It’s 2018! With a new year often comes New Year’s resolutions. Usually, I’m not really one for New Year’s resolutions because it’s almost a given that they will get abandoned long before the end of the year. However, this time it might just be different. The other day I stumbled upon a Reddit comment by user ryans01 that stuck with me. He has a system called “No More Zero Days” and it’s super intriguing.
The problem
Before I get into what it is, let’s rewind to see why it’s necessary. When making New Year’s resolutions, I’m sure most people genuinely try to change their lives for the better. The thought of bettering oneself can be very motivating to start off with. Therein lies the problem though. People are usually too dependant on motivation to achieve our goals because you don’t need me to tell you that motivation is fleeting. I’m very guilty of this too. As I sit here writing this post I am motivated to start my blog up again. I know that alone won’t be enough, the secret lies in determination, not motivation.
What’s a zero day?
You’re probably wondering what a zero day is. Let’s get back to the Reddit comment. Here’s a direct link if you want to see the whole thing, but I’ll quote the important parts. Be warned, the language gets a bit colourful from here on out.
What’s a zero day? A zero day is when you don’t do a single fucking thing towards whatever dream or goal or want or whatever that you got going on. No more zeros.
Didnt’ do anything all fucking day and it’s 11:58 PM? Write one sentence. One pushup. Read one page of that chapter. One. Because one is non zero.
Think of your days as either being zero or non-zero. If you do one single little thing to forward your goals on any given day, that’s a non-zero day and that’s enough. The premise is that if you start to build a long string of non-zero days, you will be getting closer to your goals and, in turn, become more motivated as a result. Simple enough, right?
A simple example
A lot of times when life gets in the way, we let go of good habits for a day or two and then we get demotivated and likely to drop them entirely, but the non-zero day system has got your back. For example: You had to work late and you couldn’t get to the gym? Don’t drop it completely, get down on the ground at home and do some push-ups or sit-ups or anything to further your weight-loss or fitness goals. That way you actually did something and the next time you can make it to the gym, I damn well hope you will because that’s as great a way as any to make sure your day is a non-zero one.
This post only focuses on one of the points ryan01 made, but I really recommend reading the whole comment. For extra motivation or a place to share your non-zero days, there’s even a subreddit.
According to ryan01, if you string together enough non-zero days you could end up as “productivity ultimate master of the universe”. Now I don’t know about you, but that’s a title I wouldn’t mind having. Why don’t you join me?
