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Recently, I've been following a simple rule that is helping me crush procrastination and making it easier for me to stick to good habits at the same time.

I want to share it with you today so that you can try it out and see how it works in your life.

The best part? It's a simple strategy that couldn't be easier to use.

Here's what you need to know...

Before we talk about how to get started, though, I wanted to let you know I researched and compiled science-backed ways to stick to good habits and stop procrastinating. Want to check out my insights? Download my free PDF guide "Transform Your Habits" here.

How to Stop Procrastinating With the "2-Minute Rule"

I call this little strategy the "2-Minute Rule" and the goal is to make it easier for you to get started on the things you should be doing.

Here's the deal...

Most of the tasks that you procrastinate on aren't actually difficult to do - you have the talent and skills to accomplish them - you just avoid starting them for one reason or another.

The 2-Minute Rule overcomes procrastination and laziness by making it so easy to start taking action that you can't say no.

There are two parts to the 2-Minute Rule...
Part 1 - If it takes less than two minutes, then do it now.
Part I comes from David Allen's bestselling book, Getting Things Done.

It's surprising how many things we put off that we could get done in two minutes or less. For example, washing your dishes immediately after your meal, tossing the laundry in the washing machine, taking out the garbage, cleaning up clutter, sending that email, and so on.

If a task takes less than two minutes to complete, then follow the rule and do it right now.
Part 2 - When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.
Can all of your goals be accomplished in less than two minutes? Obviously not.

But, every goal can be started in 2 minutes or less. And that's the purpose behind this little rule.

It might sound like this strategy is too basic for your grand life goals, but I beg to differ. It works for any goal because of one simple reason: the physics of real life.

The Physics of Real Life

As Sir Isaac Newton taught us a long time ago, objects at rest tend to stay at rest and objects in motion tend to stay in motion. This is just as true for humans as it is for falling apples.

The 2-Minute Rule works for big goals as well as small goals because of the inertia of life. Once you start doing something, it's easier to continue doing it. I love the 2-Minute Rule because it embraces the idea that all sorts of good things happen once you get started.

Want to become a better writer? Just write one sentence (2-Minute Rule), and you'll often find yourself writing for an hour.

Want to eat healthier? Just eat one piece of fruit (2-Minute Rule), and you'll often find yourself inspired to make a healthy salad as well.

Want to make reading a habit? Just read the first page of a new book (2-Minute Rule), and before you know it, the first three chapters have flown by.

Want to run three times a week? Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, just get your running shoes on and get out the door (2-Minute Rule), and you'll end up putting mileage on your legs instead of popcorn in your stomach.

The most important part of any new habit is getting started - not just the first time, but each time. It's not about performance, it's about consistently taking action. In many ways, getting started is more important than succeeding. This is especially true in the beginning because there will be plenty of time to improve your performance later on.

The 2-Minute Rule isn't about the results you achieve, but rather about the process of actually doing the work. It works really well for people who believe that the system is more important than the goal. The focus is on taking action and letting things flow from there.

Try It Now

I can't guarantee whether or not the 2-Minute Rule will work for you. But, I can guarantee that it will never work if you never try it.

The problem with most articles you read, podcasts you listen to, or videos you watch is that you consume the information but never put it into practice.

I want this article to be different. I want you to actually use this information, right now.

What's something you can do that will take you less than two minutes? Do it right now.

Anyone can spare the next 120 seconds. Use this time to get one thing done. Go.

Read Next

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How to Stop Procrastinating by Using the "2-Minute Rule"

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Recently, I've been following a simple rule that is helping me crush procrastination and making it easier for me to stick to good habits at the same time. I want to share it with you today so that you can try it out and see how it works in your life.

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Remote work is arguably one of the greatest advancements in the working life of people around the globe today. It gives new opportunities that nobody thought possible before - possibilities like working for a company that is located on the other end of the planet, or making a living right from your living room.

But all the benefits of remote work have their price. And new remote workers have to gradually face the challenges that the new workplace concept presents.

As one of the forward-looking SaaS companies these days, at Hubstaff, we've chosen to function as a fully distributed team. We've been working this way since the first day we started our operations.

Why am I saying this? Because we have encountered, at different stages of our development, most of the serious obstacles that all remote workers stumble on. From drops in productivity to difficult communication across time zones, we've seen it all.

Remote work is one of the greatest advancements in the working life of people around the globe today. Click To Tweet

But if you ask us today, we wouldn't change a thing about our remote setup.

In fact, we are big proponents of remote work. Our products are dedicated to making the lives of people in distributed teams easier, and we regularly blog about remote work.

It's important, however, to know what you're getting into when you're setting your foot on the path of remote work. It comes with a ton of positive sides, but it's also a good idea to be prepared for the typical challenges so there's no disappointment later. Here are the five main traps we've encountered - and how they can be overcome.

