I have been doing yoga for the last 4 years but sometimes there used to be a gap of some days. May be doing it just for 4-5 days in a week and sometimes not doing all the asanas. So there used to be inconsistency. Starting this year, I decided to do it regularly, without missing a single day and the idea was to not have a zero day any time. I have been practicing yoga for the last 100+ days now, without missing a single day. So, what is this non-zero day?
Long ago, I read a blog on Medium about consistency. The author said if you want to make a habit permanent, want to be consistent, make sure that you are having a non-zero day. Don’t have a day when you did not do anything about that habit. You have done something more than zero. For example, if you are a writer and want to write consistently every day. But some days, you don’t feel like writing, or you don’t have much to write. This rule says, still you should write something. Maybe a few sentences, or some paragraphs. The days should not go without writing anything.
Photo on Unsplash by Maria Teneva
To practice this non-zero day, initially, you can use a tracker. You can track this habit daily, whether you have done this activity or not. Like for practice writing, put a tick mark on the day if you have written something. The amount is irrelevant here, the important thing is consistency. When you try to have a non-zero day, you are writing something every day. Your tracker will be full of tick marks. This visualization of consistency will boost your confidence like anything. You may not be writing the same amount every day, but you have written something every day. You have not broken the habit of writing.
There is a saying in my native language that if the habit or routine is broken someday, there is a good possibility of leaving this habit or routine. So, push yourself every day to write something to keep the habit alive. Consistency will give you confidence and mastery in your craft.
Try practicing this non-zero rule and see how this helps you to become consistent.