Every day, there are a handful of moments that deliver an outsized impact.

Here is today’s Game and what’s going on.

Here is what I discovered today in our Dadly Daily Declaration readings from Chapter 13 of Atomic Habits by James Clear.  The title of this chapter is “How to Stop Procrastinating by Using the Two-Minute Rule.”

Today’s reading is quite informative and gives methods to ritualize your habits.  Here are a few highlights from today’s readings:

• Researchers estimate that 40 to 50 percent of our actions on any given day are done out of habit.  But, the true influence of your habits is even greater than these numbers suggest.
• Habits are automatic choices that influence the conscious decisions that follow. A habit may be completed in just a few seconds but it can also shape the actions that you take for minutes or hours afterward.
• Habits are like the entrance ramp to a highway. They lead you down a path and, before you know it, you’re speeding toward the next behavior. It seems to be easier to continue what you are already doing than to start doing something different. In this way, the habits you follow without thinking often determine the choices you make when you are thinking.
• Every day, there are a handful of moments that deliver an outsized impact. These little choice are decisive moments. The moment you decide between ordering takeout or cooking dinner. The moment you choose between driving your car or riding your bike. These choices are a fork in the road.
• Decisive moments set the options available to your future self. Your options are contained by what’s available. They are shaped by the first choice.
• We are limited by where our habits lead us. This is why mastering the decisive moments throughout your day is so important. Each day is made up of many moments, but it is really a few habitual choices that determine the path you take. These little choices stack up, each one setting the trajectory for how you spend the next chunk of time.
• Habits are the entry point, not the end point. They are the cab, not the gym.

• Even when you know you should start small, it’s easy to start too big. The most effective way to counteract this tendency is to use the Two-Minute Rule, which states:
  • “When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.”
• You’ll find that nearly any habit can be scaled down into a two-minute version:
  • “Read before bed each night” become “Read one page.”
  • “Do thirty minutes of yoga” becomes “Take out my yoga mat.”
  • “Fold the laundry” become “Fold one pair of socks.”
  • “Run three miles” become “Tie my running shoes.”
• The idea is to make your habits as easy as possible to start. Anyone can medicate for one minute, read one page, or put one item of clothing away.
• This is a powerful strategy because once you’ve started doing the right thing, it is much easier to continue doing it.
• A new habit should not feel like a challenge. The actions that follow can be challenging, but the first two minutes should be easy.
• The point of this rule is to master the habit of showing up. The truth is that a habit must be established before it can be improved.
• If you can’t learn the basic skill of showing up, then you have little hope of mastering the finer details. Instead of trying to engineer a perfect habit from the start, do the easy thing on a more consistent basis. You have to standardize before you can optimize.
• As you master the art of showing up, the first two minutes simply become a ritual at the beginning of a larger routine.  The more you ritualize the beginning of a process, the more likely it becomes that you can slip into the state of deep focus that is required to do great things.
• These types of rituals and strategies 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 five minutes – you are casting votes for your new identity. Take the smallest action that confirms the type of person you want to be.

Those gems lead us to today’s Dadly Daily Declaration:

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.

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.