In the last 250 meters, a lot of rowers stop thinking and start counting strokes. When it’s too hard to think, count.

Counting works precisely because it is stupid. Once you are past the point of thinking clearly, a simple repeated number gives your mind something to hold that does not involve weighing how much is left or whether you can finish. It is not inspiration. It occupies the part of you that would otherwise start negotiating.

Pick a count for the hardest stretch of whatever you do: strokes, steps, breaths, questions. Use it when the thinking gets unreliable instead of trying to reason your way through. Keep the same count every time so it is familiar by the point you need it.