Here’s a rundown of my typical morning: I’d wake up, make myself some coffee, sit on the couch, then just stare off into space while I finish the coffee. Once I’m done with that, I start exercising.

What usually happens during coffee time is me pondering the day ahead, thinking about what I’d like to achieve. But somewhere in the back of my mind—like Instagram running in the background on your phone—is me convincing myself that I deserve a break from working out.

I used to listen to that voice. A lot. Thankfully, through lots of trial and error, I’ve discovered a better alternative: to delay all my decisions until I’ve started on the activity in question. Hence this topic.