Any Excuse Will Do: Stop Sabotaging Yourself and Just Do the Thing

Have you ever caught yourself thinking, “I’ll start tomorrow,” or “I’m just too tired today”? Maybe the weather isn’t right, the stars aren’t aligned, or you swear you’ll be more motivated next week. If this sounds familiar, welcome to the club. When it comes to avoiding things we know we ought to do, any excuse will do.

Excuses are like soft pillows—comforting but useless. They protect us from discomfort, shield us from accountability, and delay progress. But underneath every excuse is often fear, insecurity, or self-doubt. In this article, we’ll explore the psychology behind excuse-making and share actionable steps to break free and move forward.

The Anatomy of an Excuse

An excuse is a justification we offer to avoid responsibility or delay action. It may sound logical or completely absurd, but when we don’t want to do something, any excuse will do. Excuses are not the same as valid reasons. A flat tire is a reason. “I didn’t feel like it” disguised as “I didn’t have time” is an excuse.

There are a few go-to excuses most of us have on speed dial:

Time-based excuses: “I’m too busy” or “I’ll do it when I have more time.”

Emotional excuses: “I’m not in the right mindset,” or “I don’t feel ready.”

Blame-shifting excuses: “I couldn’t because of my spouse, boss, or kids.”

Perfectionist excuses: “If I can’t do it perfectly, I won’t do it at all.”

What do these have in common? They all help us avoid taking ownership. And when you’re looking for a way out, any excuse will do.

The Psychology Behind Making Excuses

Why do we make excuses, especially for things we say we care about? The answer lies deep within our psychological wiring.

1. Fear of Failure

When we fear we won’t succeed, we create excuses to protect ourselves from potential embarrassment or disappointment. It’s easier to say, “I didn’t have time to train for the 5K” than to admit we’re afraid we might not finish it.

2. Locus of Control

People with an external locus of control believe life happens to them. They blame circumstances, other people, or fate. On the other hand, those with an internal locus believe they are responsible for their outcomes. If you’re in the first camp, any excuse will do to avoid confronting that uncomfortable truth: you have more power than you think.

3. Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive dissonance happens when your actions don’t align with your beliefs. If you believe in healthy living but eat junk food every night, you’ll invent justifications to bridge the mental gap. “I’ve had a rough day” or “I’ll be strict tomorrow” help you feel better, even when you know better.

4. Habitual Procrastination

Procrastination often becomes a habit. And like any habit, it creates a well-worn path in the brain. If your brain learns that any excuse will do to avoid discomfort, it will reach for excuses automatically.

The Hidden Costs of Excuse-Making

Excuses may seem like a harmless way to delay discomfort. But the truth is, they come with hidden, and sometimes irreversible, costs. A small moment of avoidance can grow into long-term patterns. These patterns rob you of confidence, credibility, and opportunity. When you buy into the lie that any excuse will do, you gradually trade your potential for momentary comfort.

1. Lost Opportunities

Time is not a renewable resource. Every moment you spend rationalizing inaction is a moment stolen from your future. You might not feel the impact today, but over months and years, the cost is staggering. Excuses delay your dreams, mute your talents, and create a gap between who you are and who you could be.

Think about it:

How many chances have passed you by simply because you didn’t show up, apply, speak up, or start? That book you wanted to write was never started. The business you wanted to launch was not attempted. The relationship you didn’t pursue remained unexplored. Excuses closed the door before the opportunity even had a chance.

And the scariest part? You don’t always get a second shot.

2. Erosion of Self-Trust

Excuses don’t just delay action—they deteriorate your identity. Every time you make an excuse, you send a subtle message to your subconscious: “I don’t do what I say I’m going to do.” Over time, these small betrayals of self add up.

You may start to notice a quiet loss of confidence, even if you can’t quite put your finger on why. That’s self-trust slipping away. Confidence isn’t built on grand achievements…it’s built on consistency. It’s built on integrity, the ability to believe your own word.

If you want to feel powerful again, start by following through. Even on the small stuff. When you say, “I’ll go for a walk,” and you actually go, you rebuild that trust brick by brick.

