Cast Daily Votes—Habits That Last

The lone dumbbell by my desk still stares me down every morning, daring me to lift it. That tiny nudge fuels this journey into why tiny, steady moves beat grand, one-day sprints every time.

1 · Define Your North Star

“The quality of our lives depend on the quality of our habits.”

Erika and I swap stories of chasing a 6.0 A1C or five-figure downloads—only to crash when the finish line moves again. Direction matters: pick one outcome, then ask, Who’s the type of person who nails that? A healthy me never misses a pre-bolus; a focused me checks Dexcom data at dinner. Write the identity on a sticky note and post it where decisions happen.

Do this now → Finish the sentence on paper: The person I’m becoming… and tape it to the fridge.

2 · Shrink It to Two Minutes

“You don’t rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.”

Systems start embarrassingly small: one push-up, one paragraph, one minute of Dexcom review. Consistency rewires the brain; momentum carries the next thousand reps.

Do this now → Chop one habit to two minutes, set a timer, quit when it dings. Repeat tomorrow.

3 · Stack · Cue · Reward

“Every action we take is like a vote for the type of person we wish to become… habits are how you embody the type of person you like to become.”

Votes need polling stations: sneakers beside the bed, floss next to the toothbrush, pre-bolus while espresso drips. Make it Obvious · Attractive · Easy · Satisfying. Each cue triggers autopilot; each tiny reward (check-mark, song, sip of coffee) seals the loop. My favorite? Podcast edit = stand. My back thanks me daily.

Do this now → Find one routine you already do. Glue your two-minute habit directly after it.

4 · Raise Friction on Bad Loops

Unwanted habits crumble when the runway disappears. I park my phone in the kitchen at 8 p.m. and delete delivery apps—exactly the “make it invisible, unattractive, difficult, unsatisfying” inverse Erika teaches. A $10 check to a terrible charity sits in my cabinet: light a cigarette, mail the check. Haven’t mailed it yet.

Do this now → Pick one bad loop and add a 30-second inconvenience—hide the remote, move the charger, log out of Netflix.

Habit-Builder Cheat Sheet 🗒️

Set a SMART North Star Specific · Measurable · Achievable · Relevant · Time-bound—e.g., “Save $500 in 3 months”

Frame it as Identity Ask “What would a healthy person do right now?”

Build the System Daily processes beat single heroic bursts

Action > Motion Reading gear reviews ≠ doing push-ups

Consistency Compounds Five-minute gym visits built a decade-long weight-loss win

4 Laws to Build Obvious · Attractive · Easy · Satisfying

Invert to Break Invisible · Unattractive · Hard · Unsatisfying

Watch the Trip-Wires Perfectionism, fear, shame, arrival fallacy, “Monday mentality”

Big change is just a pile of tiny, daily votes—start casting yours today. Check out the four part series.