Little actions that can have ripple effects on your life : The Standard

Life changes need not be drastic, you can make a few changes right now, which if you stick to, will change your life forever.
1. Use the 2-minute rule
You have likely experienced the phenomenon where you decide to do a little bit of something, such as going for a walk, and end up doing a lot more than you had originally planned. That common phenomenon is what the 2-minute rule leverages. This technique is described in detail by David Allen in his book, ‘Getting Things Done’. If it will take you less than 2 minutes to do it, do it right now. It could be cleaning up your room or getting started on something. It can also work with big goals.  The reason it works so brilliantly is that just starting something is usually the biggest hurdle to overcome when it comes to procrastination. But committing to just two minutes makes it easier to do. If you wanted to pick up reading, committing to two minutes of that book will seem easier and once you start, you will find yourself going through several chapters.
2. Plan and write it down
Billionaire Warren Buffet said, “An idiot with a plan can beat a genius without a plan.” That is how important it is to plan, yet most people just wing it from day to day. Thinking of a plan is not enough, you have to actually write it down. That gives it permanence physically and in your mind through a process called ‘encoding’. This is where the brain decides what to keep and what to discard. Writing makes it more likely that your plan will be stored in your long-term memory as your brain has marked it as ‘important’. Plan your long-term goals, short term goals and daily goals and this will immediately set you on the path to achieving them.  Making a day-to-day plan can be part of what you do using the 2-minute rule daily!
3. Shun motivation. Embrace discipline
In this age where motivational speakers are making a killing, saying this is enough to make most people furrow their brows. But the reality is that motivation does not last. The Business Dictionary defines motivation as “Internal and external factors that stimulate desire and energy in people to be continually interested and committed to a job, role or subject, or to make an effort to attain a goal.” That desire and energy to be interested and committed will not always be stimulated and for many people, that is where it ends. But with discipline, you develop the skill to do things even when you do not feel like it. Cultivating discipline likely won’t be fun. But like Myleik Teele said, “Discipline is not supposed to make you feel good, it is supposed to take you somewhere.” Practising it every day will make it stronger, just like a muscle, change your life and get you where you want to be.
4. Use your magic bank account well
There is a magical bank metaphor known as “The Magic Bank Account” whose author is unknown but whose condensed version (according to learning-mind.com) goes like this: “So, you have $86,400 in your account and someone stole $10 from you. Would you be upset and throw all of the $86,390 away in hopes of getting back at the person that took your $10? Or move on and live? Right, move on and live. See, we have 86,400 seconds in every day so don’t let someone’s negative 10 seconds ruin the rest of the 86,390. Don’t sweat the small stuff, life is bigger than that.” Thinking of time like this makes you realise how much of it we waste for frivolous reasons, and how fast it is slipping away. Spend and invest your seconds on valuable things which are important to you. Try not to complain (even in your mind) for those 86,400 seconds (24 hours) and see what a mood-booster that is.
5. De-clutter your life
Our lives are so full of many non-essential things that take the joy out of our lives. There is a reason why minimalism is so popular and why advice from monks and former monks, who are known for simple living and deep thought, is so sought after. We yearn for simplicity but our lives are anything but simple. Simple steps that you can take to declutter your life and your mind include:
Quitting social media for 30 days (or even longer!)
Not multi-tasking
Quitting toxic friendships and relationships
Reduce your commitments
Declutter your actual workspace
Be decisive so your mind isn’t weighed down by pending decisions.
Facebook founder, billionaire Mark Zuckerberg wears the same kind of grey shirts daily and Apple CEO Steve Jobs wore the same black turtle necks all the time. This reduces decision fatigue.

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