☀️ habit hack: the two-minute rule

Alt title: I looked into the eyes of Otis Spunkmeyer and they're as black and sinister as his chocolate chips.

Alt title 2: Chappell Roan and the world's largest temptation

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There are two kinds of workplace perks:

The kind that make you better… and the kind that make you…well… softer. Typically right around your midsection. 😆

My ad agency in 2009 had the second kind: unlimited cookie dough courtesy of our design client, Otis Spunkmeyer, plus an actual cookie oven in the breakroom.

Someone (a true hero or a true MONSTER, depending on who you ask) declared:
“Every day at 3 p.m. will be fresh-baked cookie time!”

And the metabolically-gifted people cheered. And the metabolically-challenged people (me!) sighed.

Wow. Photo 1: That's young hipster me at the ad agency in 2009 which fun fact is the location of the world's largest fork used in Chappell Roan's HOT-TO-GO music video. (Springfield, MO native.)

Daily at 3pm, we’d all hear the oven “ding!” and the entire office would stampede over to claim a warm, gooey cookie.

But not me. I was in the middle of a sugar-elimination experiment. And nothing had the potential to derail my commitment to an experiment quite like the smell of fresh-baked cookies.

I knew I needed a plan, so I came up with this tiny ritual:
At the exact moment the oven dinged, I’d walk to the 3rd floor kitchen and make myself a cup of hazelnut decaf coffee.

I noticed something.

It only took me about two minutes, but the time I got back to my desk:
* Every cookie had been claimed.
* Most of my coworkers had already finished eating theirs.
* And suddenly, I wasn’t missing out on anything at all.

I went from feeling like the odd one out to being exactly where everyone else was: not eating cookies.

If we were to peek inside everyone’s body at that moment, we’d see very different things happening.
* My coworkers’ glucose levels were about to spike (and then crash), messing with their energy, focus, mood, and gut health.
* My levels? Calm and steady—like a flat, smooth line. 
And the time elapsed for all of us? About two minutes.

Habit Hack: The Two Minute Rule: Rethinking “Missing Out”
If you are doing a sugar/dopamine detox, this hack is for you!  

The thing about dessert (or really almost any craving): The actual part you enjoy—the bite-by-bite experience—is shockingly brief. 

Usually under two minutes.

But when we tell ourselves we’re “giving up dessert,” it feels like a forever decision:
"I’m saying no to birthday cake for the rest of my life. I’ll never eat cookies again.
No wonder it feels impossible!"

Instead, try this mental shift:
“I’m not missing out on dessert forever. I’m just choosing to opt out for the next two minutes.”

Two minutes of chewing. Two minutes of tasting. Two minutes of sweetness.
That’s all it ever really is.

Why It Works
This tiny reframe does two powerful things:
1. Shrinks the challenge down to size. Skipping dessert for two minutes feels way more doable than skipping dessert forever.
2. Exposes the illusion of FOMO. You’re not missing hours of joy—you’re skipping a very short, very temporary sensation. And once that window closes, everyone—including you—is back to not eating dessert.

This Week’s Challenge
The next time you feel like you’re “missing out,” remind yourself:
“This isn’t forever. It’s just two minutes.”
Notice how this reframing gives you freedom and power instead of a lifetime of restriction.
Because sometimes the actual win is realizing you didn’t actually miss a thing.

Got any habit hacks?
Hit reply and I'll include yours with a shoutout in a future Monday Motivator!
xoxo-Katie Day

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