We all have habits that we want to change or improve. Maybe you want to exercise more, read more books, or learn a new skill. But sometimes, it can be hard to find the motivation or the energy to start. You might think that you need more willpower or discipline to overcome your laziness and get things done. But what if there was a simpler and easier way to change your habits? What if you could use your laziness to your advantage?
What is the 20 Second Rule?
The 20 Second Rule is a concept that was popularized by Shawn Achor, a positive psychology expert and the author of The Happiness Advantage. He discovered this rule when he wanted to learn how to play the guitar, but he found it too hard to practice every day. He realized that the reason he was not practicing was not because he lacked motivation, but because he had too much activation energy. Activation energy is the amount of effort it takes to start a task. For Shawn, picking up his guitar required too much activation energy because he had to walk across the room, take it out of the case, and tune it. This took about 20 seconds, which was enough to make him procrastinate.
Shawn’s solution was simple: Remove that 20 seconds of effort keeping him from picking up his guitar. He bought a $2 stand and placed his guitar in the middle of his living room. By doing this, he made it easier to start playing the guitar by reducing the activation energy required. He also made it harder to avoid playing the guitar by making it more visible and accessible. As a result, he went from practicing for 15 minutes a week to 45 minutes a day.
The 20 Second Rule states that if you can make a task take less than 20 seconds to start, you’re more likely to do it. Conversely, if you can make a bad habit take more than 20 seconds to start, you’re less likely to do it. This rule works because humans are naturally lazy and tend to follow the path of least resistance. By making good habits easier and bad habits harder, you can use your laziness to your advantage and change your behavior.
How to apply the 20 Second Rule
The 20 Second Rule can help you break bad habits and form new ones by making small changes in your environment and routine. Here are some examples of how you can apply this rule:
- If you want to exercise more, lay out your workout clothes the night before so you don’t have to think about it in the morning. You can also sign up for a gym that is close to your home or work so you don’t have to travel far.
- If you want to read more books, place them on your bedside table or on your desk so you can easily reach for them. You can also download audiobooks or podcasts on your phone so you can listen to them while commuting or doing chores.
- If you want to learn a new skill, enroll in an online course or find a tutor who can teach you via video call. You can also set a reminder on your phone or calendar to practice for at least 10 minutes a day.
- If you want to stop watching too much TV or browsing social media, unplug your TV or put your phone in another room when you’re not using them. You can also install apps that block or limit your screen time or set a timer that reminds you to stop.
- If you want to stop eating junk food or drinking soda, remove them from your pantry or fridge and replace them with healthier alternatives. You can also avoid buying them when you go grocery shopping or order food online.
The benefits of the 20 Second Rule
The 20 Second Rule can help you change your habits by making them easier or harder to start. By doing this, you can:
- Save time and energy by reducing the activation energy required for good habits and increasing it for bad habits.
- Build momentum and confidence by starting small and gradually increasing the duration and intensity of your habits.
- Create positive feedback loops by rewarding yourself with dopamine and satisfaction every time you complete a habit.
- Strengthen your self-control and discipline by overcoming your laziness and procrastination.
Conclusion
We all have habits that we want to change or improve. But sometimes, we struggle with finding the motivation or the energy to start. That’s why we need to use the 20-Second Rule to our advantage. This simple rule can help us overcome our laziness and make progress toward our goals. By making good habits easier and bad habits harder, we can reduce the activation energy required for our tasks and follow the path of least resistance. By starting small and building momentum, we can create positive feedback loops and strengthen our self-control. By using the 20 Second Rule, we can change our habits and change our lives.
If you enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends and family. And if you want to learn more about how to use laziness to your advantage, check out these resources:
- The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor
- Skillshare — Online Learning Platform
- Break Bad Habits With the 20-Second Rule| Reader’s Digest
Thank you for reading and have a great day!
