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by frausto 2290 days ago
I've struggled with this quite a bit in my own life. I find the "No Zero" mentality to work well for me. Treat every weekday as a "No Zero" day. What does that mean? It means if my goal is to go to the gym, even if I literally walk into the gym, do a pushup, and leave, that counts. It's more than Zero. Consistent non-zero days eventually help break me out of my depression. And when I miss a day... well forgive myself and keep going.

All easier said than done of course, and sometimes a no-zero goal is just to get out of bed... but it has helped me.

For anyone interested I got the idea from here: https://www.reddit.com/r/getdisciplined/comments/1q96b5/i_ju... The style and language of the post are not really my cup of tea, but the ideas behind it have really helped me.
3 comments
tombert 2290 days ago
The article on FiveThirtyEight "If You Stop Thinking Of Exercise As A Way To Lose Weight, You May Actually Enjoy It" [0] really helped me realize something similar.

I think virtually any doctor would agree that my half-ass, crappy exercise at the gym is still almost certainly better than me sitting at home and watching TV, even if it's not the most optimal way of doing it.

[0] https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/if-you-stop-thinking-of...

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agumonkey 2290 days ago
crazy how the first step is often the most important one
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Jare 2290 days ago
And every step is the first since the last one.
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uoaei 2290 days ago
That sounds inspirational but it just comes across as daunting/insurmountable to those who haven't gotten used to the idea of taking that first step.
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Jare 2290 days ago
I meant it as factual rather than inspirational. It is daunting for sure, but every person in this journey will find out about it as soon as they take that first step. And most people around will not understand, and will not be able to help and support appropriately without that understanding.
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agumonkey 2290 days ago
but there's a huge entry cost.
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haebou 2290 days ago
I would have responded with exactly this -- the post that you linked. The four points that the author makes really make a difference if you can internalize them.
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