The one-song rule: beat procrastination one lap at a time

Don’t commit to the whole task. Commit to one song.

The hardest part of most tasks is the first minute. Motivation often shows up after you start, not before. So shrink the start until it’s too small to refuse: work until this one song ends. That’s about three minutes.

How to run a lap

Pick the task. Just the next small step of it.
Press Start one song. The runner sets off around the track.
Work until the song ends. When it does, the lap is logged and the music stops.
Then choose: one more lap, or stop with a clear conscience. You did what you promised.

Most of the time you’ll keep going. And when you don’t, you still made a start, and starts add up. Your lap log keeps count on this device.

Why a song and not a timer?

A song has a shape, a beginning, a middle and an end, so you can feel it running out without watching a clock. And it sounds better than a beep.

Questions

How long is one lap?

One song, usually two to four minutes. The player shows the time left.

Can I commit to more than one?

Yes. Set Laps to 3 or 5 in the player and it stops after that many songs, or pick ∞ to keep going.

Try it now: one song, one lap.

Back to the track