How to: Beat procrastination

Why this happens

People procrastinate when tasks feel ambiguous, overwhelming, risky, or low reward. Unclear next steps and fragile motivation enable short term relief behaviors like scrolling or busywork. Narratives such as I work better under pressure or I will start when I have more time reinforce delay.

What usually helps

Turn the goal into concrete milestones and a first small step, identify obstacles in advance, and create accountability to a clear commitment. The recommended starters use action planning to remove ambiguity and a critical challenger stance to confront excuses and lock in a promise.

Suggested topics

Pick one of the discussion topics below to start a session with a coach.

Confront excuses and commit to action

Jack "Stone" Morgan

This session confronts the rationalizations and excuses that keep you stuck. By exposing contradictions between what you say and what you do, you'll move from "I'm not ready" to concrete commitments backed by real accountability.

I keep delaying [task]. Challenge my excuses and help me commit today. I say [goal] matters, but my actions do not. Push me to make a concrete promise.

Transform goals into actionable plans

Dana Riggs

This structured process transforms vague aspirations into concrete, time-bound action plans with clear ownership and measurable milestones. You'll break down your goal and commit to specific deadlines.

Turn [goal] into milestones, deadlines, and a first step today. I need a simple week-by-week plan to finish [project] by [date].

Overcome implementation blocks

Dana Riggs

This diagnostic process identifies why your plans have stalled and designs concrete mitigations to get implementation back on track. You'll uncover root causes and commit to immediate next steps.

I stalled at [exact step]. Diagnose why and design a workaround. Pinpoint my stuck point on [project] and get me moving again.