The Two-Week Rule
Every experiment runs exactly two weeks. At the end: kill it, scale it, or iterate. No “let’s keep trying and see.” Pre-committed criteria turn ambiguous results into clear decisions.
Part 1: The Two-Week Rule
+5 XP on completion
Every experiment gets exactly two weeks. At the end you choose: kill it, scale it, or iterate. No exceptions.
The Two-Week Rule: decide beforehand what success, failure, and 'promising' each look like. Pre-commitment creates clarity.
Why two weeks? Long enough to get real signal. Short enough to prevent sunk-cost attachment from taking hold.
A team kept running an experiment for six weeks 'to be sure.' The pre-commitment would have revealed the answer at week two.
Pitfall: 'Let's keep trying and see.' Without pre-commitment, every disappointing result becomes a reason to continue forever.
Pre-commitment creates clarity. Set your criteria before you start and the decision at the end makes itself.
Part 2: Set Your Sprint Criteria
+10 XP on completion
A two-week sprint without criteria is just a two-week delay. Today you write your criteria before you start.
Today's practice: take yesterday's experiment or a new one. Write four things before you launch.
Item 1: your hypothesis. Item 2: success criteria — what result means scale. Item 3: kill criteria — what means stop.
Item 4: start date. Not 'soon.' Not 'next week.' An actual date. Put it on your calendar right now.
Commit: complete your sprint card today. A complete sprint card is worth more than the best intention.
A compass built with deep craft shows its quality in every detail. Your judgment deepens with every sprint you complete.