the Two Minute Rule

I just watched this video on YouTube about the Two Minute Rule

Apparently the idea came from the book Atomic Habits by James Clear.  Here's an excerpt:

The Two-Minute Rule 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” becomes “Read one page.”
• “Do thirty minutes of yoga” becomes “Take out my yoga mat.”
• “Study for class” becomes “Open my notes.”
• “Fold the laundry” becomes “Fold one pair of socks.”
• “Run three miles” becomes “Tie my running shoes.”

The idea is to make your habits as easy as possible to start. Anyone can meditate for one minute, read one page, or put one item of clothing away. And, as we have just discussed, 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. What you want is a “gateway habit” that naturally leads you down a more productive path.

***

Not to be confused with this Two Minute Rule, which actually sounds more like Gretchen Rubin's One Minute Rule.

The 1% Rule

Habits don't change in a day. But 1% a day makes every habit work. Every.

The reason is: they work if you do a little each day. If you relax and give yourself permission to only improve a little each day, then a good habit works.

Improve a little each day. It compounds. When 1% compounds every day, it doubles every 72 days, not every 100 days. Compounding tiny excellence is what creates big excellence.

You can't be a master in one day. You have to improve a little every day.

Picasso created two works of art a day. That's 50,000 in a lifetime. It adds up.

"But it's too late for me!"

No, it's not. Compounding creates fast results.

If I read five pages a day from non-fiction books, then in a year I will have read 1,830 pages of knowledge. And each page I read will build upon the pages I've read before.

And it's 1,830 pages 99% of people won't read. Most people don't pick up a book after age 20.

If I write 1,000 words a day, then in one day that's nothing. In one year, that's the equivalent of 6–8 novels.

It doesn't happen in one day. There are no goals. There's only practice. Practice never makes perfect. Practice makes happy. Practice makes habits.

I started writing 23 years ago. Every day I read a little. Every day I wrote. I wanted to get better.

I was very bad at the beginning.

I just looked at some fiction I wrote 23 years ago. WOW! Very bad.

Every day I wake up and think, how can I be a little better? Just a tiny bit. Because I know it will make me feel good today to practice. And I know it will add up.

-- James Altucher