Activation Energy is a good model for a lot of things

I have a trick for writing (I used to write tech books) where I allow myself to write one sentence of the current in-progress chapter instead of aiming for anything more. The activation energy for writing one sentence is so low that it's almost easier to do this than make excuses. Once you've written that first sentence... well, it wasn't unusual to sit down to write a sentence and write a couple of chapters instead.

I'm not saying I never found an excuse instead of writing ONE FEEBLE SENTENCE of the damn things, but tricking my stupid brain did work quite often.

when you want something to happen (more):

- increase energy for activation (motivation, habit, …)

- make obstacle lower (break it down, find an onramp, …)

sometimes one is easier than the other

other times working on both is what makes it happen