This is How I Start New Habits – The 2-Minute Rule

The book Atomic Habits by James Clear covers a simple concept called the 2-minute rule. It states that:

“When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.” 

This is a no-brainer for making your new habits as easy as possible to start. Once you show up, it’s alot easier to improve. As James Clear puts it, “You have to standardize before you can optimize.”

I’ve been constantly reminding myself of this idea recently. Whenever I’m struggling to do my Spanish practice or type up a blog post, I tell myself to just do the thing for 2 minutes, no longer than that. 

But what makes this a miracle is that I almost want to carry on. If I can turn up everyday, I might as well do that thing for longer. Before I know it, I’m itching to finish that Spanish lesson or publish that blog post. 

It’s okay to stop after 2 minutes, I like to reassure myself that it’s better to do less than to do nothing at all.

So if there’s something you’ve been putting off lately, why not now?