How do you stop procrastinating by using the two minute rule by James Clear?
The Two-Minute Rule states “When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.” You’ll find that nearly any habit can be scaled down into a two-minute version: “Read before bed each night” becomes “Read one page.” “Do thirty minutes of yoga” becomes “Take out my yoga mat.”
Regarding the two minute rule introduced by James Clear assumes that if we convince ourselves to commit to two minutes of anything everyday, then once in motion we’ll automatically go longer to achieve the results we’re really looking for. Something like that.
I found that:
It’s so easy one forgets to do it.
It’s so easy one figures what’s the point?
It’s so easy, one can’t feel the benefit.
I tried it. Two minutes on the treadmill. Or two minutes to position the treadmill and put shoes on.
It didn’t work – the reason being that consciously or subconsciously I knew it would end up being longer, so the same procrastination occurred.
We do two minutes anyway, by the mere fact that we do it. If he’s implying that for a while we need to do only the two minutes required and eventually we’ll want to do more I agree, but for me that happens the first time I do two minutes.
It takes more discipline to stop after two minutes day after day until one forms a habit, than it does to continue on longer. He builds his theory on the law of inertia, once in motion, we tend to want to stay in motion and vice versa.
The short of my experience is don’t set a time limit, simply say you’re going to get on that treadmill everyday, no matter for how long. If you’re tired, go slow, if not, go slow longer.
Since the belt on my treadmill started to slip after the building got a heat treatment for bed bugs, and there is no way to fix it other than oil the underside of the belt, which isn’t easy and isn’t thorough, I can still use it if I set it on a slow speed, which I found works out my glutes much better than a high speed whereby the belt propels me.
At a slow speed, I’m pushing against the belt, which ends up being a much better workout, plus the belt doesn’t slip.
Regarding the article, I didn’t read beyond the initial ad. My two minutes spilled into a few more as I noted on paper to follow up. Then I sat on it for a few months and am just getting to my experience now.
I’m a big procrastinator, mostly because I’m always creating something new, so the notes pile up. I have so many placeholders in my notes that I will never be able to go back and complete them all. Just when I start doing that, I recall what George Carlin said about all his notes stored in a box – throw them away without a thought.
Well, maybe that worked for George and I do see some merit to it, but I’m not quite ready. I’d have to go through them all first, which is what he didn’t really want to do. I get it. And it is a burden, but I also know there are some golden words written therein and it’s my responsibility to find them.
I decide to do a little each day along with my other creative work, but often times a little turns into a lot and then I realize the ocean of words is just too big to handle. Two sentences can elicit in me a full blown essay that could take seven hours. How many of those do I have left in my lifetime?
Then I start writing longer, faster and get exhausted. There’s only so much focus a brain can handle, so then I work four hours, sleep four hours, write four hours, play/recreate four hours, sleep four hours, write seven hours and on and on. Often times I’m at the computer for twelve hour periods.
I need a better plan. Each time I think to tackle the backload, I get antsy about the here and now, worrying about writing about the here and now only ends up in another pile of unfinished or to be finished essays.
I’ll figure it out – I always do.
FAT-FREE CHEF™ 