n=n+1
I love subscribing to a number of thought-provoking blogs & articles by various bloggers (and then make sure to read all of those also 😊).
A recent article by blogger Clint Murphy on the power of streaks resonated with me a lot.
Here is an excerpt from that blog (The Growth Guide).
His blog prompted me to introspect my own life about how I was harnessing the power of streaks. I immediately pulled out an excel file & started taking stock of all my habits.
While taking a snippet for this blog, re-reading my above list of streaks was a super proud & satisfying moment for me.
Although the last entry (watching web series) is not a great habit, it often reminds me that in the pursuit of leading a disciplined life, I am not turning out to be a robot.
In fact, one should actively carve out some time regularly for doing-nothing, even wasting time on trivial things like doom-scrolling, consuming OTT contents, etc.😊
I have not come across anyone so far who doesn’t believe in leading a life full of good habits. But how many are really able to do it consistently?
Many often complain about various problems in starting & (then) sticking to a streak. Some say that they are so ‘busy’ in their daily chores that they cannot find time for all these things.
The answer to all their complaints & doubts lies in tracking our entire week hour-by-hour.
I came across this concept in a book named 168 hours: You have more time than you think (Author- Laura Vanderkam)
Laura simply asks the readers to start tracking every hour of their entire week (by using a piece of paper or excel). If we are serious about this exercise, then it acts like a mirror.
A mirror never lies.
It gives us lots of insights on where we are spending our time - what’s essential & what’s not.
By discovering this non-essential time blocks & using most of those regularly for what-is-really-important, we can reclaim our life quite fast.
What gets measured, gets improved.
Long back, when I was learning the ‘C’ language, I often used to write below line of code
n=n+1
Streaks are built exactly like that → n=n+1
One day at a time, one session at a time, one repetition at a time...
All that matters is sticking to that habit long enough.
I highly encourage you to take a pause this Sunday evening & reflect on how you spent your entire week.
What were your top 3 winning streaks?
What were you top (bottom ?) 3 losing streaks?
What actions will you take next week to work on your losing streaks?
It is time to extend using our calendars beyond professional appointments.