Atomic Habits - James Clear Page 0,51

a strategy for starting, it’s the whole thing. Your habit can only last one hundred and twenty seconds.

One of my readers used this strategy to lose over one hundred pounds. In the beginning, he went to the gym each day, but he told himself he wasn’t allowed to stay for more than five minutes. He would go to the gym, exercise for five minutes, and leave as soon as his time was up. After a few weeks, he looked around and thought, “Well, I’m always coming here anyway. I might as well start staying a little longer.” A few years later, the weight was gone.

Journaling provides another example. Nearly everyone can benefit from getting their thoughts out of their head and onto paper, but most people give up after a few days or avoid it entirely because journaling feels like a chore.* The secret is to always stay below the point where it feels like work. Greg McKeown, a leadership consultant from the United Kingdom, built a daily journaling habit by specifically writing less than he felt like. He always stopped journaling before it seemed like a hassle. Ernest Hemingway believed in similar advice for any kind of writing. “The best way is to always stop when you are going good,” he said.

Strategies like this work for another reason, too: they reinforce the identity you want to build. If you show up at the gym five days in a row—even if it’s just for two minutes—you are casting votes for your new identity. You’re not worried about getting in shape. You’re focused on becoming the type of person who doesn’t miss workouts. You’re taking the smallest action that confirms the type of person you want to be.

We rarely think about change this way because everyone is consumed by the end goal. But one push-up is better than not exercising. One minute of guitar practice is better than none at all. One minute of reading is better than never picking up a book. It’s better to do less than you hoped than to do nothing at all.

At some point, once you’ve established the habit and you’re showing up each day, you can combine the Two-Minute Rule with a technique we call habit shaping to scale your habit back up toward your ultimate goal. Start by mastering the first two minutes of the smallest version of the behavior. Then, advance to an intermediate step and repeat the process—focusing on just the first two minutes and mastering that stage before moving on to the next level. Eventually, you’ll end up with the habit you had originally hoped to build while still keeping your focus where it should be: on the first two minutes of the behavior.

EXAMPLES OF HABIT SHAPING

Becoming an Early Riser

Phase 1: Be home by 10 p.m. every night.

Phase 2: Have all devices (TV, phone, etc.) turned off by 10 p.m. every night.

Phase 3: Be in bed by 10 p.m. every night (reading a book, talking with your partner).

Phase 4: Lights off by 10 p.m. every night.

Phase 5: Wake up at 6 a.m. every day.

Becoming Vegan

Phase 1: Start eating vegetables at each meal.

Phase 2: Stop eating animals with four legs (cow, pig, lamb, etc.).

Phase 3: Stop eating animals with two legs (chicken, turkey, etc.).

Phase 4: Stop eating animals with no legs (fish, clams, scallops, etc.).

Phase 5: Stop eating all animal products (eggs, milk, cheese).

Starting to Exercise

Phase 1: Change into workout clothes.

Phase 2: Step out the door (try taking a walk).

Phase 3: Drive to the gym, exercise for five minutes, and leave.

Phase 4: Exercise for fifteen minutes at least once per week.

Phase 5: Exercise three times per week.

Nearly any larger life goal can be transformed into a two-minute behavior. I want to live a healthy and long life > I need to stay in shape > I need to exercise > I need to change into my workout clothes. I want to have a happy marriage > I need to be a good partner > I should do something each day to make my partner’s life easier > I should meal plan for next week.

Whenever you are struggling to stick with a habit, you can employ the Two-Minute Rule. It’s a simple way to make your habits easy.

Chapter Summary

Habits can be completed in a few seconds but continue to impact your behavior for minutes or hours afterward.

Many habits occur at decisive moments—choices that are like a fork in the road—and either send you in the direction of