- researchers estimate that 40-50% of our actions on any given day are done out of habit. - the habits you follow without thinking often determine the choices you make when you are thinking - There are a handful of moments that deliver an outsized impact. I refer to these little choices as decisive moments - these choices are a fork in the road - decisive moments set the options available to your future self - habits are the entry point not the end point. They are the cab, not the gym. - 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. - The point is not to do one thing. The point is to master the habit of showing up. The truth is, a habit must be established before it can be improved. - You have to standardize before you can optimize. - the more you ritualize the beginning of a process, the more likely it becomes that you can slip into the state of deep focus that is required to do great things - You may not be able to automate the whole process, but you can make the first action mindless. Make it easy to start and the rest will follow. - The secret is to always stay below the point where it feels like work. - strategies like this work for another reason, too: they reinforce the identity you want to build. - we rarely think about change this way because everyone is consumed with the end goal. - nearly any larger life goal can be transformed into a two minute behavior. -