In a long term, consistency always beats intensity.
And if you’re still not thinking long-term – you’re already loosing.
Long-term thinking
Posts tagged thoughts
7 days without social media
I just had a week of “no social media policy.”
No Instagram/Facebook/Snapchat/Twitter/Reddit/any messenger/etc. Any related app has been deleted from my iPhone, either.
And it was probably the most productive week in the past few months!
Instead of thinking of some article I’ve just read or deciding what picture I should post on Instagram, my mind could concentrate on what truly matters.
I’ve finally launched a few projects I’ve wanted to test for a while, read two great books, given just enough time to practice Spanish, journaled without any time constraints, and the list goes on and on.
But probably the most significant part of this “don’t disturb mode” was that every time I picked up my phone to check Instagram or to meaninglessly scroll my Facebook feed, I’d open the Anki app and practice Spanish vocabulary instead, simply because that phone checking habit was still in place, but those time-consuming apps weren’t.
As a result, today, when I’m finally “allowed” to get back and post some stuff, I don’t want to.
And it feels great.
Keep going
I always feel great right when I am starting to run.
First mile – “awesome, I did it!”. Second – “maybe it’s enough? I don’t feel very well”. Third mile past – “I’ll probably die if I’d run a 100 feet more. That’s enough!”.
Some of the times I’d stop there, feeling pretty awful, without any intention to repeat the same process the next day. But what if I keep going? Nine out of ten times, after passing a 3.5-4 miles mark, I’d open a so-called “second breath,” catch the “momentum” and finish my workout feeling even better than after the first mile, feeling accomplished and ready to run the next day.Mileage may change depending on one’s physical condition, but you get the idea.
Most of the blogs out there disappear into the silence after the first few posts.
Roughly 90% of all the podcasts on iTunes never get more than three episodes.
Your first 3-5 meditate sessions would almost always feel “meh, I don’t get it,” and most of the people would quit after that (or even after the very first one) and never try again.
What important is to keep going no matter how you feel.
Perseverance is your best friend in case if you want to achieve that “run every day” or “learn Spanish” or whatever else you have on that goal list of yours.
Catch the momentum and keep it going.
You’ll love the results.