Rohan's blog

There is something amazing about doing something continuously. Streaks as they are called are fascinating and when done right, you can change your world.

It all starts with a commitment and decision to do something. Let me draw you in.

First Step

No matter what you want to achieve – taking that first step is hardest. You will be tempted to be lazy, do it later or not do the thing with enthusiasm.

And all of these emotions will be strong. That’s why it is hard to do new things everyday. You have become comfortable doing the things that work. Knowing what the day looks like feels safe.

But if you want to excel, you need to take risks and those come with uncertainty. The thing which you are trying brand new might not work. And it can feel intimidating. But that’s exactly the reason you need to do something.

Take the leap of faith and do it first time – be it writing, dancing, acting or learning a new language.

Transition Into Habit

The best way to excel into anything is to do it every day. Initially you won’t see the difference and it might feel that you aren’t going anywhere. But when you will look back after a year, you could see the transition.

That’s why streaks are amazing – done daily it has the ability to transform your life. So whatever you want to become, you should practice it daily. Once you have taken the first step, you need to keep pushing to make it one more time.

The obstacle that might come at this point will be the feeling that it won’t matter if you miss a day. But that’s the feeling you want to avoid. It starts with missing a day and then you will keep on procrastinating.

Instead do anything to fill in the day. For example if you are learning a language and your goal is to learn a sentence everyday then learn a word but strike out the daily attendance.

This reinforces two things – since your mind will understand that you aren’t going to stop, it will make you better. If you are going to produce your art anyway then it might as well make it awesome.

And second, the more you fight the initial tension, the easier it will get to do the thing as time flies by.

The Trick To Succeed

Run away from shortcuts which guarantees amazing results. If there were a shortcut such like that then everyone would be using it.

But if you are doing this streak thing then there is a trick to maximise your impact. There will some days where you feel energetic, amazing and in flow. Also there will be days where you will feel like doing nothing.

The trick is to do more on days where you feel amazing. So learn ten sentences of language because there will come a day where you just learn a word. Hence it will compensate and you will feel better about yourself and the progress.

And as Seth Godin says, when you have made the decision to do, the question shifts from why to what. Focus on what you will be doing today and not why. Because you have already decided on why you are doing this streak.