How to make a task small enough to start

A practical guide for the moment when “sort everything out” is too vague. You only need paper or a notes app.

1. Name the task you can see

Replace “get organized” with a concrete object: the receipts in your wallet, one unanswered message, or the document you need to open.

2. Choose one action

• Receipts: put the loose receipts from your wallet in one envelope.
• Messages: choose one message and write the first sentence of a reply.
• Writing: open the document and type a working title.

These are examples, not rules. Choose an action you can begin with what is already available.

3. Try it, then reassess

Give that action a small time window, such as two minutes. Afterward, decide whether to continue, make it smaller, or rest. Finishing the entire project is not the measure of this exercise.

Optional: ask AI for one suggestion

Help me start this task: [task]. Ask one question if needed, then suggest ONE action I can do in two minutes, using what I already have. Do not give me a whole plan.

Check whether the answer is realistic for you. You can use the same method without AI and without sharing personal information.

By Ari Kaufman / Pause90. General reflection and planning, not a guarantee of results.