We may earn money from the companies mentioned in this post at no additional cost to you.
Burned out and still have a mile-long to-do list? If you’re wondering how to stop procrastinating when your energy is at zero, you’re not alone. You’re not lazy or broken—your brain is literally tapped out. When exhaustion hits, even figuring out how to stop procrastinating and get things done can feel like a mystery.
Fear not, fellow overachiever: below are five science-backed strategies to get you moving again, even if you’re completely burned out. Each tip blends real psychology or neuroscience insights with super-specific tools to help you put it into practice today, all grounded in encouragement—not hustle.
1. Trigger Motivation with a Dopamine Starter Task
When you’re burned out, motivation flatlines. Blame your brain chemistry: burnout actually depletes dopamine, the “reward” neurotransmitter, making it hard to feel any satisfaction or drive, according to Bethany Ranes. That’s why even simple tasks feel “meh.”
The hack? Do a tiny, easy task that gives you a quick win—aka a hit of dopamine—to jumpstart your engine.
Completing even a small task gives your brain a mini burst of dopamine, which increases your motivation for the next step. Research shows that breaking work into micro-goals reduces overwhelm and leverages your brain’s reward system to your advantage. In other words, your brain loves crossing things off. It doesn’t care how small the victory is—a win is a win, and suddenly you feel more capable and energized to tackle the next thing. Once that first domino falls, the next task feels easier.
How to implement:
Start with a ridiculously easy task: reply to one email, put away 5 stray papers on your desk, or open that Google doc and type one sentence. By racking up a quick “done,” you’ll prime your brain with a feel-good boost. That momentum can carry you into the tougher stuff.
Tools to Assist:
- Todoist (Free & Premium) – A to-do app that rewards you with karma points for completing tasks. Break tasks into tiny sub-tasks and build momentum with every checkmark. It’s an easy way to visualize progress and build confidence.
- Knock Knock “Get Your Shit Together” Pad – A notepad literally titled “Get Your Shit Together.” to help sort the easy shit from the tough shit. When you need a dopamine hit, pick something from your easy shit list, get your dopamine flowing by crossing items out in pen as a visible record that you got things done and then tackle some tough shit.
2. Overcome Procrastination Anxiety with the 5-Minute Rule
Often, the hardest part is simply starting. Psychologists have found that procrastinators aren’t lazy—we’re paralyzed by the size or anxiety of the task, explains clinical psychologist Andrea Bonior. Enter the 5-Minute Rule—a cognitive-behavioral therapy trick that gives your brain an easy out. The 5-minute rule shines because it shrinks huge tasks down to a bite-size nugget your brain can handle. You’re not really tricking yourself; you’re lowering the psychological threat. Once you’re 5 minutes in, you often realize “huh, I can keep going.” I often use this one to help me get started with working out!
Why this works:
You promise yourself to do just 5 minutes of the task, and then you can stop. Chances are, you won’t. “Often, for procrastinators, starting is the hardest part,” writes Dr. Andrea Bonior. We delay because a project feels like a big, amorphous blob that could take forever. But if you manage to begin—even for five minutes—the task becomes more concrete and less scary. You build a little momentum and often end up continuing past the five-minute mark. And even if you truly quit after 5 minutes, hey — you’ve made a dent!
This tactic works especially well when procrastination anxiety has you stuck. Committing to just five minutes lowers the bar so far that your brain isn’t as freaked out about “doing the whole thing.” It dismantles the psychological barrier to entry
Tools to Try:
- Focus To-Do (Free) – A Pomodoro timer app that’s perfect for the 5-minute rule. Download the app or the Chrome extension and then set a custom 5-minute focus session and press start. The app ticks down and ding! — time’s up before you know it. (Chances are you’ll elect to continue, but knowing you planned to stop at 5 makes starting a no-brainer.) I love using the white noise feature too!
- TickTime Pomodoro Timer (Amazon) – If you prefer a physical gadget, this nifty cube timer has preset intervals (like 5, 10, 15 minutes). Flip it to the 5-minute side, and it immediately starts counting down. It’s oddly fun, almost like a game: Can I work until the beep? Using a tangible timer adds a bit of pressure and novelty — great for tricking your brain out of procrastination. Plus, there’s no fiddling with your easily-distractible phone.
3. Lower the Bar to Break Through Perfectionism
Burnout often comes packaged with its nasty sidekick: perfectionism. (Hi, high achievers!) When you’re exhausted and expecting A+ results, your brain freezes. When you’re fried and pushing yourself to deliver A+ work every time, it’s a recipe for procrastination paralysis.
The solution: lower your standards – at least temporarily. Give yourself permission to do a C+ job or a “draft version.” In other words, lower the bar so you can step over it and actually finish the task.
Research from Harvard confirms that perfectionism fuels procrastination. If you think you can’t do it perfectly, you’ll delay or avoid it. But aiming for “good enough” lowers the pressure and lets you actually start. Done is better than perfect—especially when burned out.
How to Implement:
Practically, this might mean writing a “trash draft” of your report with typos galore, just to get your ideas down. Or telling yourself you’ll only clean one corner of the messy room (it might not sparkle, but it’ll be better than now).
Lowering the bar helps you overcome that procrastination anxiety born from fear of imperfection. You can always polish later – but you can’t edit a blank page.
Tools to Try:
- Trello or Notion (Free) – Use a simple Kanban board or checklist to break your project into ridiculously small sub-tasks. For example, instead of “Finish Project Proposal,” your Trello board might have cards for “Draft three bullet points for Section 1” or “Write one ugly intro paragraph.” Seeing those bite-sized, achievable tasks helps you focus on progress over perfection. Bonus: Trello and Notion let you drag tasks to a “Done” column or checkbox, which visually rewards you for making progress (even if it’s a tiny step).
