2 Minutes

In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear talks about what 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’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.”
• “Study for class” becomes “Open my notes.”
• “Fold the laundry” becomes “Fold one pair of socks.”
• “Run three miles” becomes “Tie my running shoes.”

The idea is to make your habits as easy as possible to start. Anyone can meditate for one minute, read one page, or put one item of clothing away. And, as we have just discussed, this is a powerful strategy because once you’ve started doing the right thing, it is much easier to continue doing it. A new habit should not feel like a challenge. The actions that follow can be challenging, but the first two minutes should be easy. What you want is a “gateway habit” that naturally leads you down a more productive path.

https://jamesclear.com/how-to-stop-procrastinating

I tend towards an all-or-nothing attitude with a lot of personal changes. I’ll go to the gym every day for months and then stop entirely.

That behavior makes sense through the lens of habits. In many ways, it is easier to go to the gym every day, instead of 2 days a week. That way you don’t have to think about your schedule or make any decisions about if you should go today or not. You just go.

I’ve tried implementing the 2-minute rule into any new behavior I’m starting.

Instead of going to the gym, since January I’ve committed to doing 1 pull-up, 1 extended hang, 10 squats, 5 push-ups, kettlebell swings, and farmers’ carries.

I’ve stuck with it now every day for more than a month. Most days I go well over 2 minutes, some days I do it twice a day, but there have been a few where I’ve done it late at night before bed to not break the habit.

2 minutes a day is enough time to build a habit, to change your identity, or even to write a blog post (like this one that actually took 4 minutes).