Break Procrastination With The 2-Minute Rule
As a designer, it is normal to procrastinate on uncomfortable projects. However, if you want to be productive throughout the day, procrastination on specific tasks could lead to bigger problems. As a designer, I also struggle with this habit due to the anxiety of not fulfilling the expected approach to the design. However, it can be solved with the 2-minute rule presented in Atomic Habits by James Clear.
While this rule focuses on habits in the book, I see that it can also be implemented in the day-to-day life of a designer with projects that you keep putting off.
We often procrastinate because we either can’t find a solution to a big problem or we just don’t feel like doing the task (in this case, a design project). This is due to our laziness or our fear of not meeting our expectations of the task. But this behavior could have a very bad effect on the quality of your life and your career, causing you to always have problems with deadlines and never achieve what you set out to achieve.
But there is a simple solution to this problem, a solution that could do more than you think → The two-minute rule.
The two-minute rule states that when you start a new project, it will take you less than two minutes to break it. This means just sitting down for 2 minutes and trying to solve the task you are afraid to start. I would also measure this with a timer because this rule is really about sitting on the task for 2 minutes.
In these two minutes, you should focus on finding a solution to your problem that leads to procrastination. This will allow you to work on the design longer.
Start your tasks small when they themselves are big and hard to accomplish. The more aware you are of starting a process, the more likely you are to get into the state of deep concentration required to accomplish great things.
For instance, if you’re procrastinating on an illustration because you don’t really like the current outcome or the foreseen vision didn’t work out, take these two minutes to think about what you want to do with that illustration in the future.
Do you want to either stop continuing the illustration and cancel the project, thus throwing away the time you invested? Or do you want to figure out the problem of this failed execution and thus correct the mistakes as well as start over with a rethought plan?
It is important to make such decisions so that you can clear your mind and not destroy yourself internally. After all, if you repeatedly procrastinate on projects, it can affect the quality of your future projects, making them worse unintentionally.
In addition to the 2-minute rule, there are other factors to look for to avoid procrastination on your projects:
Setting clear and achievable goals will keep you focused and motivated to complete tasks. If you have a larger goal, break it down into smaller tasks, because large goals can be intimidating. If you break them down into smaller, more manageable pieces, they will be easier to accomplish.
I create a schedule for myself and make time for specific tasks to keep track of them. This way, smaller parts of a larger goal can be completed much faster, which can prevent procrastination.
It’s also important to avoid distractions. Figure out what exactly distracts you the most. Is it email or social media? These could be the cause of procrastination and break your concentration and will to complete the task. Commit to checking these matters off first at breaks during work sessions. I never take breaks that are too long because they could be used as an excuse to procrastinate. But it is still really important to take time to recover and to sort out your thoughts.
Accordingly, putting off activities has negative consequences for an individual’s health, finances, and social life. It’s important to know, though, that doing less than you intended is better than doing nothing at all.
Just do it.
📚 Book
If you currently feel self-doubt within yourself and are at a loss, I recommend reading the book Ikigai. The book teaches you to define the personal meaning of life in terms of your talents, passions, and profession, and what you can give to the world. It really helped me when I was down because I didn’t feel good enough. Keep looking at the principles over and over again!
🃏 Inspiration
I am currently building my new website (it’s really hard), so I needed enough inspiration from other portfolio sites for the vision I have. That’s when I found Awwwards, which was suggested to me by a friend. A delightful collection of websites from other designers!
🆕 Updates
This week, unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get much done due to the last week of my school term. I was bombarded with big school projects, which is why I didn’t find as much time to work on my design projects.
However, I have set a goal to get all the tasks (I. e. brand identity project) I still need to do done by the end of the year so I can start the new year with new goals set!
🗨️ Quote
Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
Benjamin Franklin
