“Jen, do you wanna run 25 km next week?”

When my friend asked me that, my jaw dropped open.

“Then in a few months, we can run 50 km,” he continued.

Which run do you think I suffered more in?

The 25k or 50k?

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An observation about procrastination

There used to be a weight on me.

Whenever I:

• Hung out with friends

• Tried to enjoy my hobbies

• Stayed up too late on my phone

I felt constantly guilty.

“I should’ve been doing my work. I should be more disciplined.

If I had just been more productive earlier, I wouldn’t be dreading the deadline now.”

…

But on other days, I felt free.

Days when there was no expectation of work -

When I didn’t overschedule myself.

(Because I used every weekend to “catch up” on work…but never actually did.)

There’s a clear difference here

Between days I felt overwhelmed and days I felt free.

And no,

It’s not the amount of work I had.

It’s about expectations

Some deadlines are unavoidable…you can’t control those.

But you can control your expectations.

The 25k run my friend and I did?

I was miserable. Didn’t pack enough food.

I expected it to be easier than the 50k, so when it wasn’t,

I crashed.

But the 50k run?

Way better - because I expected the longer distance to be harder,

And prepared for it.

It was actually pretty fun.

This mindset shift is what made me more “productive” - and happier

I used to pack my days full of tasks.

So when I didn’t get them done, they piled up.

I “failed” my expectations.

But that’s why I do a Minimum Viable Action (MVA) now.

Just get 1 important thing done -

It can be as simple as getting out of bed.

That way, anything else I do feels like I’m exceeding expectations…

And that energizes me to keep going.

I could literally get the same amount of tasks done,

But before, I felt disappointed and guilty (“I didn’t do enough”).

Now, I feel empowered (“I did my MVA, yay!! Today is a success.”),

Which helps me stay consistent because every day is rewarding.

And some students of my course felt similarly:

What about you?

What’s your MVA today?

Til next Monday,

Jennifer