3. Damaged Relationships

Excuses don’t exist in a vacuum. When you constantly flake out, delay commitments, or dodge responsibilities, the people around you notice. Friends, coworkers, and loved ones begin to question your reliability. Even if you mean well, frequent excuse-making erodes trust.

It can also create resentment. Others may feel like they’re carrying more of the load while you remain stuck in avoidance. Over time, they may stop including you, inviting you, or relying on you—not out of malice, but out of experience.

And perhaps most damaging of all: excuse-making sets a poor example for children, students, or peers watching you. When people see that any excuse will do in your world, they may begin to adopt the same mindset.

4. Reinforced Inaction

Here’s the trap: the more you avoid doing something, the harder it becomes to do it. Excuses offer short-term relief but long-term stagnation. The neural pathways in your brain that support avoidance get stronger every time you choose comfort over progress.

Over time, the brain actually learns to associate action with pain and excuses with pleasure. This is why excuse-making becomes a habit—an unconscious pattern. If you believe that any excuse will do, you’ll subconsciously keep reaching for one anytime discomfort shows up.

This creates a cycle of stagnation where you stop trying altogether. You tell yourself, “What’s the point?” and resign to a version of life that’s far below your potential. But that cycle can be broken. But first, you have to stop justifying the pause and start choosing progress.

When Excuses Become Irrational

We’ve all been there! Saying things like:

“I couldn’t work out because I couldn’t find matching socks.”

“I didn’t write because Mercury is in retrograde.”

“I was going to clean, but I needed to meditate on it first.”

These may sound ridiculous, but when we’re committed to not doing something, logic takes a back seat. Our brains will justify just about anything to stay in our comfort zone. That’s why any excuse will do when the goal is to avoid temporary discomfort.

How to Break the Excuse Cycle

Here’s the good news: excuses may feel powerful, but they’re not permanent. You can break the cycle. It starts with awareness, builds through deliberate choices, and solidifies with consistent action. While it’s tempting to wait for the “perfect moment,” the reality is this: there is no perfect moment. There’s only now—and what you do with it.

Let’s walk through five intentional steps to help you stop making excuses and start making progress.

Step 1: Call Out Your Excuses

Awareness is everything. You can’t change what you’re unwilling to acknowledge.

Start paying attention to the excuses that show up on repeat. Write them down in a journal or voice-record them on your phone. Say them out loud. You’ll notice something fascinating: most of them crumble under scrutiny. “I don’t have time” often means “I didn’t prioritize it.” “I’m too tired” often means “I’m emotionally drained, not physically incapable.”

Naming your excuses gives you distance from them. It helps you realize they’re not facts—they’re just stories your brain tells to avoid discomfort. And when you see that clearly, you gain the power to choose a different story.

Step 2: Ask, “Is This True?”

Now that you’ve called out your excuses, it’s time to challenge them.

Ask yourself honestly: Is this true? Not emotionally true in the moment, but objectively true in reality. Are you genuinely incapable of doing the task? Or are you just uncomfortable with the effort it requires?

If you say, “I can’t work out today,” ask: Why not? Do you have five minutes? Can you stretch, walk, or do ten squats? Often, the barrier isn’t a lack of ability. It’s a lack of willingness to start small.

By confronting the falsehood in your excuse, you take back control. You shift from passive victim of circumstance to active participant in your life.

Step 3: Make It Smaller

Excuses often thrive when tasks feel too big or too overwhelming. That’s why shrinking the task is one of the most effective antidotes to avoidance.

You don’t have to clean the whole house—just empty the dishwasher.
You don’t have to write the entire article—just type one paragraph.
You don’t have to run five miles—just lace up your shoes and walk for five minutes.

Small actions lead to big momentum. Even five minutes of effort tells your brain, “I’m doing this.” That identity shift builds discipline, and discipline eventually builds results. When you consistently prove that you do what you say you will do, the need for excuses fades.

Step 4: Identify as a “Doer”

You are not your excuses. You are your habits. And those habits are shaped by identity.

Start telling yourself, “I’m someone who shows up.” Say it out loud if you have to:

• “I do the hard things.”
• “I follow through.”
• “I don’t wait for motivation. I take action.”

