Two minutes. Just the first step.
Type the thing you are avoiding and the smallest possible first step. Then start a two-minute ring. You only have to do that step for two minutes. If you want to carry on afterwards, you can.
You are not committing to the whole task. Only to two minutes.
Stuck on what the first step even is?
This page is from the team behind Now: ADHD Task Starter for iPhone and iPad. On this page you write the first step yourself. According to its App Store listing, Now helps with that part too:
- Type a task like "Clean the kitchen" and it suggests a first step like "Put five dishes in the sink"
- One task, one concrete first step and a big start button, with no endless list
- Tap "I'm stuck" and choose what is in the way to get one practical next move
- A calm two-minute ring that keeps correct time when the phone is locked
- Ending early still counts
Now is built for anyone who finds starting hard, including many people with ADHD. It is not a medical tool. Nothing you type on this page is stored or sent anywhere.
Why two minutes works
Starting is its own task. The dread is usually about the whole job. Two minutes of one small step is too little to dread, so you begin.
Make the step physical. "Open the laptop and create the file" beats "work on the report". If you cannot picture your hands doing it, make it smaller.
Permission to stop is the point. If you promise yourself two minutes and then demand an hour, the trick stops working next time. Stopping at two minutes is a success.
Momentum is a bonus. Often you carry on because stopping would now take more effort than continuing. When that happens, take it. When it does not, you still did two minutes.
If you cannot think of a first step
Try one of these: put one thing away. Open the document and type the title. Write the first line badly. Set out what you need on the table. Read the first paragraph of the instructions. Any of them is enough to start the clock.
Questions
What is the two-minute rule?
There are two versions. One says if a task takes less than two minutes, do it now. The other, used here, says to start any task by doing only two minutes of it, because beginning is usually the hardest part.
Does the timer keep running if I switch tabs?
Yes. It works from the clock rather than counting ticks, so it shows the right time when you come back. The end sound may not play if the browser has put the tab to sleep.
Is this only for people with ADHD?
No. It is useful for anyone who puts things off. Many people with ADHD find short, visible timers helpful, but this page is a simple timer, not a treatment.
More from this site
- Body doubling timerA quiet body doubling room in your browser. Name one task, pick a session, and a calm buddy works beside you with gentle check-ins. Free, no account, no camera.
- Tiimo alternativeTiimo is an award-winning visual planner. If planning the day is not your problem but starting is, compare it with Now: one task, one first step, one timer.
- Brain dump sorter: pick three for todayFree brain dump tool: type everything on your mind, split it into tasks, choose one main, one smaller and one bonus for today, and park the rest. No sign-up.
- Eisenhower Matrix Maker: Sort Your To-Do List by Urgent and Important (Free, Printable)Type your tasks, mark each as urgent and/or important, and see them land in the four boxes: do first, schedule, delegate, drop. Drag to rearrange, pick your first move, copy the list or download it as an image.
- Task Picker Wheel: Spin to Decide What to Do FirstCan't decide what to do first? Type your tasks, spin the wheel and let it pick one. Remove it when done and spin again. Free, no sign-up, nothing stored.
- Visual countdown timer (shrinking disc)A free visual countdown timer. The coloured disc shrinks as time passes, so you can see how much is left at a glance. Presets from 2 to 60 minutes, full screen, no sign-up.