What needs to be true for us to start our work?

Do we need to be well-rested? Feeling good? Do we need at least a solid hour free? We all have unspoken conditions for starting our work, and it’s easy for these conditions to constrict over time, to creep toward perfection.

Freelancers particularly struggle with this. When you control your own schedule, you can decide under what conditions you’ll work. And it’s possible to set the bar so high that very little work gets started.

If you’re struggling to sit down and do your work, it might be time to reset your mental working conditions. The fact is, even on the worst days, 10 focused minutes can accomplish an awful lot.