If you’re looking for a simple template or path to follow to help you reach your goals, this is it. Everyone’s goals are different, but this three-word plan will help you achieve your dreams: No Zero Days.
The day I learned about “No Zero Days” started just like any other….drinking a cup of hot coffee while browsing Reddit. Reddit, for those of you that are unaware, is a huge discussion/community website which covers every single topic you can imagine. While browsing, I stumbled on a topic in a subreddit (a forum, essentially, for specific topics) that helps people get more disciplined in their daily lives. In this particular thread, someone was seeking motivation and the top reply (quoted below) has resonated with me ever since. For full transparency, I’ve edited out some profanity in the statement below, but the overall message is still conveyed (and verbatim otherwise).
Rule numero uno – There are no more zero days. What’s a zero day? A zero day is when you don’t do a single thing towards whatever dream or goal or want or whatever that you got going on. No more zeros. I’m not saying you gotta bust an essay out everyday, that’s not the point. The point I’m trying to make is that you have to make yourself, promise yourself, that the new SYSTEM you live in is a NON-ZERO system. Didnt’ do anything all day and it’s 11:58 PM? Write one sentence. One pushup. Read one page of that chapter. One. Because one is non zero. You feel me? When you’re in the super vortex of being bummed your pattern of behaviour is keeping the vortex goin, that’s what you’re used to. Turning into productivity ultimate master of the universe doesn’t happen from the vortex. It happens from a massive string of CONSISTENT NON ZEROS. That’s rule number one. Do not forget.
So you want to reach your goals? That’s really all there is to it – no more zero days. I’m the type of person who suffers from “paralysis by analysis” which basically means I spend all my time analyzing situations and end up unable to make decisions, especially when related to big projects or life goals. Because of this, my productivity is hampered, but by following the “no zero days” mindset I am able to make progress (however small) on a daily basis. One of my dad’s favorite sayings is “how do you eat an elephant?” and the answer is: one bite at a time. It’s a concept that can be applied to anything, including your goals in life. No matter how big your goal (elephant) is, chip away at it one bite at a time and eventually you’ll build some momentum and motivation.