Do the Opposite - 2 Minute Rule, Zanshin, Sleep, 50 Days Without Coffee

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2 Minute Rule

If you have a to-do item that takes 2 minutes or less to complete, do it now.

This rule comes from James Allen's book "Getting Things Done". It's a very simple rule, but very effective in reducing the 'mental load' you carry with you every day. The mental load is your brain constantly going through the lists of things you have to do, naming them one by one to you as you are busy doing other things. For example, you have to write a paper or a report, but your brain keeps 'reminding' you that you should've called that repair-person to fix an appliance at home, or that you should buy milk.

The 2 minute to-dos are things we can complete as soon as they come up, thus not allowing them to even enter the items that run on a 'mental loop'. I am very bad at this, but I am trying to use the 2 minute rule to get better. For example, I receive a message from someone on Twitter, and I think - oh, I can't answer now, I should either batch this task with a bunch of others (like answering everyone at the same time later) or that I need to sit down, not have other things bother me and properly respond. Of course, that never happens, and I am left with month-old messaged in my inbox.

What I try to do now, is to answer messages as soon as they hit my inbox. There is almost no time investment needed, but if a person has an opportunity for me or they need help - the sooner they get a response, the better. That also frees me from the guilt and the mental loop item of "I have to remember to answer that person".

Another example of how I try to live this rule is keeping the apartment tidy. It's better to put the jacket in a closet right away than to throw it on a chair in a hurry, or to wash a dish right after eating than to keep collecting a pile, etc.

Think of what areas of your life you can use the 2 minute rule to improve your experience. I bet you will find a lot of areas where it will be relevant.

If you are starting a habit, start with 2 minutes a day
This version of the rule comes from Leo Babauta. It's way easier to stay consistent with a change enough for it to become a habit if it is not a daily hassle. Want to start exercising? Do 2 minutes a day first! Want to start writing blog posts or a book? Same advice!

It's so little, it might seem ridiculous to you, but, in fact, it's a very effective technique. Once you start doing your first 2 minutes you might continue and do more, but if you just do 2 minutes, you've already won that day!

Like Leo says: "Make it so simple you can't say no!"

#100DaysWithout Coffee Update - Day 50!
Today marks half of the challenge completed, so here is my update!

It's been very difficult for the first couple of weeks. After that I've stopped 'missing' coffee as much. I've been drinking a variety of teas - from herbal and green, to black, mate and Pu-Erh. There is definitely a great many options when it comes to tea - way more than with coffee, I'd say. Due to that, it's easy to keep experimenting with teas and flavours without getting bored.

In these 50 days I've learnt that my favourite green tea is Sencha. The other benefit of this experiment is that I don't get any stomach pains anymore - used to be the case when I drink a lot of coffee, due to acidity. Gone is the frequent heartburn, too. I think a big part of that was that I used to get a coffee and sip it all day (rather than drinking it right away), always keeping the acidity high as the day went by.

I am excited for the second half of the challenge, but I must say that I have no plan of stopping to drink coffee altogether - this is just an experiment. However, I am thinking of limiting the coffee to mornings and then drinking tea throughout the rest of the day - after the challenge is completed :)

Articles:
1) "Zanshin: Learning the Art of Attention and Focus From a Legendary Samurai Archer" by James Clear
James shares a beautiful story of Eugen Herrigel, professor of philosophy who moved to Japan from Germany. He decided to study the martial art of archery to better understand the Japanese culture. I will not spoil you the story (it's in the article), but I will say that learning to focus, to cultivate awareness of life, of the present moment and of the world around you is one of the most important skills. It not only affects your performance and creative output - it directly affects your experience of life. It makes simple tasks that previously seemed boring open up and shine with a new light - a light of possibility of fully experiencing and learning from them.

"In practice, though, zanshin has an even deeper meaning. Zanshin is choosing to live your life intentionally and acting with purpose rather than mindlessly falling victim to whatever comes your way."

2) "Simplify Technology with Limits" by Leo Babauta
I've been thinking a lot about this lately. Laying out some clear-cut rules regarding technology used is very powerful for reclaiming the time that ends up being wastes 'around' the conscious activities - the activities you explicitly 'decide' to do. The time between those is usually filled by 'unconscious' technology usage - TV series, Netflix, Instagram feeds - actually, any kind of 'feeds'. When you think of it 'feed' sounds pretty bad in this sense - I imagine a person with their hands tied, to whom the 'brain food' is coming through the 'feed' like an assembly line.

I've been thinking about limiting 'watching' (consumption vs creation) of videos of any kind, or maybe just stopping watching TV series. (by TV I mean anything on the Internet too). Also, I've given some thought to getting a 'dumb phone', but that's a bit more difficult as I often rely on Google Maps to find places and I love the ability to take photos of OK quality. Other than that, I think I could adapt to using a more basic phone. Due to reasons like that, most of us (including me) will probably continue using a smart phone. In that case, if we are to control our time, we need to learn to limit certain apps and functionality on a time-basis.

Videos:
"Sleep is Your Superpower" by Matt Walker
I always try to deny the benefits of sleep (in order to rationalize sleeping less and spend more time awake), but even I have to admit that getting a proper amount of sleep is very important. If you are learning a complex topic and not getting enough sleep - most of the things you learn will only stay with you for a short term, as the process of moving knowledge from short term memory to long term occurs when we sleep. There are a lot more important benefits that come with sleep, and Matt Walker will share them with you.

Tweet that resonated with me:

Ethos:

Quote:
"Don’t ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who are alive."
- Howard Thurman
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Keep doing the opposite,
Alexander Kallaway
Website: dotheoppo.site
Twitter: twitter.com/ka11away