Got 2 minutes?
I wanted to share something that’s been a huge inspiration for me recently which is Atomic Habits by James Clear. I was seeing this book everywhere for the last year or so, and my mom and my boyfriend both kindly got it for me for Christmas (yes I received two copies lol). Yes it is absolutely worth the hype.
There are SO many amazing takeaways from this book and I’m still trying to digest it all to ensure I actually implement what I learned, but there is one major takeaway that I started to implement immediately which is The 2 Minute Rule.
When you decide to implement a new habit or practice into your life, sometimes the excitement can take over and we over-commit and quickly fall off the wagon when life gets in the way.
He talks about how any habit can be scaled down to a 2-minute version, and he recommends doing this as an easy place to start.
For example:
“Clean the house” becomes “clean the sink and mirror before your shower”.
“Go for a 20 minute run” becomes “put on my running shoes”.
“Write a blog post everyday” becomes “write for 120 seconds”.
“Meditate every night” becomes “find a guided meditation online”.
He calls these 2-minute versions of our habits “gateway habits” that naturally lead you down a more productive path.
It’s all about mastering the art of “showing up” which helps to shape your identity which is ultimately what leads to transformation. It’s not about ticking a box or achieving a goal, it’s about becoming the kind of person you want to be.
I am working on gaining momentum in a few areas of my life that I had recently set aside, and this has been helping me immensely just to simply get started!
One of those gateway habits that I’m working on is writing for my blog 5 days a week for the next year.
My goal is to show up for at least 2 minutes 5 days a week to write. With this small commitment, I’ve shown up everyday and it’s led to me writing a complete blog post everyday so far.
Blogging is still something that’s relatively new for me, and even though it’s definitely a challenge, it also feels quite natural and enjoyable for me. I can’t wait to see what my writing looks like in a year.
There may be days that I fall off the wagon, but I am committed to showing up for myself and my future-self.
What can you do for 2 minutes today, maybe tomorrow, and the next day?
