When I was a student I drove across Scotland from the west coast to the east. Every time I reached Glasgow I faced a choice between the Kincardine Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge; the routes were similar in time and scenery. I chose the northbound route to avoid pausing my music and thinking, giving me a rule that removed the need to decide.

Two days each week I board the train to my office with my personal laptop and fill the time with work on projects, research, or writing instead of scrolling mindlessly. This habit turns a routine commute into a productive period, keeping me focused.

The common thread is a pre‑made process that removes constant decision‑making. In software development teams, Agile and Scrum set 2 weeks sprints, a stand‑up at 09:30, and regular meetings, creating predictability. The goal is to become more predictable and deliver features on time, while the ‘optimal’ approach would be to check traffic, analyze the data, and shave off 5 minutes from my journey.

My request is simple: set a concrete action such as writing one hour each week, setting a direct debit each pay day, or following a fixed route. The process itself supplies the motivation needed to achieve lofty goals.