Some tasks feel like a wall: you know you need to do them, yet you can't get yourself to begin. The two-minute start lowers the bar on purpose. You aren't agreeing to finish, or even to do much. You're agreeing to two minutes.
How to try it
- Choose the task you're avoiding and name the smallest first action, like "open the document" or "write one line".
- Set a two-minute timer.
- Do only that tiny action until the timer ends.
- When it rings, decide honestly: stop, or keep going for another short block.
- If you stop, that still counts. Note what you did so the next start is easier.
- Use it as often as needed. Some tasks take several two-minute starts.
Why it can help
A tiny commitment is less likely to trigger the dread that big tasks bring. Once you've begun, you often have more momentum than you expected, and the task usually turns out less awful than it looked from outside. Giving yourself real permission to stop keeps the deal honest, which makes it easier to come back to next time. A short FocusCrew timer works well as the countdown.