2 Days Rule And Other Cool Tricks To Cure Procrastination
Few simple strategies to break free from delays and build momentum.
Constantly playing catch-up with your life? I have been there. You swear you will start tomorrow, but tomorrow becomes… tomorrow, and tomorrow turns into never. Procrastination is not just a bad habit — it’s a thief of peace of mind.
Think of your future self as a friend
It would be mean to dump all your responsibilities on your best friend, wouldn’t it?
What would you think about a coworker who hands you all his tasks so he can play a few matches of Rainbow6?
Why are you doing it to yourself then?
Think of yourself from the future, say a year from now, as your best friend.
Make things easier for your friend. Prepare gym equipment a day before, take out the trash now, send that stupid email now. It will make him happy.
Self-respect is about creating a better reality for your future self too. If you like the concept but don’t know how to apply it, start here:
2 Days Rule
If the task is repetitive and needs to be done daily, the goal is to turn it into a habit. Unlike a regular task, a habit is something you do automatically, without hesitation or friction. It's an action so ingrained that it bypasses any chance for your self-consciousness to even start a dialogue. You simply do it — no questions, no second-guessing.
Forming a habit from scratch is very difficult (and takes time) but when you get the momentum the tasks become easier.
And here comes the 2-day rule.
The rule is simple: Never skip a habit for more than two consecutive days.
Sometimes unforeseen circumstances throw you off the rhythm.
I got beastly drunk, totally hammered. I skipped my workout the next day (you don’t need to train every single day, it’s for the sake for example). That’s ok, I’m not a robot. The trick is not to skip another day. If I skip another day, I will likely skip another, and another, and so on. And the more days I skip, the harder it becomes to get back on track. It’s that simple and it’s great — keep the momentum going.
Apart from the 2-day rule, there’s also a 2-minute rule — If something takes less than 2 minutes, do it right away.
Mind maps — clarity
The task too easy is so easy that you can put it away for later. The best advice I can give you there is: just do it! Seriously — just do it. By the way, that has to be one of the greatest taglines in marketing history.
The task too difficult is so difficult that you will put it away for infinity. And why is that? Lack of clarity. The simplest way to make a big, complex task more tangible is breaking it into small steps that you understand and can perform.
I have an overwhelming task to do → I don’t know how to tackle it → I boot up a game to avoid this discomfort → by this brilliant way, I haven’t enjoyed the game nor do I have my task done.
Does this seem familiar to you?
I want to develop this project, but “develop this project” says as much as nothing. I don’t know where to start, I don’t know what steps I should take, I don’t know the specific actions I should perform, I don’t really know what I want to achieve too.
This is unclear → this arouses anxiety → this paralyzes me.
Such a general statement as “develop this project” is covered by fog, we will use a mind map to clear it.
This is the mind map for “I want to develop this project”. From a seed of thought to full branches ready to bear fruits.
It covers everything — time frames, categories, actions to take, next steps, and basically all important things for this specific project. This is how we blow away (most of) the fog. From this point, you need a plan and execution.
The task is more difficult in your head
The more you wait, the more the task grows in your mind. The more task grows in your mind, the more overwhelming it gets. Avoidance is what feeds overwhelm. A big part of building productivity is learning the skill of avoiding avoidance (however that sounds).
The easiest simplest way to get difficult things done is, apart from what we talked about before, doing it as fast as possible without overthinking.
The previous step clears the fog, but some of it remains. To get 100% rid of it, you need to walk the path yourself. As you walk — things become clear.
Schedule the task for 5 minutes — it’s easier to start when you tackle with an attitude of “just 5 minutes” than “as much as undefined time frame”.
5 minutes is enough to break that starting barrier.
Make things easy for yourself
If you liked the concepts above, this will be perfect for you:
I made an effort to put it together well and I use it myself.
More info
Do you struggle to stay consistent with your goals?
Most ambitious people do—because staying consistent is hard without accountability. When this happens, you fall behind with projects. Until all of a sudden, you are getting older with no achievements.
I get it. That’s why I created a ridiculously simple accountability system for ambitious people like you to help them get things done. I have been using it for years and it's the single most effective way to stay consistent and track progress.
And the benefit of staying consistent is closing the year with the feeling of achievement and satisfaction. All of which allow you to become less stressed and more fulfilled.
You don’t need to wait for motivation. You need a system. Start using this today and see the difference it makes in your productivity and peace of mind!
This is basically a checklist for your dream life!
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One more trick — chill. You will deliver, you always do.