Oct22A way to quickly stop procrastinating….
How to Stop Procrastinating With the “2-Minute Rule”
I recently watched a great video from James Clear an expert in habits. He has this thing he calls the “2-minute rule”
The Two-Minute Rule states “When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.”
You see nearly any habit can be scaled down into a two-minute version and below are examples in regards to fitness:
- “Do thirty minutes of cardio” becomes “Go downstairs to my treadmill.”
- “Run three miles” becomes “Tie my running shoes.”
- “Eat healthier dinners” becomes “Make a grocery list.”
- “Do thirty minutes of yoga” becomes “Take out my yoga mat.”
The whole concept here is to make your habits as easy as possible to get started. Anyone can tie their shoes, go downstairs to their treadmill, make a grocery list. Once you start doing the right thing it is easy to just keep doing the right thing. New habits should not feel overly challenging. The 2 minute rule helps you start with a “gateway habit” that will lead you to a more productive way.
To figure out the gateway habits that will lead you to the outcome you want is by mapping out your goals on a scale from “very easy” to “very hard.” For example, running a marathon is very hard. Running a 5K is hard. Walking ten thousand steps is moderately difficult. Walking ten minutes is easy. And putting on your running shoes is very easy. Your goal might be to run a marathon, but your gateway habit is to put on your running shoes. That’s how you follow the Two-Minute Rule.
Why the Two-Minute Rule Works
The things here is to master the habit of showing up. Truth is, a habit must be started before it can be improved. If you have trouble learning the basic skill of showing up, then you have will struggle mastering the finer details. Don’t focus on being perfect with the habit from the start, do the easy thing on a more consistent basis.
Hope this helps!