I’m starting to battle the procrastinator in me. This is the first trick that seems to work.

I am robotically consistent at things that I enjoy — like running and writing.

I’m a terrible procrastinator at most other things, whether chores or even my professional commitments. Sometimes, I fear that it’s a medical condition, not just procrastination. My brain gets foggy, and I can’t focus.

And often the problem of procrastination extends even to activities that are not unpleasant. Here’s an example. I am starting a new business. It’s my initiative. I’m excited about it. A lot of thought has gone into it in recent months. But as they say, ideas are nothing; execution is everything. I reached the point of needing to set up a company. There is a friendly legal council who are helping me. They are not charging me money upfront. I had an introductory call with them on Sunday, and they followed up with a questionnaire that I needed to fill in. They can get going fast on their end.

It’s in my interest to move fast, but I started feeling the procrastination monster lurking. It was Sunday night. I came back for my run, had dinner, and wrote on Substack and Meidum. My evening was relaxed, all things considered. There was no objective reason to put off this work. I needed it. It didn’t come from a boss. But the thought of opening a four-page Word attachment was like an annoying mosquito. As the evening progressed, I started to feel tired and ready to prepare for bed. At that point it was objectively more…