To Build a Habit, Try a Streak
Here’s an article I wrote in The New York Times on STREAKS!
Long-time readers will know that I’m on an eight-year streak of running a mile every single day. Yes, every day. I ran when I had COVID. I ran when I got off a 15-hour flight, arriving at 11pm on a snowy night. I ran a mile around a single hotel room, naked, when I got stuck on a layover in Santiago without my running gear.
I do not recommended this particular streak. Please don’t run when you have COVID! But the concept, of doing the same thing every day, is a fabulous shortcut for decision-making. It’s no longer deciding IF you’re going to do something; you just have to pick when. It’s motivating (for some people). And you get bragging rights…although you also get a lot of concerned looks 🤣