No Zero Days

My friend Chris wrote (and sketchnoted) another mental model. His mental model posts are always great. There’s a lot to think about in his latest, the Multiply by Zero post. The part that made me really have a good think was the concept of No Zero Days.

Chris says:

In this system, instead of seeking to maximise each day, you just aim to avoid a “zero day”.

If you make some contribution towards a goal (health, business, personal development) you will have moved forward, even if you didn’t make a big contribution on this day.

I don’t like the “don’t break the chain” model. Breaking the chain sounds finite. If I break it once, it’s over, forget it. Why bother? Then I feel guilty. But have a no zero day? Even a little progress compounds and if I miss a day, there’s another day to try again. It just feels more forgiving and managable, to me.

And it reminds me of this quote attributed to Confucius

It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.

I hope you have a no zero day, friends.