This isn’t toxic positivity. It’s rewiring your internal script. Neuroscience shows that when you identify as the person you want to be, your behavior starts to align with that identity. Over time, your actions reinforce that belief, and it becomes your truth.

When excuses come knocking—and they will—respond with identity-based decisions. You’re not avoiding the task. You’re becoming the kind of person who handles it anyway.

Step 5: Find Accountability

Excuses love secrecy. That’s why accountability is such a powerful antidote.

When you say your goals out loud, you create external motivation. Writing them down in a public place also creates motivation. This motivation helps match your internal intention. Accountability doesn’t have to mean a formal partner or group. It could be a friend, coach, social media post, sticky note, or daily habit tracker.

The key is visibility. When someone—or something—is watching, you’re less likely to default to “any excuse will do” mode.

Bonus tip: Don’t wait until you’ve “figured it all out” to involve others. Accountability doesn’t require perfection. It just requires honesty and commitment.

Remember this: You don’t need to fix everything overnight. But you do need to interrupt the excuse-making pattern. Each time you catch an excuse, question it, shrink the task, and act anyway, you weaken its grip and strengthen your resilience.

Excuses are loud at first. But with practice, your discipline gets louder.

Why You Should Just Do the Thing

Momentum is magic. One small action leads to another. When you stop making excuses and take action, even a small one, you build energy and confidence.

You don’t need to feel ready, and you don’t need to feel motivated. You just need to act. Because feelings follow actions, not the other way around.

Doing hard things rewires your brain for resilience. It teaches you to show up, even when it’s inconvenient or scary. That’s how habits are built. That’s how change happens.

Real-Life Example: The Power of One Small Choice

Meet Clara. She wanted to write a book but kept making excuses: her kids were loud, her job was demanding, and she wasn’t sure she was “qualified.” One day, she decided to write just 50 words before bed. That tiny commitment turned into a habit. A year later, she published her first book.

She’ll tell you: any excuse will do—until you decide to stop giving them power.

Conclusion: Excuses or Excellence It’s Your Choice

Excuses are the enemy of growth. They steal your time, dim your confidence, and keep your dreams out of reach. The truth is, when we don’t want to do something, any excuse will do. But when we decide to take ownership, no excuse is good enough.

So the next time you feel yourself reaching for a reason to avoid what you know you need to do, stop. Breathe. And take action. You don’t need permission. Nor do you need perfect circumstances.

You just need to start.

Build Better Habits, Not Excuses

If you’re ready to stop making excuses and start building momentum, I highly recommend reading Atomic Habits by James Clear. This bestselling book breaks down the science of habit formation into simple, actionable steps you can use to rewire your behavior—one tiny change at a time. It’s full of practical strategies for creating lasting habits, overcoming procrastination, and becoming the person you want to be. You can find it on Amazon at this link (Click Here), and trust me—it’s worth every page.

For more inspiration on living Healthy in Heart, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, be sure to check out my other articles and plant-based recipes. Whether you’re working on mindset, meal planning, or meaningful spiritual growth, you’ll find tools, tips, and encouragement to help you live with more purpose and less overwhelm. Your healthiest, most intentional life is just one small step away.

Quitting Is Not an Option for Lasting Success(Opens in a new browser tab)

Consistency in Eating is the Key to Wellness(Opens in a new browser tab)

Generational Curses: Break the Cycle Today(Opens in a new browser tab)

Avoid Artificial Flavors for a Healthier Diet(Opens in a new browser tab)

The Bliss Point: The Perfect Fraud in Food Engineering(Opens in a new browser tab)

Don’t Just Read It. Live It! Use the Worksheet to Break the Cycle

Reading about excuses is helpful, but applying what you’ve learned is life-changing. That’s why I created the Break the Excuse Cycle Worksheet to guide you step-by-step through identifying, challenging, and replacing your excuses with empowered action. Print it out, grab a pen, and walk through the prompts with honesty. Writing things down creates clarity, commitment, and momentum. Whether you’re stuck on a fitness goal, a creative project, or just everyday tasks, this worksheet helps you move from procrastination to progress….one small action at a time. The free printable worksheet is linked at the bottom of this article. Print it out today!