I started using an app to track things and it reminded me how powerful streaks are. Having stats in there that tell me how many days in a row I’ve won my days really helps build momentum. The longer the streak gets, the more you don’t want to miss.
This is a concept I’ve heard in a lot of places. It’s in books I’ve read, videos I’ve seen, blogs I’ve come across. There’s something in us that wants to keep winning once we’ve stacked a few up.
The other thing I like about building a streak is you start to feel better about where you are, even if it isn’t where you want to be yet. I’m not exactly in the shape I want to be in, but the fact that I’ve stacked a bunch of days of eating more intentionally and working out every day lets me know I’m on track to get there.
You can apply these streaks to any habit you want to build or break. If you want to get better at graffiti, build a streak of doing one drawing every day. If you want to quit smoking, track the days in a row you didn’t do it. Track how many days in a row you read.
The more you line them up, the more you’ll want to keep that pattern going. For me, the biggest pitfall is when I break the streak and get a little demoralized. The best way out of that is to just start the streak over and build it back up.
The goal isn’t a perfect streak forever. The goal is to keep starting new ones and end up with way more winning days than losing ones.
— Bus
