It is easy to fall into a slump. You miss one workout, break a three-week streak but you don’t think much of it at the time. You justify it to youself by giving a sloppy excuse, “Just today”. But the pattern repeats and the justification grows stronger each time. When you start to drop the ball more frequently, the excuses eventually stop, the will weakens. You just resign to your fate and go on.
Likewise, I started reading with gusto. A book a week, nay, two books a week. Ambitious goals and targets were set but to no avail. I eventually found myself in a slump. The point was to enjoy reading but it is easy to substitute it with something else – like doom scrolling.
Breaking Free
So it wasn’t until a friend, an avid reader, heard me out and suggested something very simple to me. They offered three slim paperbacks from their collections – all under 100 pages and encouraged me to reset my reading with these. No grand suggestions, no ideas, no admonition. Just three slim books, and a nudge to read. And before I knew it, I had completed three books in a week. It felt pretty good.
The ticker had come alive. I was eager to read more. I was not afraid of starting out and then losing track of my commitment once again. Because this time it seemed like I had broken the curse already and I was confident to keep going.
The lesson for me was simple – if I can’t do the whole workout, do a quick ten minute one. If you can’t read a big book, read a slim one. If you can’t cook all three meals, cook breakfast. The idea is to keep the activity going. Quality and quantity can vary but as long as one is at it. I don’t know about building habits but it will definitely help to feel better, everyday with these tiny wins.
Of course, fresh starts are thoroughly researched and are known to contribute positively to well being. But I have always struggled to get those right each time, until now.
Further reading: