore.
The “First 5 Minutes” script (copy/paste)
When you feel yourself avoiding, don’t ask “why am I like this?”
Ask this:
What does “done” look like in one sentence?
“Done looks like ___.”What is the first physical action that takes under 2 minutes?
“First move: ___.”
(Open the doc. Put shoes on. Create the file. Clear the desk. Text the person.)What will I do for exactly 5 minutes - no more?
“For 5 minutes, I will ___.”
(Write ugly bullets. Walk to the corner. Sort one pile. Outline 3 steps.)What is the stop point?
“I stop when ___.”
(Timer ends. I finish the outline. I send the email. I set the appointment.)
That’s it.
You’re not trying to finish the whole thing.
You’re trying to make starting impossible to avoid.
One concrete micro-story:
I had “write the email” sitting on my list all afternoon.
I kept circling it like it was dangerous.
Because it was unclear.
So I ran the script:
Done looks like: “Draft exists, not perfect.”
First move: “Open the doc and write the subject line.”
5 minutes: “Write 8 ugly bullets.”
Stop point: “Timer ends.”
Five minutes later, the resistance was gone.
Not because I became motivated.
Because the fog lifted.
5 examples you can steal
1) Gym
Done: “I showed up.”
First move: put shoes on.
5 minutes: walk outside and down the block.
Stop: timer ends.
2) Work project
Done: “Outline is written.”
First move: open a blank doc titled “Outline.”
5 minutes: write 5 section headers.
Stop: headers exist.
3) Cleaning
Done: “One surface is clear.”
First move: grab a trash bag.
5 minutes: clear only the kitchen counter.
Stop: counter empty.
4) Money/admin
Done: “Payment is scheduled.”
First move: open banking app.
5 minutes: pay the smallest bill.
Stop: confirmation screen.
5) Hard conversation
Done: “Message is sent.”
First move: open text thread.
5 minutes: write a 3-line draft (don’t send yet).
Stop: draft saved.
Notice the pattern:
Small. Physical. Timed. Stoppable.
That’s how you beat procrastination without “trying harder.”
You remove the uncertainty tax.
If you want this to become automatic - not a trick you remember once a month - run it inside a longer discipline build. The 90-Day Discipline Blueprint gives you a simple structure to stop negotiating with your starts and stack clean days for the next 7 days.
Save this.
Next time you stall, don’t “get motivated.”
Define the first 5 minutes.
Then move.
NoFluffWisdom