Glossary
Streak, explained
A streak is the number of consecutive days you have done something, such as finishing at least one planned block. "Don't break the chain" is the idea of marking each day on a calendar so the growing chain motivates you to continue; it is often credited to Jerry Seinfeld, who has said he did not invent it.
What it means
A visible streak turns a habit into something you can lose, and people work hard not to lose things. It also makes progress concrete: 40 days is a fact, not a feeling.
How to do it in a calendar
- Count a day when at least one planned block is done.
- Keep the bar low enough to keep on a bad day.
- Plan rest as a short block you tick off on sick days: the streak keeps going, and months of work stay on your record either way.
An example
A writer's streak counts any day with a finished writing block, even 15 minutes. After 60 days the streak itself becomes a reason to write on tired days.
Common mistakes
- All-or-nothing. One missed day does not undo a habit; research found it did not materially change habit formation (Lally et al., 2010).
- Gaming it. If the block is trivial, the streak stops meaning anything.
Where it comes from
Lally, P., van Jaarsveld, C. H. M., Potts, H. W. W., & Wardle, J. (2010). How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40(6), 998–1009.
Questions
What happens if I miss a day?
Restart the next day. In the research, a single missed day did not change how a habit formed. On Cutline the streak starts again; your hours and record stay.
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