Let’s start with a truth you already know deep down: you’re not bad at time management.
You get plenty done. You show up. You answer the emails. You keep the plates spinning.
But somehow, the one thing you’ve been meaning to do—the important thing, the big thing, the “if I could just finish this I’d finally breathe again” thing—still isn’t moving.
So you tell yourself you’ll do it when things calm down. When the timing’s better. When you have a stretch of uninterrupted space.
Here’s the problem with that: it’s not about time.
It’s about friction.
Friction is the invisible drag that makes even a small task feel like a boulder. It’s what turns “send the email” into “rethink your entire career.” It’s why you organize your kitchen pantry instead of finishing that proposal. It’s why a one-hour task takes three days to mentally prepare for.
Friction wears disguises: overthinking, self-doubt, decision paralysis, perfectionism. It’s sneaky. It convinces you that you’re just too busy, when really—you’re carrying an unspoken weight that keeps you stuck in place.
The good news? Friction can be lowered. You can move forward without needing a miracle week of free time or divine motivation. But first, you have to name the boulder.
ACTION STEP:
Write down the thing you’ve been avoiding. Not your entire to-do list—just the one heavy, nagging task that drains you every time it crosses your mind.
That’s your boulder.
In the next post, we’ll talk about what happens when you don’t move it—and how boulders tend to grow when ignored.