The procedure
- Identify present state (e.g. procrastination) and target state (e.g. absorbed work)
- Design 2–3 intermediate states that genuinely progress: hesitation → mild curiosity → readiness → absorbed
- Anchor each state separately and cleanly (see anchoring basics in the journal)
- Fire the chain: trigger present-state anchor, then cascade through each link with a beat of overlap; test by firing only the first anchor
When chaining vs collapsing
Collapse anchors (firing a stuck state and a powerful resource together) suits intense opposites; chaining suits emotional distance that needs graduated travel — motivation problems, confidence ramps, morning-start rituals. The design error to avoid: intermediate states chosen for poetry instead of genuine adjacency — the chain must feel walkable from inside.
Practice notes
Chains fail on sloppy anchor isolation — states bleeding into each other at set-up. This is calibration work: clean sets, tested links, live feedback. Exactly the material that separates book-knowledge from trained skill.