#304: A Little Bit Every Day

When each of my kids were born, I made self-commitments to: an intentional, healthy diet, and to a regular body movement and strength training practice. I wanted to increase the chances of me being around long enough to have time with my grandkids, and being strong enough to play with them. Neither of these changes has been a binary “I ALWAYS / NEVER do this thing any more”… There’ve been days where I have to talk myself into showing up at my pull-up bar to see what happens. (It sometimes involves me staring at it for a moment or two before shaking my head and getting to work.) But what really changed the game for me is akin to Sasha’s skill secret — finding a way to do it every day. Even a little bit. Since it’s gotten on to my mental calendar to have just a bit of committed work-out each day, it’s become as natural as walking the dog.

- Corey

A little bit every day

More often than not, I realize I'm comfortable with “a lot,” and I'm comfortable with “nothing.”

It’s easy to make a big push for something when I'm feeling inspired: a New Year’s resolution; after reading a great article on the benefits (or drawbacks) of coffee; while on vacation.

Often, that big push either overshoots (I overdo it and get tired), or inspiration wanes.

Which is why “a little bit every day” is tougher, and more valuable, than it appears.

It requires me to find out what “a little bit” for this new thing means to me: the smallest possible dosage that will make a difference.

And it requires me to do this meaningful thing each and every day.

My natural inclination is to get inspired, overdo things, fall short/get injured, and then get frustrated. Then I give up.

The biggest changes I’ve made have happened when I’ve made small, consistent, long term commitments to things that really matter: from generosity to running to listening to recovering from injury.

This isn’t a conceptual point or a conceptual blog post. I encourage people to pick something that matters to them, figure out what “a little bit” would be, and commit to doing that for 30 days. I've used Austin Kleon’s 30-day challenge printout to keep track.

A little bit every day adds up to a lot. And it’s rarer than it appears.

The post A little bit every day appeared first on Sasha Dichter's Blog.