“Build my portfolio” sounds like one item on a to-do list. In practice, it asks you to choose projects, find old files, write descriptions, and make design decisions. Give yourself a smaller question. What can I finish in the next ten minutes that moves this forward?

Choose a result you can see

“Work on the portfolio” leaves you deciding what counts as progress. “List three projects I might include” gives you a result you can read at the end. It also keeps you from opening a design tool when what you need first is a list.

Try the same approach with another task. For a video, write the opening line. For a room you need to tidy, clear one surface. For a job application, identify the two requirements you can best demonstrate.

Use the first attempt to choose the next one

Suppose your list includes a project with no screenshots. You now have a concrete choice. Find the original files, take a screenshot, or swap that project for one you can show. That’s a decision you can make with something in front of you.

In our short film Clarity Comes From Doing, a builder learns how to place a brick by trying to place one. The first attempt gives him a problem he can work on. Give yourself a first step that does the same.

Set a ten-minute timer. Before you start, finish this sentence: When the timer ends, I want to have ___.