TWO MINUTES AND 20 seconds. They should be your targets if you’re trying to get a new habit — be it walking, meditating or even reading more business books — to take root in 2020. Two minutes is an acceptably low target for Day 1 to start building momentum with your new habit, says productivity writer James Clear in his book Atomic Habits. As for the 20 seconds, that’s the time you should aim to cut between your inert state (like being couch-bound) and actually doing something. “If you reduce the amount of activation energy required, tough things become easy. So make new habits 20 seconds easier to start,” says Shawn Achor, author of the bestseller Big Potential. Examples could include leaving a job ready to work on overnight, scheduling an internet blackout first thing in the morning, or conversely, to make a bad habit harder to fall into, taking the batteries out of the remote control.

IF YOU SUFFER from perfectionism, or even just stress-causing high-standards, the cognitive therapist David Burns urges you try this for a day: Try to be normal. “I dare you to try to be ‘average,’” he writes in his bestseller Feeling Good. “Does the prospect seem blah and boring? … I predict two things will happen. First, you won’t be particularly successful at being ‘average.’ Second, in spite of this, you will receive substantial satisfaction from what you do. More than usual.”

He’s misanthropic, mean-tempered, has a heart that is “two sizes too small” and is avocado green to boot. But kids can’t get enough of the Grinch. That’s what pet store The Green Spot discovered when they invited clients to bring their kids (and pets) in to take pictures with the Dr. Seuss character on Small Business Saturday. “It wasn’t until we started doing the event that we realized how much people loved the Grinch,” says Green Spot co-owner Jessica Ellis. The Grinch’s presence and special offers produced sales about 25 percent higher than the typical Saturday, Ellis reports, while The Green Spot also received a boost of attention from local TV news coverage. Getting dressed up for a Christmas event? Go green.