In this final part of the developing habit series, we focus on two more techniques that will assist us in the process -
- Make it simple
- The power of Two-minute rule
Make it simple:
when we are working on developing a new habit, we often get excited and set the bar high for ourselves, not realizing the obstacles, energy and effort it may take along the way to just even start that task. The more energy and effort a task requires, the less likelihood of the intended action to occur.
Let’s say, if your goals are to do 100 push-ups or spend 60 minutes learning difficult tasks at work. In the beginning when you are motivated, excited, you can muster the strength to get started and or set unreasonable goals. After few days such a massive effort of doing 100 push-ups a day or spending 60 minutes doing difficult task seems daunting due to the mental strength it consumes. After few days you begin to feel drained out and have no courage to gather the same strength which you had in the initial few days. Hence after few days or maybe a week, you give-up completely.
But instead, you can start small and build it up as you go. For example, you can start with 5-10 push-ups a day or spend 10-15 minutes to learn basics of a difficult task or just be present and focused when that particular task/work is being carried out which will contribute to your learning. Gradually you may increase the amount of time spent or difficulty level and reach the desired goals.
Breaking your goals into short-term, mid-term and long-term helps to reflect on the progress and keep reviewing and modifying it with the changing circumstances.
Two-minute rule:
Two-minute rule states, ‘when you start a habit it should take less than two minutes to do.’ This helps to ensure to show up to the habit on each consecutive day.
| Very Easy | Easy | Moderate | Hard | Very Hard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Learning right push-up technique | 5 push-ups a day | 30 push-ups a day | 60 push-ups a day | 100 push-ups a day |
| Understanding what makes a particular task difficult for you. | Taking help and guidance to improvise on the same. | Reading more about it from the right resource. | Start doing it under observation and keep taking feedback to improvise it. | Do it independently and review the quality of work done, following right techniques and protocols. |
By allowing yourself to show up every day to form the new habit and gradually increasing your physical or mental strength to endure the task, one will experience a higher success rate of achieving their intended goal. The more you ritualize the beginning of the process, the more likely you can ease into the state of deep focus that is required to do great challenges.
Each one of us is bound by certain habits, good or bad. With self-awareness, introspection and adapting goals, we can develop new habits to continue to grow and be better in our personal and professional life. We can use these simple yet effective ways to not only imbibe new habits but also make them part of our routine for desired results.
In the Developing Habit series, I intended to share these simple ways which are workable to yield positive outcomes and I hope you can take away some points to add value to your life. All the best!
