Action as Choice Expressed Through Movement Toward a Goal: a Framework for Overcoming Inaction

According to LessWrong, philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre defined action as choice expressed through movement toward a goal. Using a state-machine analogy, the post suggests life is about moving between your current state and a desired state through action. When you're stuck, the author recommends asking three questions: what's your goal, what's your choice, and what's the movement? Often, inaction stems from an unrealistic goal—so distant or vague that the choice and movement become unclear. The example: wanting an eight-pack of abs makes starting exercise feel impossible. But shifting to a realistic goal like feeling healthy makes the next steps obvious. It's a systematic framework for diagnosing why you're procrastinating and, more importantly, unblocking it.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton