The 2 Minute Rule To Creating Habits
Published March 8th, 2023 by Sabah V.
Sometimes it is hard to start a habit because it seems too intimidating. Re-wiring our brain is the first step to overcoming these self-imposed limitations that we all fall victim to.
Having Goals Sounds Nice
A lot of times I would sit on the couch and think about how nice it would be to get up, go outside, and run a mile. Then, I would proceed to sit on the couch and scroll on my phone.
I’m not a lazy person at all, I am pretty energetic and get a lot of things done. But, I think it is hard for anybody to get up and do something taxing when we are already in a comfortable situation. So how did I re-wire my brain to do hard things?
The 2 Minute Rule
The 2 Minute Rule is something that is discussed in James Clear’s book: Atomic Habits. I have discussed it a lot recently because it truly is an inspiring book.
The idea states that: Instead of running a whole mile, run for only 2 minutes instead. Anyone can do something for 2 minutes, it’s much easier than running a whole mile. The idea here is that at least you end up doing SOMETHING instead of NOTHING.
How It Affected Me
Not only would I actually get up off the couch and run instead of not running at all. I found that because I was already up and making progress, I might as well push on a little longer.
I never lie to myself by saying only 2 minutes knowing I am going to run the whole mile, but 80% of the time I get close to the 2 minute mark – I decide to just run a little longer anyway. The same goes for reading. I’ll be honest and think, “Ok. I’ll read 2 pages and then if I’m bored I’ll put the book away.” And to my surprise – I’ll read at least 10 pages nearly every time.
This genuinely has helped me so much. So many things that I would picture doing that I would never get around to doing are now daily habits of mine thanks to the 2 minute rule. Remember, you don’t have to do more than 2 minutes – because 2 minutes is better than nothing.