In the quest to build better habits, one often overlooked ides is repetition. Many people focus on how long it will take to build a good habit. Will I need seven days? Two weeks? 21.5 days? Rather than worrying about what workout you should do, just do something. Rather than worrying about what you should write about, just write something – anything.
James Clear talks about this abundantly in Atomic Habits, and 2018 Boston Marathon female champion Des Linden has become known for her mantra of “keep showing up“. As Des, and many others say, no one ever finishes a run and says to themselves, “I wish I hadn’t run today.”
Don’t worry about how slow you’ll run or how tired you are. Just get out the door. Just run, even if only for 2 minutes (remember the Two Minute Rule?). As James Clear describes, habits are more a function of how many repetitions you get in when trying to build a positive habit or break a negative one. Don’t focus on how many days you’ll need until your habit sticks, rather focus on just getting the reps in. More reps, more change.