Just Start

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What’s your worst earworm? I’m not going to mention mine lest I pass it to you. Mum’s the word for that UB40 song. But I recently learned something fascinating about earworms – they can be chalked up to the Zeigarnik effect. Named after a Russian psychologist who first published about this almost 100 years ago — “Uncompleted tasks and unmet goals tend to pop into one’s mind.”

In their book, Willpower, psychologist Roy Baumeister and science writer John Tierney explain the Zeigarnik effect and why songs we don’t like tend to pop up as earworms. “We’re more likely to turn off the bad one in midsong, so it’s the one that returns to haunt us.”

I don’t play any ear worms in this week’s Life of Try episode, but I do explore how the Zeigarnik effect can amplify the power of taking one small, imperfect step. I offer a simple 10-minute strategy can help you overcome resistance, build momentum, and move forward and dig in to why starting before you feel confident can give your mind something useful to work on.

If a goal feels overwhelming, the blank page feels intimidating, or uncertainty keeps you stuck, this episode offers a practical way to begin without pressuring yourself to finish.

In this episode, I cover:
• How the 10-minute rule can reduce procrastination
• Why imperfect action builds confidence and momentum
• How unfinished tasks can keep ideas active in your mind
• Why your own rough first attempt still matters in the age of AI
• How to take the first step when a goal feels overwhelming


Don’t ask yourself to finish it today. Ask yourself to begin it. Set a timer, make one imperfect move, and leave yourself a clear next step.

Links for this episode:

How to Stop Procrastinating and Start: The 10-Minute Rule for Taking Action transcript

Related Episodes

Why Fun is the Secret to Building Better Habits with Mike Rucker, PhD – a Life of Try short

Success isn’t always about finishing first. Sometimes the greatest victories belong to those who stay prepared, keep growing, and never stop trying.

(featured photo from Pexels)

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You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wynneleon/ and Instagram wynneleon

48 thoughts on “Just Start”

  2. I tend to get ideas in some inopportune places for writing and have learned to just jot them down straight away so they don’t keep clogging up my bandwidth for the next few hours, or worse, by the time I sit down to write it out, the idea has escaped me.

    By jotting it down, I can add to it when more paragraphs flow into my head. I started this process years ago when I was writing my first book. I used to carry small notebooks in my purse and just write whenever something came to mind. No need to edit at that point, editing comes later. When I got my 1st smart phone I switched to the note app or I use the WordPress Jetpack app.

    Using this method I’m not tying up all my time trying to write perfect sentences or even have them in the correct order. I’m simply grabbing thoughts as they form and noting them down. Later when I actually sit down at my laptop I can get into serious writing mode, but using those notes gives me a foundation to springboard from.

    I use this method for different parts of my job too, I’ll start something physical, and add a post-it note to let my colleague know what’s going on. We’re both visually oriented, so having tasks even partly done helps keep the flow going.

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  5. It’s too early for wine, but thanks for that lol. I’m very susceptible to earworms. A turn of phrase I recognize from any lyric – or even something close – can set it off. I think Gen X has some of the worst earworms.

    I’ve heard singing Karma Chameleon can break the earworm’s grip. I also find playing the song in its entirety does the trick, so I guess I stumbled onto a Zeigarnik solution. I’m going to try to remember that word.

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  6. This resonated with me today. I finally went live yesterday on my project I’ve been tinkering with for several months. I put a link to my new website on today’s blog post. I slowly worked on it and as I got close to announcing it, I lost my confidence.

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      1. Thanks! I read your message that you visited my website after I wrote my comment on your post. It was scary to go live with my website and what the next steps will be. A lot of times the way were not easy and I took my time.

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  13. It was fascinating to learn about the Zygarnik effect – the human brain is so fascinatingn

    I love the idea of just starting something as a low stakes way to try – and I can see how that can be powerful and motivating, whether it’s creative expression or a new habit.

    We often get so mentally stuck under the weight of internal and external pressures and expectations – and it all becomes paralyzing. So this is great advice, Wynne!

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  14. Repeating the comment that I just left in your YouTube channel: Great advice! What you said reminded me of something I read in The Economist last week about AI solving math problems. Yes, AI can solve the problem, but “what is often more valuable is that the process of arriving at important proofs leads to the asking of yet more questions and the creation of new areas of study.”

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  15. Pingback: Failure to Launch | writing to freedom

  17. I woke up yesterday morning with “Kokomo” unexplainably stuck in my head. I like the Beach Boys just fine, but that song is–sorry to say–one of the stupidest ever written. I’d have rather had Vanilla Ice rattling around my brain for hours than that particular slice of drivel, but my brain apparently had other ideas.

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  18. Hi Wynne, coming to you from Brad’s blog and just finished listening to you. I LOVE the techniques you described in Just Start and they make so much sense.

    Putting those first words to a post or story, or often in my case a travel article, seems to be just what the mind needs to spring into action. I tell myself I don’t need to finish, but inevitably I end up writing more than I expect to. It’s always a win.

    Have just read your About Page too and love your honesty and whole back story. Just wonderful! Look forward to reading more and getting go to know you through your blog. Much love to you sent from down under. xx

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  19. “I start when I don’t have time to finish. I give myself a small window, 10 minutes, maybe 15. I’m not
    trying to complete the post, solve the problem..” Brilliant, Wynne! It takes the pressure off. I am totally going to incorporate this strategy, probably starting today!

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  21. I didn’t know about this 10-minute rule to avoid procrastination, though I know the book Five Seconds to Decide: How Fast Commitment Ends Overthinking by Daniel Hart. However, I like to take my time, both to avoid procrastinations and to decide 🙂 maybe more time to decide, 5 seconds are really nothing! Good rule Wynne!

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