pattern Patternverse Commons

Reduce the First Step

Lower the initial commitment until starting becomes easy.

When beginning feels disproportionately difficult, the apparent size of the commitment can create resistance.

Pattern

Reduce the first action until it feels almost trivial. Treat beginning as a separate task from finishing.

Example

Opening the document and writing one deliberately imperfect sentence may be enough.

Connections

The technique works partly by reducing the demands placed on Working Memory.

Personal note

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Curated context

Appears in

  1. 01

    Getting Unstuck

    Approaches for situations in which progress has stalled.

    collection · Commons