- Done Is Better Than Perfect Mug (Amazon) – Sip self-compassion while you work. Every time you look at it, you’ll remember to cut yourself some slack. Consider it a tangible reminder to prioritize productivity over perfectionism on days you’re dragging. (Plus, caffeine and self-compassion in one? Win-win.)
4. Use Body Doubling to Create Instant Accountability
Ever notice how you’re more likely to show up at the gym if a friend is waiting? Body doubling applies the same principle to productivity and simply means working in the presence of another person to keep you accountable and focused. According to PsychCentral, simply having someone else present increases accountability. Even if they aren’t helping with your task, just having someone there (in person or virtually) can snap you out of avoidance mode. It’s like peer pressure, but the positive kind.
The fancy term is social facilitation, but we just know it as “I guess I should work, since they are too.” It’s much harder to scroll Instagram for an hour when someone else is in the Zoom room diligently typing away. You’ll feel a gentle pressure to keep up.
If you’re an ambitious woman used to doing it all, think of this as a smart productivity hack: you’re not relying on willpower alone, you’re creating an environment that pulls you out of procrastination. Two (bodies) are better than one!
Tools to Try:
- Focusmate – This virtual co-working platform is made for body doubling. You schedule a 25 or 50-minute video session with a Focusmate partner somewhere in the world. When the time comes, you briefly greet each other, state what you’ll work on, and then get down to business on mute (video on for accountability). Knowing a real person is on the other side keeps you honest and on-task. Many users with procrastination or ADHD rave about how much they get done with Focusmate. (It’s free for up to 3 sessions a week; beyond that requires a low-cost subscription, which is well worth it if you find it helpful.)
- “Study With Me” YouTube Sessions (Free) – If pairing one-on-one feels weird, join the thousands of people who use live “Study With Me” videos. Just search YouTube for “study with me live” and you’ll find live streams (or recorded pomodoro sessions) where you work alongside someone on screen. It might be a YouTuber studying quietly with a timer, or a lo-fi animated study buddy. This ambient accountability tricks your brain into feeling like you’re part of a work session. It’s surprisingly motivating to see others grinding – you’ll be like, “Okay, okay, I’ll work too.” Pop on a stream, state your goal in the chat for a little public accountability, and get to it. No cost, no signup, and no one will know if you’re in PJs.
5. Reward Yourself: Train Your Brain to Want to Work
When you’re burned out, the natural rewards of work (pride, paycheck, progress) might not be enough to get your brain excited. So, activate your inner Pavlov and dangle a reward for yourself after you complete a task or hit a milestone. This isn’t childish – it’s neuroscience-backed. Giving yourself a treat triggers your brain’s reward circuitry, releasing dopamine and reinforcing the productive behavior.
In plain terms: Finish X, get Y can spur you to get things done when pure discipline falls short.
How To Implement:
The key is to choose a reward that truly motivates you and ideally deliver it ASAP after the task (to satisfy that brain craving for instant gratification). Studies on motivation show that our brains respond strongly to immediate rewards and tend to discount delayed ones. The reward of a finished project two weeks from now feels abstract, but the reward of a fancy latte right after finishing this page feels enticing.
So, promise yourself something enjoyable right after you work: 30 minutes of your favorite Netflix show, a chat with a friend, a cookie from that bakery you love – whatever lights you up.
Importantly, link the reward to the accomplishment. Say “If I work for 25 minutes, I get a 5-minute TikTok break,” or “When I send this report, I’m ordering sushi tonight.” This turns work into a means to a delightful end, rather than just a slog. Over time, your brain starts to associate finishing tasks with feeling good, which builds a positive feedback loop.
Tools to Try:
- Habitica – If you’re a bit of a geek (raises hand), this habit-tracking app gamifies your life. You create an avatar and earn gold, points, and even loot for completing your real-world tasks and habits. In other words, the app is the reward – it literally rewards you with fun RPG-style progress for doing your work.
- Forest (Chrome extension or Mobile App) – If you have a tendency to play on your phone when you should be working, Forest turns staying focused into its own reward. Set a timer (e.g. 30 minutes) and a virtual tree starts growing on your screen. If you leave the app (to procrastinate on social media, for example), your cute tree withers. But if you make it to the end of your focus session, you grow a healthy tree and earn coins to plant more species. Eventually you have a whole forest as proof of your productive time. It’s a simple concept, but amazingly motivating — you don’t want to kill your poor tree! In essence, it rewards your work time with a visual forest and even the warm fuzzy feeling of helping plant real trees (you can spend coins on planting actual trees through the app’s charity partner).
The Real Power? Combining Strategies That Work for You
Pro Tip: Mix and match these strategies! They’re even more powerful in combination. For example, you can lower the bar and use the 5-minute rule together: “I’ll spend 5 minutes writing a crappy draft.” Or do a dopamine starter task to warm up, then hop into a Focusmate session for a larger task. And absolutely reward yourself for all of it – you deserve it for pushing through.
Finally, remember that beating procrastination when you’re burned out takes compassion. You’re learning how to overcome procrastination anxiety and rebuild momentum step by step. Some days you might only manage a tiny dopamine task and a 5-minute effort – and that’s okay. Consistency beats intensity. Use these tools, lean on the science, and laugh off the stumbles. You’ve got this.
Ready to rebuild habits without burning out?
Download the Daily Flow Planner to kickstart your flow—your future self will thank you.
