I understand that I need help. But all the advice isn’t working. That is, not until today.

Today I was actually trying to get things done when … toot-toot. My brain farted. I thought I was finished. I’d drank from the procrastination milk, and now my head was bloated on impulse and distraction. 

There was no coming back. Or was there? 

There was a moment of silence. And just as the fear and farts dissipated, I heard the most whimsical toot ever heard. And it wasn’t coming from my brain or my butt. Nope. Out of my gassy brain came a thrilling and engaging tooting acronym. 

Well … two-fifths of one. The other three-fifths I stole (though I prefer to think that I stand on the fart clouds of giants) from an ADHD app I use, called Inflow. The app gave me “RAN” (no diarrhea jokes, please). It stands for Rewards, Accountability, and Novelty. And according to the app, we need all three to accomplish a task.

But that wasn’t enough. I wanted to take it one step further, to discover the source of that whimsical toot-toot. Plus, let’s be honest, we’re not done procrastinating. Writing and reading this post is pushing plenty of unpleasant to-do’s off to tomorrow.

To the acronym, I added a “T” and “I.” Toot-Toot! Here comes the TRAIN: Tools, Rewards, Accountability, I (as in your personhood), and Novelty.

TRAIN is the vehicle we can ride through procrastination. And it’s fueled by brain farts.

How it Works

Pick one or two ideas from each category—Tools, Rewards, and so on—and use them when you find yourself procrastinating on a task. The lists are what I think will work for me. create your own, and leave them in the comments for others if you’d like.

You are throwing out habits and behaviors that no longer serve you. You are not making yourself “a better person.” You’re already an amazing human being.

Use the Tools

• Break projects down into bite-size pieces. If it scares or overwhelms you, chances are you need to smash that tough cookie into crumbs.
• Clocks and timers: Take time for breaks.
• Pomodoro method: Work 25 minutes, take a 5-minute break, repeat 3x. Take a longer break and use that time to give yourself a (R)eward.
• Stopwatches: Track how long it takes you to complete a task.
• Catchall/master list: Review this list daily/weekly to add & cross of to-do items.
• Bullet Journal (check out this link to learn more).
• Calendar: Review it daily so that you can schedule your tasks around important events.
• Only schedule 3 things today, but make sure that only one of them is difficult or unpleasant.
• Keep a list of your go-to rewards.

Help yourself: Never do scary, shitty things alone. Recruit friends, neighbors, family, even strangers to help you succeed.

Take Your Reward

• Add songs to your playlist.
• Make a playlist.
• Create “pomodoro art”: Every 5-minute break, work on a doodle, painting, drawing, sculpture, collage, cartoon, …
• Dance, dance, dance, girl.
• Eat a meal: breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
• Have sex.
• Make a clock.
• Play your favorite phone game. 
• Do some deep breathing.
• Watch your favorite TV show.
• Write a song.
• Plan your weekly menu.
• Swim.
• Take a bath.
• Do “pomodoro chores”: One example, if you’re working from home and also want to clean your bathroom. You can clean the sink or toilet in one 5-minute break. Spray cleanser over shower and/or tub in 5, wipe and rinse it clean in the next 5.
• Walk your dog.
• Walk around your neighborhood/nature park/beach, etc.
• Read a book.

Get out your house. Step away from the computer. Blink. Go anywhere your task isn’t. There’s a beautiful world out there and you deserve a fresh breath of it.

Find Some Accountability

• Text/call someone and let them know what you’ll be working on. Ask them to follow-up with you.
• Make a bet with someone that you can finish a task in a certain amount of time.
• Get a workout buddy.
• Write a letter to yourself explaining why you want to do all the things on your to-do list. Read it throughout the week to give you momentum.
• Find/create a support network with like-minded people to help you complete long-term goals: writer’s group, 12-step group, book club, hiking meetups, volunteer organization, … .

Hold yourself accountable, but DO NOT beat yourself up: Yelling at yourself only forces you to work harder, not smarter. It also cuts into your reward time.

Keep “I” in the Present

• Ask yourself which emotions or sensations are holding you back from accomplishing a task: fear? sadness? soreness in your joints? guilt? shame? anger? disgust? pain? lack of sleep? grief? overwhelm? hunger?
• Lazy/stupid/crazy are not emotions. Dig deeper.
• You can ask someone to help you if it feels too painful, insurmountable, unmanageable.
• Practice making and being okay with mistakes. You are a student in TRAIN-ing, and students get to make mistakes—we all do.
• Use motivating mantras or cheers: “Look at me! I’m making progress!”, “Done is better than perfect.”, “1-2-3 go!”, “Wabi-sabi, baby!”
• Practice saying: “I am a person who things done on time.”
• Calm your nervous system with deep breaths when it all seems too overwhelming.
• Perfect is an illusion.
• Designate is not a bad word.
• You are not a fraud. You are not a machine. You are not a robot. You’re a human being.

Be honest and vulnerable. It takes courage. If you can do that, then you’ll have no  problem asking for help.

Create Novelty

• Stand at your desk instead of sitting.
• Move to a new environment to do work: Kitchen table, coffee shop, outdoors.
• Get a treadmill desk.
• Race the clock.
• Do house chores or boring tasks while listening to a podcast or audiobook.
• Dance/whistle/sing while you work.
• Give yourself gold stars for every day you complete a task on your to-do list.
• Pick new rewards for new tasks.
• Multitask: If you have to make a phone call and know you’ll be on hold for a long time, work on a crossword puzzle, craft, or something enjoyable while you wait.