This is a powerful new rule I’ve come up with that can help you turn thoughts to action.

It’s similar to some other rules I’ve heard online, but adapted based on the science of behaviour change.

The 7/1/1 rule means this: 

Every day, for the next 7 days, spend a minimum of 1 minute at your best time of day, doing the one thing that would really help to move your work forward.

Let’s break this down.

Why 7 days?

Because a week is a short enough time to be able to stick to something new.

Creating new habits can be tricky, but a week is doable for most people.

After you complete your week on this, you may be finished and want to work on something new.

Or you may have finally got the ball rolling on something important you’ve been too scared to do.

What sort of things could your work on?

Maybe it’s setting up a website. Maybe it’s organising an email newsletter. Perhaps it’s reaching out to potential partnerships.

Everyone, in their work, can think of what they need to try out next to make things better in their work.

Why only one minute on my best time of day to work on this important task?

The strangest part of this rule is the one minute at your best time of day. Why only one minute? Surely that’s not enough.

The answer is simple.

To make it easy to succeed. You are allowed to do more than a minute, but a minute is a minimum.

With such a short time frame, you’re even more likely to do the action. And do maybe 10, 30 mins or an hour or two

I don’t know how much more you’ll do, but you’ll do a minimum of a minute - that’s your commitment.

I also suggest you do this activity at your best time of day. This is important.

For me, this is in the morning at around 8am. The benefit of doing this one minute at this time is that it rarely only lasts a minute.

It ends up expanding to be much longer. And that’s great news!

I end up spending 30 mins + doing the most important thing I need to do in my work, at a time when my brain is in an optimal state.

Bonus tip - block distractions by turning off your phone and blocking social media. This time is precious and shouldn’t be disturbed. Do everything you can to protect this time.

Can you give an example of this in practice?

If you’ve been thinking for weeks/months/years that you need to set up a website for your work. But you’ve put it off. And you know it’ll make a big difference.

Well, on Monday, you google ‘how to create a website’. And you click on the link that stands out for you and start looking at pricing.

On Tuesday, you may go ahead and decide on a platform to use to set up your website. It may take a minute or more, if you have time.

On Wednesday, you watch a video on how to set up your home page.

On Thursday, you begin writing a few sentences that could go on your home page - you’re excited

By the end of the week, you’ve got a website up and running and you’ve accidently ended up spending a lot more than a minute a day. And you’re more than happy with that.

You may not have ever done this, and now, finally, you’re doing it….

Why?

Because you know you’re allowed to stop after a minute.

What’s the main benefit of this 7/1/1 Rule?

This rule helps dissolve procrastination.

You probably fear taking action on your dream job. Why? Because it matters, and you care about what matters.

So, procrastination occurs in the very areas you need to take action.

By reducing the time you need to spend on that action to just a minute, you sidestep the procrastination.

Common Challenges

Your mind will say things like:

‘One minute is not long enough’

‘This won’t work’

‘What difference can just one minute make?’

‘My problems are too big to be fixed in just one minute’

This is where your mindfulness comes in. Notice these thoughts, and then say ‘Thank you mind! Even though you think it won’t work, I’m going to give a go. After all, what do I have to lose? It’s only a minute!’

Another challenge that may come up is, you forget to do your one minute practice!

If this happens, no problem. Try putting the exercise in a different part of your schedule. And put it in your calendar to remind you. Or if you don’t have a calendar, your to do list. Or if you don’t use that either, stick a sticky note in your bedroom or office or laptop or fridge.

Keep experimenting, until you remember to do this one minute. With time, you’ll remember.

In Summary

7/1/1 Rule means for the next 7 days I will work on my most important project to move my work forward, for a minimum of 1 minute.