“2分鐘規則”幫你改掉拖延惡習

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.

我把這個小小的方法稱為“2分鐘規則”，目的是讓你更加輕松地開始做你應該做的事情。

Here’s the deal…

情況是這樣的……

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.

你拖延的大部分任務都不難做，你有才能和方法來完成他們，你只是找各種各樣的理由來拖延。

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

2分鐘規則幫你克服拖延和懶惰的習慣，并且很容易就能開始行動起來，讓你無法說“不”。

2分鐘規則有兩個部分：

第一部分 —如果做這件事用不了兩分鐘，那么現在就做。

Part I comes from David Allen's bestselling book, Getting Things Done.

第一部分來自戴維?艾倫暢銷書《盡管去做——無壓工作的藝術》。

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.

令人驚訝的是，我們所推遲的許多事都可以在兩分鐘之內完成。例如，餐后立即洗碗、將衣服扔進洗衣機、丟垃圾、清理雜亂、發送電子郵件等。

If a task takes less than two minutes to complete, then follow the rule and do it right now.

如果一項任務需要不到兩分鐘就能完成，那么請按照規則立即執行。

第二部分—花費不到兩分鐘就可以養成一個新習慣。

Can all of your goals be accomplished in less than two minutes? Obviously not.

你的所有目標能否在不到兩分鐘的時間里完成？ 很明顯不可能。

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

但是，每個目標都可以在2分鐘以內開始。 這就是這個小規矩背后的目的。

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.

聽起來這個方法對于你宏大的人生目標來說太低級了，但我不敢茍同。它適用于任何目標，因為這就是生活中的物理學。

現實生活的物理學

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.

很久以前，艾薩克?牛頓爵士告訴我們，物體在靜止時傾向于靜止，物體在運動時趨向運動。對于人類來說，這與蘋果落地一樣真實。

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.

由于生活的慣性，2分鐘規則適用于大目標，同樣也適用于小目標。一旦你開始做某事，繼續下去就更容易。我喜歡2分鐘規則，因為它蘊涵了這樣一個理念，那就是你一旦開始，好的事情就隨之而來了。

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

想成為一個更好的作家？ 只要寫一句話（2分鐘規則），你會經常發現自己寫了一個小時。

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.

想吃的健康嗎？ 只要吃一塊水果（2分鐘規則），你會經常發現自己靈感迸發制作了一道沙拉。

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.

想形成閱讀習慣嗎？ 讀一本新書的第一頁（2分鐘規則），然后不知不覺，你已經讀完前三章了。

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.

想每周跑三次步？ 每個星期一，星期三和星期五，穿上跑步鞋就出門（2分鐘規則），你將發現你已經跑了好幾英里，而不是閑著沒事吃爆米花。

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.

養成一個新習慣的最重要的部分就是開始去做，不僅是第一次，而且是每一次。這跟表現無關，而與持續行動有關。在許多方面，開始比成功更重要。最開始的時候尤其如此，因為以后會有很多時間來改善你的表現。

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.

2分鐘規則不是關于你達到的結果，而是關于實際工作的過程。對于相信秩序比目標更重要的人來說，會達到較高的工作效率。重點是采取行動，讓事情自然而然的進行。

現在就試試

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.

我不能保證2分鐘規則是否適合你。 但是，如果你永遠不去嘗試，我保證它永遠不會奏效。

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.

你也看了不少文章，聽過播客也看過不少視頻，然而問題是，你只是獲取了信息，但從不將其付諸實踐。

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

我希望這篇文章有所不同。我想讓你立即使用這些信息。

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

做什么事情會花費你不到兩分鐘的時間？那就現在做吧。

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

每個人都可以節省下一個120秒。用這個時間來完成一件事情。行動吧。

“2分鐘規則”幫你改掉拖延惡習

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.

我把這個小小的方法稱為“2分鐘規則”，目的是讓你更加輕松地開始做你應該做的事情。

Here’s the deal…

情況是這樣的……

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.

你拖延的大部分任務都不難做，你有才能和方法來完成他們，你只是找各種各樣的理由來拖延。

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

2分鐘規則幫你克服拖延和懶惰的習慣，并且很容易就能開始行動起來，讓你無法說“不”。

2分鐘規則有兩個部分：

第一部分 —如果做這件事用不了兩分鐘，那么現在就做。

Part I comes from David Allen's bestselling book, Getting Things Done.

第一部分來自戴維?艾倫暢銷書《盡管去做——無壓工作的藝術》。

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.

令人驚訝的是，我們所推遲的許多事都可以在兩分鐘之內完成。例如，餐后立即洗碗、將衣服扔進洗衣機、丟垃圾、清理雜亂、發送電子郵件等。

If a task takes less than two minutes to complete, then follow the rule and do it right now.

如果一項任務需要不到兩分鐘就能完成，那么請按照規則立即執行。

第二部分—花費不到兩分鐘就可以養成一個新習慣。

Can all of your goals be accomplished in less than two minutes? Obviously not.

你的所有目標能否在不到兩分鐘的時間里完成？ 很明顯不可能。

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

但是，每個目標都可以在2分鐘以內開始。 這就是這個小規矩背后的目的。

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.

聽起來這個方法對于你宏大的人生目標來說太低級了，但我不敢茍同。它適用于任何目標，因為這就是生活中的物理學。

現實生活的物理學

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.

很久以前，艾薩克?牛頓爵士告訴我們，物體在靜止時傾向于靜止，物體在運動時趨向運動。對于人類來說，這與蘋果落地一樣真實。

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.

由于生活的慣性，2分鐘規則適用于大目標，同樣也適用于小目標。一旦你開始做某事，繼續下去就更容易。我喜歡2分鐘規則，因為它蘊涵了這樣一個理念，那就是你一旦開始，好的事情就隨之而來了。

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

想成為一個更好的作家？ 只要寫一句話（2分鐘規則），你會經常發現自己寫了一個小時。

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.

想吃的健康嗎？ 只要吃一塊水果（2分鐘規則），你會經常發現自己靈感迸發制作了一道沙拉。

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.

想形成閱讀習慣嗎？ 讀一本新書的第一頁（2分鐘規則），然后不知不覺，你已經讀完前三章了。

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.

想每周跑三次步？ 每個星期一，星期三和星期五，穿上跑步鞋就出門（2分鐘規則），你將發現你已經跑了好幾英里，而不是閑著沒事吃爆米花。

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.

養成一個新習慣的最重要的部分就是開始去做，不僅是第一次，而且是每一次。這跟表現無關，而與持續行動有關。在許多方面，開始比成功更重要。最開始的時候尤其如此，因為以后會有很多時間來改善你的表現。

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.

2分鐘規則不是關于你達到的結果，而是關于實際工作的過程。對于相信秩序比目標更重要的人來說，會達到較高的工作效率。重點是采取行動，讓事情自然而然的進行。

現在就試試

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.

我不能保證2分鐘規則是否適合你。 但是，如果你永遠不去嘗試，我保證它永遠不會奏效。

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.

你也看了不少文章，聽過播客也看過不少視頻，然而問題是，你只是獲取了信息，但從不將其付諸實踐。

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

我希望這篇文章有所不同。我想讓你立即使用這些信息。

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

做什么事情會花費你不到兩分鐘的時間？那就現在做吧。

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

每個人都可以節省下一個120秒。用這個時間來完成一件事情。行動吧。