Dream Big But Start Small! 》

Dream Big but Start Small!

This is what James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, said in his " Four laws of behavior change ": " Make it easy " .

In the previous articles, I gave a more in-depth explanation of the first point "make the prompt obvious" and the second point "make the habit attractive" .

• #1 "Through these 4 principles, keep yourself away from bad habits and successfully create good habits! 》
• #2 How to Make a Habit Irresistible? You need to "tie" these 2 things together! 》

In this article, I will expand on the third point " Make it easy " , combining some ideas mentioned in James' Podcast interview and book, plus my own thoughts, and share with you.

To begin, I'd like to share with you the story of one of James' readers, Mitch.

When Mitch first started going to the gym, he set a rule for himself, "don't stay longer than 5 minutes", so every time he drove to the gym and started exercising, as soon as 5 minutes came, he packed up and drove go home.

At first glance, anyone should feel incredible, what kind of exercise can be done in just 5 minutes? Warming up isn't enough, right?

But I think the point is because it is only 5 minutes, so there is no pressure , and there will be no small voice (murmur ) appeared in my heart, and because of this rule, Mitch developed the habit of going to the gym to report for 4 days a week, and finally managed to lose more than 100 pounds (more than 45 kilograms)!

I quite like a quote James said in an interview. He points out a myth that most people have more or less, but don’t know about, that is:

A habit has to be “formed” before it can be optimized
A habit must be established before it can be improved.

The behavior we want must first become our daily habit and then gradually optimize it.

James mentioned that he found that for some reason, people are often caught in a "do it well or not do it" complex, people often want to find the perfect business idea, the best fitness program, the best diet However, as he mentioned in the book "Atomic Habits", every action we do every day requires a certain degree of energy, and energy is precious. The human brain is designed to save energy as much as possible. Therefore, the more energy a single action requires, the less likely it is to happen.

If your goal is to do 100 pushups a day, that's a big energy requirement! In the beginning, when you are motivated and feeling high, you may be able to muster the courage to start; but after a few days, such a huge energy expenditure can make you feel tired and cause you to give up.

In contrast, maintaining the habit of doing 1 push-up a day is almost effortless, and the less energy a single habit requires, the more likely it is to form.

In addition, the book also mentions that, in a sense,

Habits are barriers to reaching goals

For example, dieting and exercising are barriers to getting in good shape, meditation is barriers to feeling calm, journaling and writing are barriers to clear thinking.

What we really want is not the habit itself, but the result of the habit; the more difficult the habit, the greater the hurdles that need to be overcome before reaching the goal.

therefore,

Make the habit simple enough to execute even if you don't want to

This is crucial.

How to make a habit easy? The author proposes the 2-minute rule!

The so-called "2-minute rule" is to "reduce any habit into actions that can be completed in 2 minutes" , such as:

• Read 30 minutes a day, simplified to "read 1 page a day"
• Do 30 minutes of yoga, simplified to "take out the yoga mat"
• Running 3 kilometers is simplified to "tie your shoelaces"
• Write a diary, simplified to "write a sentence"

You might say, "Come on~ It's understandable to read 1 page a day, take out your yoga mat and tie your shoelaces, it hasn't even started yet!"

But just like the above example of Mitch "only exercising for 5 minutes" every time he goes to the gym, although every action seems inconspicuous, it achieves an important purpose - to help him "form a habit", and "habit" can bring gives us the desired result .

As mentioned in the book:

A new habit shouldn't make us feel like a challenge,
Follow-up action can be challenging,
But the "first 2 minutes" should be a breeze.

There are many things in life that we want to try new, and the beginning is the hardest, and the "2-minute rule" can greatly lower the threshold for us to start something, put aside our perfectionism, and stop worrying about what is not good enough and what is not. The edge is not comprehensive enough, the perfect strategy needs to be formulated first...etc, so that we can start small and gradually become stronger.

The book also mentions that this strategy works for another reason:

it reinforces the identity we want to build

Like my previous article "Tomorrow's You, Want to "Cate" for Your Future, What Kind of Vote? ” shares the words of James in the article:

Each of our actions is like a vote for the kind of person we want to be.
Every action we take is like a vote for the type of person we wish to become.

