We all have the best intentions with new habits at the start of new phases of our lives, but it’s usually incredibly hard to stick to them, and even sometimes just even summon the will to start. For a species whose #1 quality is adaptability, we decidedly hate change.

Often, the enormity of a task or activity seems insurmountable, or even just unpleasant, even if we are clearly aware that it needs to be done, or that it’s for the best. Starting is usually the worst part, a steep hill to climb, after which the feat’s momentum can actually take us further almost effortlessly.

A few months back I’d stumbled on the concept of the 2-minute rule. It proposes to scale the habit down to a very short, 2-minute activity, which is less daunting, and as such, far easier to get started on. Read a page. Wash a plate and a glass. Do a yoga pose. One doodle.

The past few months have been difficult for me, emotionally and physically, and this new year starting is obviously bringing a renewed hope to set things back into a healthier path. But again: new habits are hard to start, harder to maintain. But not impossible.

Along with newly discovered information about myself, I will be trying to implement 8 small habits into my daily life:

– Draw
– Read
– Write
– Study
– Meditate
– Exercise
– Clean
– Self-care

That might seem a lot, but they will only take 2 minutes each, right? I can doodle while I work. Read on my 15-minute train commute. Same with studying, which I can do on my phone. Write a few sentences at lunch, or after work. In total, that’s only 16 minutes of my day dedicated to improvement.

If I happen to spend more time on them, because I just feel like it, even better! If I do each for 2 minutes and not a second more? It’s fine. At least I showed up, and I reached my goal of spending that exact amount of time on it. Even if it’s a small goal, it still counts, and it still registers in my mind as an achievement, making it easier to keep going in the future.

This was my 2-minute writing task, which obviously took longer. Earlier I meditated (nearly 4 minutes!), read (almost 10!), and cleaned (nearly 15 minutes). That is half of my daily goals in a little over half an hour, and I actually get a full blog post out of it, which is very rewarding.

We live in a world that values productivity above self-care, and it’s frankly toxic. This year I’m learning to understand how my mind and body work, and how I can use that to best identify and fulfill identify their needs.

To 2020!