Beat procrastination in 2 minutes!
Recently, I came across this book called Getting Things Done - The Art of Stress-free Productivity, which talks about a simple concept called the 2-minute rule.
You may have heard of this before but it basically goes like this: If a task will take less than 2 minutes to do, do it right now.
It’s surprising how many things we put off for hours if not days that we could actually get done in two minutes or less. For example replying to emails right away, washing your dishes immediately after the meal, cleaning up your desk after a work day, paying your bills, the list goes on.
I’ve been trying to follow this simple rule and not only has it been helping me crush my procrastination but it’s also helping me make progress towards new habits I’ve been trying to adapt. Let me explain.
The 2 minute rule can be extended to habits to say that ‘when you start a new habit, it should take less than 2 minutes to do’. Now, if you’re wondering if 2 minutes is all it takes to accomplish new habits, that’s obviously not the case. But any goal or habit can be started in 2 minutes or less, and by starting and getting the ball rolling, you’re more likely to end up doing that habit for longer.
We often resist starting anything new because of how overwhelming it may seem to start. You may decide to start reading more often but the thought of reading a chapter each day may sound too much if you’re new to reading. However, if you approach it with the lens of the 2 minute rule, all you have to do is read for 2 minutes, and before you know it, you’ll be done with a chapter.
The idea of this is to make your habits as easy as possible to start. Usually the starting trouble is what keeps us from actually starting, so once you’re past that initial resistance, it’s much easier to stick with things and do them for a longer period of time.
‘Run 2 kilometres everyday’ becomes ‘wear my workout clothes and shoes’
‘Do half an hour of yoga’ becomes ‘take out my yoga mat and turn on the yoga video on YouTube’
‘Eat healthier’ becomes ‘eat one piece of fruit’
Breaking down goals/habits in this manner can make them less overwhelming to start and help you beat procrastination. I'm sure you can spare 120 seconds towards things you want to get done, so if there’s something you can do that will take you two minutes or less, do it right now! :D