Starting a new habit is what stops most of us from building it.
But what if we stopped starting all of the habit and just simply started two minutes of it.
In his book Atomic Habits, author James Clear shared that to help himself start a new routine, he sets a timer for just two minutes.
Reading a book before bed became "just read one page."
Running three miles became "put on and just tie my running shoes."
He'd identify the goal and then set a timer for two minutes. Once the alarm sounded, he had given himself permission to quit.
But what do you think happened when the alarm would sound?
That's right, he kept going.
By breaking the bigger goal into a teeny, tiny LEGO block-sized step, Clear was able to initiate action.
And once he started the process, he was able to keep it going.
I personally have found if I can just get my butt into the cold garage and put the barbell in my hands to warm up, I will workout - even when I don't feel like it that day.
If I can open the book and promise myself just a few minutes (with a timer set), then I can crank through 40-50 books per year.
As Clear wrote, it's these small starting steps that reinforce our identity as someone who _____ (workouts, reads, etc..). The small actions confirm you are the type of person you want to be.
We often stare at a big gap in where we want to go and think we'll never get "there" instead of realizing that each day's small steps - even 2 minutes worth - cast a vote toward forging us into that person.
Small LEGO blocks can build BIG structures. I'm cheering for you to use your daily choices to do the same in your life.
________
ACT ON IT:
Pick the thing you keep telling yourself you "should" be better at doing consistently and set a two-minute timer on your phone.
- Journal 3 words of how you feel today or how you want to show up.
- Read one page of a book.
- Walk on the treadmill for two minutes.