Micro-commitments must pass three tests: under 15 minutes, executable on your worst day, and binary-clear completion in 10 seconds

Why This Is a Rule

Large goals are aspirational; micro-commitments are executable. "Write a book" is a goal that provides no daily guidance. "Write 200 words before lunch" is a micro-commitment that fires every day. The gap between goal and daily action is where most ambitious projects die — not from lack of motivation but from lack of a daily behavioral unit small enough to execute reliably.

The three tests ensure the micro-commitment is correctly sized: Under 15 minutes ensures activation energy is low enough for daily execution (Start every new agent at under two minutes with zero preparation — automaticity requires low activation energy first). A 15-minute commitment competes favorably against default behaviors; a 60-minute commitment doesn't. Executable on worst day (Design triggers for your worst cognitive day — if they only work when you're sharp, they fail when you need them most) ensures the commitment survives cognitive depletion. If it requires peak energy, it'll fail on the 40% of days when peak energy isn't available. Designing for worst-case means the commitment fires on good AND bad days. Binary completion in 10 seconds (Commitment thresholds must be binary — 'done' or 'not done' without interpretation space — to eliminate rationalized partial compliance) ensures no rationalization space. "Did I write 200 words?" is answerable in seconds. "Did I make progress on the book?" is arguable indefinitely.

A micro-commitment that passes all three tests is virtually failure-proof on any given day — and daily execution over months produces the large goal as accumulated output.

When This Fires

• When a large goal needs decomposition into daily practice
• When daily execution of a goal keeps failing — the daily unit is probably too large or too vague
• When designing the minimal viable version of any recurring commitment (When an agent fires below 80% after 30 days, simplify before sophisticating — unreliable agents need reduction, not enhancement-403)
• Complements Start every new agent at under two minutes with zero preparation — automaticity requires low activation energy first (under 2 minutes for new agents) with the three-test quality standard for daily micro-commitments

Common Failure Mode

Aspirational micro-commitments: "Write for 2 hours daily" fails the worst-day test (no one has 2 focused hours on their worst day) and arguably fails the 15-minute test. "Write 200 words before lunch" passes all three: under 15 minutes, executable even when exhausted (200 words of any quality), and binary-clear ("200 words or not").

The Protocol

(1) For a large goal, define one daily micro-commitment. (2) Apply three tests: Time test: does it take under 15 minutes? If no → shrink. Worst-day test: would you do this on your most tired, distracted, unmotivated day? If no → simplify until yes. Binary test: can someone determine in 10 seconds whether you completed it? If no → make the criterion more specific. (3) All three must pass. If any fails → redesign until all pass. (4) Execute the micro-commitment daily. On good days, do more (Micro-commitments are the floor, not the ceiling — exceed on good days, hit the minimum on bad days without guilt floor-not-ceiling). On bad days, hit the micro-commitment exactly and stop without guilt. (5) Trust the accumulation: 200 words/day × 365 days = 73,000 words. The micro-commitment, executed consistently, produces the large goal as its natural output.