I have a full-time job running a finance team, a flourishing social media side business, and a very demanding family of three women who rely on me—yet I still feel like the laziest bastard alive.
Even just starting to write this newsletter makes me feel like I’m about to run a half marathon.
I get overwhelmed by the tiniest tasks all the time. Yet, on the outside, I appear to be this driven individual who’s doing pretty well. My main struggle? Getting started. Whether it’s a work project, a social media video, or putting clothes away at home, the task feels so daunting that I just can’t be arsed.
So, I procrastinate. Do fuck all. Then get even more overwhelmed, which makes it even harder to start. It’s a vicious cycle.
Yet somehow, I do get things done. So how?
The Next Pathetic Step?
One of the ways I’ve hacked my own laziness is by mastering the next pathetic step. Basically, I identify the absolute easiest action I can take on the task I’m avoiding—something so small that it’s almost effortless.
Once I’ve done that, it’s usually enough to build momentum and get into the meat of the task.
For example, before I started writing this newsletter today, my goal was just to open a Word doc and rename the file with the release date. That’s it. So fucking easy. But after doing that, I thought, I’ll just template out the topic.
And now, here I am, 360 words in.
The beauty of this? If my goal had been to write 360 words, I doubt I would’ve even opened the doc. But by starting ridiculously small, I trick myself into moving forward. And now that I’m writing, I’m actually struggling to stop. Ten minutes ago, I’d rather have put my foreskin in a blender than write this.
This Works for Everything
This next pathetic step method isn’t groundbreaking advice, but as a self-proclaimed self-development geek, I want to share what actually works.
Take making the kids’ lunchboxes. Some mornings, I really can’t be fucked. But on those days, I tell myself, Okay, the goal is just to lay out the lunchboxes and put a bag of crisps in.
Sounds pathetic. But that tiny action is usually enough to gain momentum and finish the task.
Same with emptying the dishwasher. I hate this task for some reason, so instead of thinking, I’ll have to empty it all, my goal is to just open it and put one fork away. Nearly every time, that small action snowballs into finishing the whole thing.
Turns out, there’s actually some psychology behind this. I recently learned about the Zeigarnik effect, which says we’re much more driven to complete unfinished tasks than start new ones.
So, when I open the dishwasher and put away one fork, my brain registers it as an incomplete task—which makes me way more likely to finish it.
(Unless I’m hungover. Then even opening the dishwasher feels like a soul-crushing chore.)
Of course, some days, these tasks feel pretty easy. But when you’re unmotivated or overwhelmed, this little mind trick works wonders.
Closing Thoughts
As parents, we’re constantly bombarded with tasks and overwhelm, so finding little hacks like this has helped me massively.
I’m always looking for ways to make life easier, and I’ll be using this newsletter to share what I learn along the way.
So, let me know—what’s the dumbest but most effective productivity hack you’ve ever used? Reply, and I might share it in the next issue.