There’s just something about streaks.

The dopamine hitting as I see the numbers go higher, the satisfaction of knowing I kept a small promise to myself.

Then there are the actual benefits of these streaks, which are the habits that are now ingrained in my life, like the mental clarity with mediation, the documentation of my days and life while journaling, the cultivating of a more resilient and happier mindset with a gratitude practice, and then some.

I started keeping streaks after reading the popular books about habits — Atomic Habits, Tiny Habits, The Power of Habit and so on.

The premise is simple: you start, and then you do it again the next day.

Then the next.

And the next.

Before you know it, you’re well into habit formation territory, and it’ll be a part of your day and life from here on out.

The extra benefit of seeing a big number is not wanting your perceived momentum to stop.

I experimented with different methods:

  • Analog, with a habit tracker drawn out on a page and crossing boxes out
  • A tracking app that consolidates the streaks during that season of life
  • Individual apps with their own tracking widgets (and, as I am learning after using Duolingo for nearly two weeks, threats of meltdowns)

But there is a dark side to this.

“I don’t really have a lot to write today, but I’m still opening this app and typing something so that I don’t lose my streak.”

Entries like this in my journaling app happen once every few months, when I’m dead tired and it’s 11pm, way past my bedtime, and I have the widget telling me there’s a circle that needs filling in.

Or the days when I would startle out of bed when I remember I haven’t done something, and the slight relief when I sneak in under the wire.

There is a subtle shift, I think, from the purpose of building the habit, to keeping the streak alive.

Such as:

Am I being intentional and mindful of the time spent with my thoughts, or am I going through the motions to settle into a session, simply to maintain my meditation streak?

Do I practice actual gratitude when I’m writing it first thing in the morning, or am I being grateful for grateful’s sake for the continued motion?

Then there is that toxic view of how I feel like I’m erasing all my past xxx days worth of effort, by not continuing for a day.

Still, though, I think the good outweighs the bad.

There’s something grounding about having the structure in place. Sure, some days they feel like an obligation, but they’re also a guard rail to me veering off-course when things get overwhelming and messy (and they do!).

And maybe it’s less about being perfect, and more about being a human and being persistent. These streaks are the tangible things I can hold and say hey, I’m trying. I’m showing up for myself. It is less about the habit, and more about who I am and I’m becoming.

So I’ll keep going. Because in the daily repetition, I see the quiet promise of growth, and the reminder that showing up still counts, even if it’s imperfect.

Just like I’ll show up to write these every week, or thereabouts. Not for the streak, but for the story that I’m still learning to tell.