The Two-Minute Rule

The hardest part of any task is starting. The two-minute rule makes the start absurdly easy.

Scale down any task until it takes two minutes or less. "Go to the gym" becomes "put on gym shoes." "Write the report" becomes "open the document, write one sentence." "Study for the exam" becomes "read one page."

This works because the hardest part is overcoming the resistance to begin. Your brain dreads the full effort it imagines ahead — but a two-minute version is too small to dread. Once you begin, even tiny, the imagined mountain often dissolves.

Over time the scaled action becomes a habit trigger. Putting on shoes leads to a workout. You stop needing to decide.