If we show up at the gym 5 days in a row, even if it's only 2 minutes at a time, we're voting for the "everyday gym guy" identity. What we should care about is not getting in good shape (even though it may be what we ultimately want), but focusing on "being the kind of person who never misses the gym."

In the same way, if we write every day, even if we only write one sentence at a time, we are voting for the identity of "people who write every day". What we should care about is not to write a book (even if it might be the end result we want), but to focus on "being the kind of person who never misses writing."

The 2-minute rule allows action to “stop before it feels exhausting”

Tired of moving for 5 minutes? It doesn't matter, let's start with 2 minutes; can't write in 3 sentences? It's okay, let's start with a sentence; run out of breath after running 200 meters? It's okay, let's tie the shoelaces first.

The book mentioned that a British leadership consultant Greg. McKeon developed the habit of writing a daily diary by "deliberately writing less than he wanted," and he always stopped writing before he found it troublesome. Hemingway believed that similar advice would apply to any kind of writing, saying, "The best way to do it is to just let it go."

The "2-minute rule" allows us to "start" and "build a habit." Even small actions, repeated, can slowly become the person we want to be.

How can we apply the 2-minute rule to develop new habits?

The authors suggest that simply by ranking your goals in order of difficulty, from "very easy" to "very difficult," you can usually find "2-minute introductory habits" that will gradually lead you to the desired outcome.

Below is an example:

• Put on running shoes (very easy) ==> walk 10 minutes (easy) ==> walk 10,000 steps (moderate) ==> run 5 kilometers (hard) ==> run a half marathon (very hard)
• Write a sentence (very easy) ==> write a paragraph (easy) ==> write 1000 words (moderate) ==> write 10,000 words (difficult) ==> write a book (very difficult)

In terms of "running", I am currently in the "intermediate" stage, and my goal is to "walk 10,000 steps" every day. ?", but the truth is, when I did the triathlon for the first time, my feet were sore for at least a month, and I couldn't even go down the stairs for the first week... This means that it's actually beyond my body to complete this thing. , I completed the first iron "overloaded", not my physical strength has reached that level.

If I don’t start with 10,000 steps, but start with running 3 kilometers a day, I may only run for 2 days, take 3 days off, or even a week. First, long-distance running is not a sport that I am good at and like. Second Come on, "3 kilometers a day" puts me under too much pressure. Physically, I may be able to do it, but I will automatically resist.

For some people, the 2-minute rule may feel like they are "deceiving themselves". The point is clearly after 2 minutes. Who would really just put on running shoes and write a sentence?

But if you remember Mitch mentioned earlier, the guy who started going to the gym for "just 5 minutes" at a time, he "started" this way and "finally" lost over 100 pounds! Why? Because when he went on for a few weeks, he wanted to say, "It's all here, just stay longer!" So, as the years passed, his weight gradually dropped over time.

It is possible to become perfect by starting and continuing.

Finally, I want to end with this quote from the book:

Make the habit easy to start and the rest will unfold naturally

Hopefully, in 2022, we can all successfully start at least one good habit, making time our friend, not our enemy.

Your Turn is your turn!

If you also have a new habit you want to try or a lofty goal you want to pursue, use the template below and try to write and read your own "2-Minute Getting Started Habit"!

• Your starting habits (very easy) ==> __________ (easy) ==> __________ (moderate) ==> __________ (difficult) ==> your ultimate big dream (very hard)

If you haven't read the first 5 articles of the "Habits Series", you can check the link below 😊
#1 "Tomorrow, what kind of vote do you want to "cast" for your future? 》
#2 "The key factor that determines the outcome is not the goals you set, but the "system" you follow"
#3 "Through these 4 principles, keep yourself away from bad habits and successfully create good habits! 》
#4 How to Make a Habit Irresistible? You need to "tie" these 2 things together! 》
#5 "Combining these 3 things, maybe, everything will be different! 》

Reference information:

https://brenebrown.com/podcast/atomic-habits-part-2-of-2/#listen

"Atomic Habits"

Thank you for always seeing this, I hope the above sharing can give you a little inspiration ^^

I'm Dr. J, your #growlab .

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