#1. Procrastination

Postponing action on important tasks is one of the biggest enemies in remote working. It's difficult enough to battle procrastination on its own, but when you add the factor of remote work, things can get really problematic.

However, curing procrastination is not impossible. The first step is to realize that you need structure in your days and to start enforcing it. This entails creating a clear task list before you start your workday instead of wasting hours deciding what you need to get done. Then you can apply the 2-minute rule to overcome the stress of getting started on a complex task.

Breaking down your work into manageable units is another important rule to follow. When you're working on bigger projects away from your teammates, it can seem impossible to understand which task to start first. But smaller tasks are easier to tackle. You can get through them faster and check them off the list, which gives you a sense of accomplishment, starts some forward momentum, and motivates you to go on.

#2. Productivity

Another major trap that you can fall in when working remotely is dropping productivity. The peace of your home can seem alluring because the typical distractions of an open office are eliminated. But there are a bunch of other challenges that you will have to overcome.

From taking out the trash and walking the dog to chatting with your flatmates or partner, there are a myriad of ways to waste your productive hours. To counter these tendencies, you have to test different working locations and see how you perform there. Choosing a comfortable coffee shop or diversifying your workplaces can have a meaningful impact on your productivity by bringing freshness and forcing you to better structure your day.

It's also important to put efforts into banning multitasking from your routine. Instead of tackling three things at the same time (which is especially tempting when working from home), it's better to focus at one thing at a time and follow it through to completion. Time tracking is very practical as well, as it allows you to see the hours spent on the different tasks, so you can assess your productivity levels and figure out which activities need more attention.

It's also important to put efforts into banning multitasking from your routine. Click To Tweet

#3. Communication with teammates

One of the most serious issues of remote team work is keeping up with communication and collaboration without physically being together - and across time zones. This is something that affects the dynamics of the whole team and needs special attention from managers and team leaders.

When people need to work together, they have to communicate often enough to make sure they're all on the same page. In some cases, this means that a team member has to get up early or stay up late to attend a team meeting. To overcome this difficulty, it's best to plan your hiring well, so that people on the same team who are located in different time zones have at least a few hours of overlap in their waking hours. In this way, their regular catch-up calls will not become problematic.

The physical distance and difference in time zones means that communication is often asynchronous, so team members cannot count on quick responses to pending issues. While this can't be fully eliminated, it's best to have a clear protocol of how your team communication will be conducted. This entails noting the right channels for the specific needs.

It's best to have a clear protocol of how your team communication will be conducted. Click To Tweet

#4. Socialization needs

For some people, working alone is the only way to be productive and calm during their workweek. For others, it's complete hell. In whichever group you fall, it's important not to ignore your socialization needs when working remotely.

Even without recognizing it, working on your own all the time can create a sense of loneliness. Instead of staying alone, you can try out different coffee shops, parks when the weather is good, or coworking spaces. You could also find a partner who is working remotely. The lack of immediate community can also be a problem in your professional development. Working in an office or attending work events on a regular basis give us the opportunity to mingle with like-minded people and make new connections that can be useful on both personal and professional level.

For remote team leaders, tackling the socialization issue is best done by fostering an online meeting place where the whole team can communicate. It's also important to regularly get together as a team physically, so that people can create real-time connections.

#5. Work-life balance issues

Last but not least, working remotely can present a serious challenge to your work-life balance. It may seem that when working from home, you can spend more time with your loved ones, or that you can take breaks whenever you want to. In fact, it can be more difficult to set a clear boundary between your work activities and your leisure time.

To combat the feeling that you are working all the time because both your work and your time to relax happen at home, it's wise to have a clear schedule. You can set the hours that you will dedicate to your work tasks and track them, then keep the rest of the time at home for taking a rest and other activities. It's useful to enforce some rules on computer and phone usage too, so that you don't end up spending your weekends answering emails and tackling tasks in front of the monitor.

Overcoming remote work traps is possible

Distributed work can be really challenging. We know, because at Hubstaff, we've faced all the obstacles remote teams have to overcome. However, it is important to remember that whatever your particular issues are, there's always a way to overcome them.

What are the biggest challenges that your remote team is facing? How are you overcoming them? We'd love it if you share your insights in the comments below.

When it comes to remote work, whatever your issues are, there's always a way to overcome them. Click To Tweet

Dave Nevogt is a co-founder at . Dave has founded several multi-million dollar businesses with remote teams. He's collected his knowledge on the topic in a free email course.

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How to Prevent The Pitfalls of Remote Working

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Remote work is arguably one of the greatest advancements in the working life of people around the globe today. It gives new opportunities that nobody thought possible before - possibilities like working for a company that is located on the other end of the planet, or making a living right from your living room.