This original workbook helps you examine one recurring gap between a declared intention and repeated behavior. Complete seven short sessions in sequence. Each produces a written record or a feasible action; none asks you to diagnose yourself or prove that you caused every difficulty in your life.
Before session one
Choose a low-stakes, current task such as sending a proposal or completing a draft. Do not use this workbook to resolve abuse, a medical crisis or a high-stakes legal decision. Make room for real constraints and requests for support.
The framework draws on Kerub's Authorship, facts-versus-stories and input-versus-output distinctions. It is a new editorial resource, not an excerpt from the book or a clinically tested adaptation. [A_EGO:INTRO] [A_EGO:9] [A_EGO:17]
Sessions 1–3: put the pattern on paper
| Session | Complete these fields | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 1: Choose the task | Desired result: ____; current observable fact: ____; relevant date: ____ | One specific episode |
| 2: Trace repetition | Cue: ____; action taken instead: ____; consequence: ____; occasions observed: ____ | A behavior sequence |
| 3: Audit conditions | Required resource: ____; present or missing: ____; evidence: ____; support request: ____ | A constraint record |
Write observations before interpretations. “No proposal sent” is observable. “Everyone would reject me” is a forecast. A required specification that has not arrived is a condition to address, not a confession of cowardice.
Sessions 4–5: test your part
| Session | Complete these fields | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 4: Examine the payoff | What might delay protect immediately? ____; alternative explanation: ____; what I cannot know: ____ | A hypothesis, not a verdict |
| 5: Design an experiment | Feasible action: ____; time/place: ____; needed support: ____; tangible completion evidence: ____ | One scheduled step |
Keep the experiment small enough to perform under your actual conditions. If the task is blocked, schedule a clarification request or revise scope. “Become confident” is not a tangible output; “send three questions” is.
Sessions 6–7: observe and revise
| Session | Complete these fields | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 6: Run the step | What I did: ____; evidence produced: ____; obstacle encountered: ____ | An actual record |
| 7: Review the arrangement | What changed: ____; what did not: ____; next feasible input: ____; review date: ____ | A revised plan |
Completed fictional example
Rowan wants to offer a bookkeeping service. Fact: no offer sent this month. Cue: opening the pricing document. Substitute: redesigning the logo. Real constraint: uncertainty about service scope. Possible immediate payoff: the offer remains untested. Experiment: write three proposed deliverables and ask a qualified colleague to identify gaps on Tuesday. Result: the colleague flags one service Rowan cannot yet provide. Revision: remove it and send the narrower offer on Thursday.
The useful result is a checked offer, not proof that every obstacle was an excuse. A later rejection would supply market feedback, not invalidate Rowan's worth.
Clinical and practical limits
Clinical procrastination resources provide structured self-help approaches, but this seven-session sequence has not been tested as treatment. E01 If distress or persistent worry limits daily functioning, consult a qualified professional. E05 Stop using the workbook if it becomes a ritual of self-accusation or an excuse to postpone needed help.