Sep 7, 2026 · 30 min · 7 segments
Why do we procrastinate - even when we know exactly what needs to be done? And what is actually happening inside the brain when we struggle to start? In this conversation, James breaks down the…
Shruti RustagiHostWell, there's not actually, I don't think there's a but.
There's like an and maybe.
So brains hate starting.
but they love continuing.
And so to your point, yes, if you can get it to take that first step, it's going to keep stepping.
It's going to keep going.
I always think about this as, how do I activate a motivated state? How do I get myself to feel excited or energized to do a thing, especially when it's a hard thing? Think of cleaning out the garage.
Think of the kinds of things we procrastinate.
Bills, paying the bills, updating our QuickBooks, like the categorizing expenses, getting back on email to people that we know it's going to be like some huge email we have to write.
It's stuff that's energy intensive and typically boring or monotonous or just like really like just the maintenance stuff of work or life.
And so, but we all got to do it because we're humans and we're adults and it gets more chaotic.
The more we put this stuff off, life just gets crazier and crazier.
So then the question I think is how do you get into that motivated state? And I think the brains hate starting, but they love continuing principle is a good one to your, and it is along the lines of what you're saying.
If I can get started, I'll likely feel motivated to keep going.
But then I'm not going to like just beat myself up and say, just go, just get started.
No, no, no, that's a bad strategy.
What we typically want to do is we want to shrink the requirement that we're putting on ourselves in that get started moment.
Yeah.
So it's like, I'm going to clean up the house.
I'm going to pick up the house for five minutes.
And maybe I'll even set a timer to tell my brain that I'm actually serious that I get to stop after five minutes because then it makes it feel a little more real.
But this could be anything.
It could be I'm going to clear out as many emails in my inbox in five minutes that I can.
And again, there's timers.
Well, there's not actually, I don't think there's a but.
There's like an and maybe.
So brains hate starting.
but they love continuing.
And so to your point, yes, if you can get it to take that first step, it's going to keep stepping.
It's going to keep going.
I always think about this as, how do I activate a motivated state? How do I get myself to feel excited or energized to do a thing, especially when it's a hard thing? Think of cleaning out the garage.
Think of the kinds of things we procrastinate.
Bills, paying the bills, updating our QuickBooks, like the categorizing expenses, getting back on email to people that we know it's going to be like some huge email we have to write.
It's stuff that's energy intensive and typically boring or monotonous or just like really like just the maintenance stuff of work or life.
And so, but we all got to do it because we're humans and we're adults and it gets more chaotic.
The more we put this stuff off, life just gets crazier and crazier.
So then the question I think is how do you get into that motivated state? And I think the brains hate starting, but they love continuing principle is a good one to your, and it is along the lines of what you're saying.
If I can get started, I'll likely feel motivated to keep going.
But then I'm not going to like just beat myself up and say, just go, just get started.
No, no, no, that's a bad strategy.
What we typically want to do is we want to shrink the requirement that we're putting on ourselves in that get started moment.
Yeah.
So it's like, I'm going to clean up the house.
I'm going to pick up the house for five minutes.
And maybe I'll even set a timer to tell my brain that I'm actually serious that I get to stop after five minutes because then it makes it feel a little more real.
But this could be anything.
It could be I'm going to clear out as many emails in my inbox in five minutes that I can.
And again, there's timers.
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