Moment 140 The 2 Minute Trick That Beats Procrastinating For Good Ali Abdaal

In a conversation about the unpredictable nature of viral content and the power of consistency on YouTube, the speakers, including a YouTube educator, emphasize the transformative impact of regular content creation. They discuss how committing to a weekly video for two years can significantly change one's life, not just in measurable metrics like subscribers, but also in skills and relationships formed. The discussion pivots to the importance of enjoying the process over being fixated on outcomes, and the necessity of intrinsic motivation for sustained effort. They explore strategies to overcome procrastination, such as reducing friction and setting manageable goals, and the value of accountability mechanisms like financial pacts or personal trainers. The speakers conclude that starting with small, actionable steps can help mitigate the psychological discomfort associated with beginning tasks, ultimately leading to compounding success over time.

• Consistency is crucial for success on YouTube.
• Predicting the outcome of viral videos is extremely difficult.
• Consistent content creation leads to life-changing experiences beyond just metrics.
• Consistency in posting videos (e.g., one video per week for two years) is recommended.

"I teach people how to, how to be part time YouTubers. And the thing I say is that if you make one video every week for two years, then I 100% guarantee it will change your life."

This quote emphasizes the importance of regular content creation on YouTube and the belief that it can significantly impact one's life, even if specific outcomes like subscriber count or income cannot be guaranteed.

• Intrinsic motivation is necessary to maintain consistent effort without immediate results.
• Enjoying the process is key to sustaining effort over time.
• Goals should be process-oriented rather than outcome-oriented.
• Consistency must be non-negotiable to achieve success.

"But the thing that makes it bearable, the thing that makes it fun, is actually enjoying the process and shifting away from outcome oriented goals."

Speaker B highlights that finding joy in the creative process itself, rather than focusing solely on outcomes like views or subscribers, makes the consistent effort more sustainable and enjoyable.

• Consistency leads to compounding benefits over time.
• Initial content may not yield immediate results.
• Long-term commitment results in gradual and then sudden positive outcomes.
• Success on YouTube often comes after a prolonged period of consistent posting.

"But you find when you're on day 300 and day 600, oh, actually, all of this stuff has been compounding very, very slowly, and then the results happen really, really slowly. And then all at once."

This quote explains the compounding effect of consistent content creation on YouTube, where the results of one's efforts may not be apparent initially but accumulate over time, leading to significant success later on.

• Small, seemingly insignificant decisions can compound over time, leading to significant outcomes.
• Neglect in small daily habits, like tooth brushing, can lead to serious consequences.
• The concept applies to various aspects of life, including personal health, fitness, and business.
• It's not the big, critical decisions but the small, daily ones that accumulate to create substantial change.

"And it just goes to show that it's not those key, critical, big decisions we make to drop out. It's that like, yeah, it's the compounding small, almost irrelevant decisions..."

This quote emphasizes the importance of daily habits and their long-term impact, suggesting that consistent small actions are more influential than occasional big decisions.

• Hiring a personal trainer provided the necessary accountability for Speaker B to consistently work out.
• Outsourcing discipline and motivation can lead to better results in pursuing personal goals.
• Accountability can take various forms, such as financial incentives or commitments to others.
• Speaker B and their brother used financial stakes to motivate themselves in their creative pursuits.

"Let me try and figure out ways that will remove my own need for discipline and willpower from that equation and instead get an accountability buddy."

Speaker B is discussing strategies to achieve goals without relying solely on personal discipline, highlighting the effectiveness of accountability systems.

• Speaker B acknowledges that while extrinsic motivators can be effective, they may not be sustainable.
• Intrinsic motivation is identified as the key to long-term, sustainable engagement in activities.
• Enjoyment of an activity is crucial, but even enjoyable tasks can be difficult to start, which is where procrastination often sets in.

"And the way that I think of it when I think back on my life is that everything that I've done sustainably has been because of intrinsic motivation."

Speaker B reflects on their past experiences, concluding that intrinsic motivation has been the driving force behind their sustained efforts and achievements.

"I've genuinely enjoyed the thing, but you can genuinely enjoy a thing and still find it really hard to get started."

This quote highlights the challenge of initiating an activity, even one that is enjoyable, suggesting that intrinsic motivation alone may not always overcome the hurdle of beginning a task.

