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Chapter 13 · 0.5 min · from Atomic Habits

How to Stop Procrastinating by Using the Two-Minute Rule

Chapter summary from Atomic Habits by James Clear.

More by James Clear

A new habit should feel like something you can start, not something you must finish. If the first version is too big, you’ll negotiate, delay, and quit.
Shrink the habit to a two-minute entry point. Read one page. Put on running shoes. Open the writing document. Do one set. This isn’t the final goal. It’s the gateway habit—the ritual that makes starting automatic.
Once you begin, continuation is easier. The hardest part is getting past inertia. By making the start small, you protect consistency and build the identity of someone who shows up. Then you can scale. First standardize, then optimize. A habit must be established before it can be improved. If you demand high performance too early, you train avoidance. If you train easy starts, you train participation.

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