Today marks the 128th Tuesday in a row that I've sent out this newsletter.

It's a positive habit that I want to keep alive for as many years as I can but that doesn't mean it's always easy.

I've had health scares and emergencies come up, vacations and periods of distraction where I didn't want to show up to write.

There's been last minute scheduling changes and work obligations that have threatened to derail hitting my self-imposed deadline.

But through it all I've kept my writing habit alive and well with the aid of one simple concept:

In times of hardship I just lower the bar.

While training for a marathon a few years ago I realized that whenever I stopped jogging to take a break or walk, it became much harder to start jogging again. Once my momentum was gone, I couldn't get back up to speed and paradoxically, I felt more exhausted after my sessions.

So I stopped taking breaks. Instead, I would jog slower. In fact, I would jog so slow it looked like I was running in place. Even when running uphill I maintained a snail's pace, my feet barely lifting off the cement.

I lowered the bar of what it means to "run" and in turn I was able to finish my first marathon without stopping to walk a single time.

Habits work the same way.

Maintaining momentum is the best way to keep a habit alive and well.

Losing momentum isn't the end of the world, but if you're not careful, could be the start of a new habit of not showing up.

So lower the bar if you feel like it's a struggle to show up for the day.

Write one sentence in your journal instead of a page.

Read for five minutes instead of an hour.

Do a light bodyweight workout instead of lifting heavy if you're tired.

A "1" on the scoreboard is better than a "0".

And lowering the bar is also great for rebooting a habit that has fallen off.

When I came back to making YouTube videos after a 3 month break I felt overwhelmed. So instead of writing a script and compiling a big file of research for the topic, I decided to lower the bar by riffing on an idea unscripted instead.

Not only did this lower the bar enough for me to get back into the groove, it also unlocked a new process for doing things. I realized that I had the bar too high to reasonably maintain and after that decided to change how I make videos going forward.

So next time you're trying to build a new habit or reboot an old one, remember there's no shame in lowering the bar to maintain momentum.

Prompt:

What's a habit you've been struggling to maintain or start?

What is one possible way you can lower the bar so you can start to build momentum?