• Procrastination is often a challenge of starting a task, described as an "activation energy" barrier.
• The initial effort to begin an activity is typically the most difficult part, but once commenced, the process becomes easier.
• Tools and strategies can be employed to help overcome the initial resistance and engage in the activity for a short period, which can lead to sustained engagement.

where it's actually just showing up to the gym. That's the hard part. Once you're there, it's kind of easy. It's writing those first ten words. Because once you've started writing the first ten, it's kind of easier to enjoy the process of writing the rest of them.

This quote emphasizes the concept that the most challenging aspect of a task is often just beginning it. After starting, the task tends to become more manageable and even enjoyable.

• Procrastination is linked to psychological discomfort associated with the task at hand.
• Lack of knowledge or feelings of incompetence can lead to avoidance behaviors, such as choosing to do less important tasks instead.
• Understanding the psychological barriers can help in developing strategies to address and overcome procrastination.

people procrastinate usually because there's a great deal of psychological discomfort surrounding starting the task. And a lot of the time, especially with a gym or even an essay, that psychological discomfort is like, you don't have the answers.

This quote identifies psychological discomfort as a core reason for procrastination, suggesting that not knowing how to begin or feeling unprepared can lead to avoidance of the task.

• Procrastination can be viewed through the lens of Newton's first law of motion, with the idea that objects at rest tend to stay at rest unless acted upon by an external force.
• The key to overcoming procrastination is to create a small initial momentum that can help overcome inertia.
• Reducing external friction, such as environmental barriers, and internal friction, like emotional resistance, can aid in beginning a task.
• Setting achievable and personally meaningful goals can reduce the pressure and make it easier to start a project.

So the key to overcoming procrastination is that little nudge at the start towards actually getting started. And all of the techniques around that in the whole psychology research or research around this is just around make it as easy as possible.

This quote suggests that the solution to procrastination lies in finding ways to make starting a task as simple as possible, thereby reducing the inertia that keeps one from engaging with the activity.

If you want to learn the guitar, then have the guitar by your sofa rather than in the wardrobe, where you're never going to see it.

This quote offers a practical example of reducing external friction by keeping tools for a task visible and easily accessible, which can encourage engagement with the task.

if my goal in writing the book is, oh, I really want to hit the New York Times bestseller list, then it's really, really hard to bring myself to write anything, because now every single word I have to write has to be a New York Times bestselling word. Whereas if the goal is to be honest, I just want to write a book I'm proud of. That's fun to write. That's actually within my control, and it becomes so much easier to get started at doing the thing.

This quote highlights the importance of setting realistic and intrinsically motivated goals, which can lower internal friction and make initiating a task less daunting.

• Procrastination often stems from perfectionism, fear, and discomfort.
• The "two minute rule" is a hack used to overcome the initial resistance to starting a task.
• Convincing oneself to engage in a task for just two minutes can lead to continued effort beyond that time frame.
• Breaking down tasks into smaller, manageable steps can reduce psychological barriers and make challenges feel achievable.

The one that I use all the time is the two minute rule, which is where I will genuinely convince myself I'm only going to do it for two minutes.

This quote explains the "two minute rule," a strategy to trick the mind into starting a task by committing to only two minutes of effort.

• Viewing challenges as insurmountable (like moving Mount Everest) can prevent action.
• Simplifying tasks into smaller steps (moving one pebble at a time) can make them seem more manageable.
• Itemizing tasks and taking them one step at a time can alleviate psychological discomfort and create a sense of achievability.

They view the challenge as moving Mount Everest. And really, if they viewed it as just like moving one pebble at a time, it becomes such a simple task.

This quote highlights the importance of reframing how we perceive challenges, suggesting that by breaking them down into smaller steps, they become much easier to tackle.

• Tasks that are vague can feel "icky" and overwhelming, leading to procrastination.
• Clearly defining the next action step can make a task less daunting.
• For example, "start a business" is vague, but "brainstorm ten ideas for a name" is a specific, actionable step.
• Clearly defined steps can help students and entrepreneurs alike to progress towards their goals.

Something like start a business is icky. Something like learn to code is icky. Because what the hell does that even mean? Where do you even start?

This quote emphasizes the difficulty of beginning tasks that are not clearly defined and suggests that creating a specific next step can make the task more approachable.

• It's beneficial to seek out resources, such as blogs or podcasts, that offer strategies for overcoming challenges like procrastination.
• Interviewing or connecting with thought leaders can provide new insights and motivation.
• Tim Urban's blog "Wait But Why" is recommended for its series on overcoming procrastination.

Oh, it's incredible. You should definitely interview Tim Urban when you're in America.

This quote suggests that there are valuable resources available, such as Tim Urban's work, that can provide helpful strategies for overcoming common obstacles like procrastination.