The 5-Minute Action Plan
Go From Idea to Action, Today.
Procrastination thrives on ambiguity and overwhelm. This micro-worksheet is designed to take your big, scary goal and distill it into a single, tiny, non-intimidating action you can take in the next 5 minutes.
1. The Brain Dump (1 Minute)
What is the big goal or project you've been putting off? Write it down here without any judgment.
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2. The First Step Fantasy (1 Minute)
If you were to start this project right now, what is the absolute first physical action you would take? Don't overthink it. Would you open a laptop? Grab a notebook? Type a specific URL into your browser?
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3. The 2-Minute Version (2 Minutes)
Now, how can you do a laughably small version of that first step in just two minutes? The goal is to make the task so easy that it's impossible to say no to.
"The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and starting on the first one." - Mark Twain
Examples to Guide You:
- Big Goal: "Start a YouTube channel." → First Step: "Decide on my channel name." → 2-Min Version: "Write down 3 bad ideas for a channel name in my phone's notes app."
- Big Goal: "Build my new website." → First Step: "Research website builders." → 2-Min Version: "Google 'best website builders 2025' and open the very first article."
- Big Goal: "Start an email newsletter." → First Step: "Outline my first email." → 2-Min Version: "Write one single sentence that my first email would be about."
4. Execute. (Now)
Stop reading this document. Set a timer for 2 minutes and complete your tiny action. Right now.