Learn to Stop Procrastinating

Do you have a hard time getting things done because you are always putting them off until later? There are simple ways that you can do things to stick to what you need to get done and stop procrastinating.

There is something called a Two Minute Rule that means that it should take you less than 2 minutes to pick up a new habit.

You can find that any habit can be picked up in two minutes or less and here are some tips to do that:

• Instead of studying, you read one page each night.
• Instead of doing yoga for a half an hour, you get your mat out.
• Instead of studying, you open up your notes.
• Instead of folding the clothes out of the dryer, you put a pair of socks together.
• Instead of running 3 miles, you tie your shoes.

The point of this article is that you can make your habits work out for you. You can do things that only take a few minutes of your time such as read a page or meditate for a minute. You can put some clothes away or do a few dishes. This can be powerful because you are doing a good thing, but it is better when you do it until you get it done.

When you pick up a habit that is new, it should not feel like a job or a challenge but what you do with that can end up being challenging for you. For the first two minutes, the habit should be easy and what happens is that you want your habit to be easy and it to be productive.

These things are called gateway habits and they can get you to the outcome that you want but they can be easy or hard. Running a 5K is hard but running for a few steps is not that hard. Walking for a few minutes is even easier and putting on your shoes is super easy. Maybe your goal is to run something like a 5K but instead you just put on your shoes and that is the Two Minute rule.

Why It Works

People think it is strange to get excited about things that are easy, but it is not about doing one thing, it is about getting better at your habit and working hard to improve yourself each day. Once you do a basic skill, you will see that you will be able to reach bigger goals and if you are consistent then you will get to where you want to be.

Once you show up and start your habit, you will see that you can do from two minutes to five minutes and then you keep building. This will be a process and if you focus on what you want in life then you will accomplish your goals. Maybe you choose to workout and then tomorrow you run. When you keep developing your habit each day, you will see that the process will make the action easier.

The two-minute rule can seem like it is there to trick people, but it is about doing something until you complete it without failing. If the two-minute rule feels like you are forcing it, don’t do it and then find something else to do until you make it a habit.

Some people can use this habit to lose weight and to encourage themselves to work out longer. They start for a few minutes and then down the road they see that they are staying for much longer.

This works because it causes you to look at yourself and see what you can build up on. If you do the habit for five days in a row, you will see that you are shaping a new identity for yourself. You don’t worry about how it is going to get done but instead you focus on doing something better. You take a small action, and it shapes you.

We do not often think about change being this little and we set goals that are too big. If we would start with small goals, then we would be able to keep doing them even if we never made more. For example, maybe you do 5 sit-ups and if you keep doing this every day, it is better than doing nothing at all.

If you are having a hard time sticking to a habit, try the two-minute rule to make the habit be easy for you and to stick to it. See where it takes you.