The power of decisive moments: How small choices can have a big impact

You make countless decisions on what to do every day. However, some choices are more vital than others. It is in your best interest to pay careful attention to them.

Decisive Moments

Decisive moments tend to appear at the start of an activity. For example, choosing to put on your shoes before exercising is crucial. Whether you exercise for five minutes or 30 minutes afterward matters less than the one-minute activity of putting on your shoes. You can actively take advantage of decisive moments. If you want to read a book, you can start by picking it up and opening it. The decision to read one page or 30 pages can come later.

The Two-Minute Rule

Some habits are more difficult to obtain than others. But you can simplify most to be more achievable. You can reframe them into a two-minute decisive moment. For example, if you want to create a habit of meditating before work, start with the routine of sitting still on the chair right after waking up. You will have simplified meditating into a less than two-minute process of sitting down. Creating an easy habit should be the priority before improving on it. After all, you can’t improve a routine (meditating more) if it doesn’t exist in the first place.

Commitments

Decisive moments also come in the form of simple commitments. Simple commitments can lock you into performing desired actions even when you lack motivation. You can easily use them to your advantage. For example, subscribing to a gym membership locks you into a future where you have to exercise or risk losing money. Removing the TV from the bedroom locks you into a tomorrow where you are not mixing sleep with watching TV. You can effectively shape your future by making such commitments.

Conclusion

Taking advantage of decisive moments is beneficial. You can simplify your habits into a 2-minute moment. You can also use commitments to shape your future.