Do you struggle with getting started? Starting fitness? Starting nutrition? Taking steps towards your goals? I assure you, I know ALL about that. Why? Because I am an incredible procrastinator. I was told that when I was young (corrective criticism?), continued to struggle with it as a young adult, and to this day still need to employ all the tools in my toolbox to start the darned thing.
Over the years (decades), I’ve dug into books and therapy and diagnoses and medications and more to understand the obstacles around task initiation and what’s going on under the hood of this “procrastination” penchant that’s part of me. Do I fully get it? No. Is that okay, and am I still making progress forward? Yup.
I share that bit about me, as I embark on this first blog post, to set the stage that I have been meaning to get started on this blog for months now. Like, at least 12 of them. It’s been over a year of wanting to start a blog, but finding a way not to.
So, here I am, putting the words out into the ether and addressing the very thing that I struggle with: Getting started.
The Heavy Lift of Starting
Procrastination is rarely just about laziness. I’ve learned that the reasons we delay aren’t simple—they’re deeply human. Sometimes we’re afraid of failing. Sometimes we’re overwhelmed. Sometimes we tell ourselves the thing “shouldn’t be that hard,” which makes it even harder when it is.
I remember one particularly rough (and recent) stretch—my first year after opening ActiveVT by the Burlington waterfront. I had a dozen things on my to-do list that were technically “important,” but every time I sat down to work on them, I’d get caught in a vortex of distractions. I’d reorganize my desk. I’d check email. I’d start researching gym flooring options I didn’t need yet. Anything but the thing I was avoiding.
At some point I encountered the idea that “procrastination is a form of emotional regulation,” and something clicked. Avoiding a task was my way of managing discomfort. And as weird as it sounds, my brain believed it was protecting me. From failure. From embarrassment. From the discomfort of not knowing how something would turn out.
As I began to understand and internalize that, I stopped asking “What’s wrong with me?” and started asking, “What’s hard about this?”
Since that shift, so much has started to change.
Tools I’ve Tried (And Still Use)
Here are a few strategies that have helped me personally—some from the research, and some from trial and error:
1. Make it public
- Tell somebody else you intend to do the thing.
- Tell them when you will do the thing.
- Tell them when it’s done.
This isn’t about shame or pressure. It’s about externalizing the task. When something lives only in your head, it’s easier to push it off. But the moment you tell a friend, “I’m going to write that proposal this afternoon,” it becomes real. It’s out in the world.
James Clear talks about this in book Atomic Habits—how “implementation intentions” increase the odds of follow-through. When you say, “I’ll go for a walk at noon during lunch,” instead of just “I should walk more,” your brain has fewer decisions to make. The specificity removes friction, and the accountability lubricates action.
I’ve even texted friends something as small as, “Hey, I’m sitting down to program next week’s gym workouts. Check on me in 90 minutes.” Heck, years ago I even publicly announced my intentions (with a date) to run my first 50 mile race to put the squeeze on myself to follow through. It sounds silly, but it works.
2. Shrink the task
A lot of procrastination stems from tasks feeling huge. Vague. Looming.
Instead of “clean the kitchen,” I now write:
- Put any dirty dishes into one bay of the sink
- Set up coffee station for tomorrow
- Wash just 1 pan
Once you’re in motion, things get easier. Let Newton’s First Law help you out here; an object in motion stays in motion, right? Ya know what, it also got my kitchen back to usable – not designer kitchen beautiful, but certainly functional.
3. Use a timer
This is the “just 10 minutes” trick. I’ll set a timer and tell myself I only have to do the task until it rings. Sometimes I stop. More often than not, I keep going. If you don’t like the harshness of a timer, queue up a favorite song or two (I know you have access to the entire universe of music in your pocket most of the time).
It turns out, the hardest part is the transition—from stillness to motion, from comfort to discomfort. Make that transition clear by counting down to yourself (an audible “3, 2, 1, go”, or sometimes I ceremonialize it by taking three purposeful breaths before I hit the go-button on a dreaded task. Once you cross that line, the work itself is rarely as bad as your brain predicted.
4. Be kind to yourself
This one is the hardest. We live in a culture that moralizes productivity. If you’re not getting things done, you must be lazy or broken.
KC Davis, in How to Keep House While Drowning, offers a powerful counter-message: You’re not broken. You might just be overwhelmed, or tired, or dysregulated. You’re still worthy of care and compassion. You can still make a tiny move forward.
And sometimes doing something “badly” is better than not doing it at all.
Shame and Identity
This one’s big. Procrastination can really mess with your sense of self. You start saying things like:
- “I’m not disciplined.”
- “I always screw things up.”
- “I’ll never be consistent.”
Instead, consider this: Procrastination isn’t your identity. It’s a pattern. And patterns can shift, with practice and patience.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned—both personally and through coaching others—is that identity can follow action. You don’t have to feel like a doer to start doing. You just have to do the smallest thing that aligns with the person you want to be.
That’s not woo-woo. It’s neuroscience. Every time you take action—especially one that’s hard—you’re training your brain. You’re reinforcing the belief: “I am someone who follows through.”
From Procrastination to Progress: The Health Edition
All of this connects directly to what I see every day at ActiveVT.
People walk in the door and say, “I’ve been meaning to do this for years.”
Or, “I kept saying I’d get in shape before turning 50.”
Or, “I bike past your gym all the time on the way to Hula and think, ‘I should stop in.’”
We get it. Making a change—especially around your health—can feel monumental. Life is already full. You’re busy. You’ve tried before. You’re not sure you’ll stick with it.
So here’s what I say: Don’t try to overhaul your life. DON’T build the perfect plan. (I hope a 20-something influencer just had a little meltdown somewhere reading that).
Just take one small step forward.
Maybe that means booking a No Sweat Intro. Maybe it means texting a friend to go for a walk. Maybe it means packing your gym clothes in your car, even if you don’t make it there today.
That little motion—just getting in gear—is everything.
And if you want help? If you want a real human to talk to who will listen, not judge? We’re here for that.
At ActiveVT, we offer a free No Sweat Intro—a simple 20-minute conversation where we hear your story, talk about your goals, and figure out whether we can help. No working out. No pressure. Just a first step.
The Power of Starting
Starting isn’t about motivation. It’s about courage.
It’s about moving from intention to action—even if the action is clumsy or small or way overdue.
It’s about saying, “I don’t have to get it all right. I just have to get moving.”
And the beautiful thing is: every time you start again, you reinforce the belief that you can. That you’re not stuck. That you’re still building. Still trying. Still growing.
So if you’ve been sitting on something—whether it’s a workout, a hard conversation, a long-delayed project, or just that first blog post—consider this your permission slip.
Start messy. Start scared. Start anyway.
Next Steps (If You’re Ready)
If the thing you’ve been meaning to start is something around your health—getting stronger, moving more, feeling better in your body—then maybe your first step is just reaching out.
- If you’re here in Burlington, Vermont (or nearby), and you’ve got a goal you’ve been sitting on, let’s talk about it. At ActiveVT, we offer a free No Sweat Intro—a simple, pressure-free conversation – this is your chance!
- Click that link and put it on your calendar. BONUS: Tell a friend you’re doing it.
- Show up for our intro chat and we’ll set you up for your next steps.
Thanks for reading. More soon.
– Sam
