I used to love keeping streaks for every habit.
If you are Gen Z like me, you also grew up with Snapchat and probably had many Snapchat streaks. I had a lot of streaks with people although, when that streak broke, so did my motivation to talk with that person.
The entire relationship was built off of a streak.
Sadly I didn't catch that until recently. As I got older and I was getting into the self-improvement space, I'd keep track of the streaks because at the time I found it very motivating and I felt it gamified the habit-building process.
Little did I know, it gave me a ton of new problems.
When I broke my streak I felt very demotivated.
A part of my brain tricked me into believing all my progress was undone.
Instead of reflecting on all the benefits I got from the habit, I would think about how terrible I was.
Keeping a streak was like giving myself a self-destruct button. It gave me another way to lose.
It gave me a false sense of progress.
Looking at that fancy number made me feel productive
This led to destroying my urge to feel productive that day
I would never assess if my time journaling is well spent
Now I use a new system.
The Two Lives Framework
Just don't miss a habit twice.
This compromise is adaptable enough to handle life's unpredictability while still providing the structure needed for solid consistency. With this system, The stress of missing a habit is easier to deal with, and bouncing back isn't difficult.
Yet, it's also important to understand what happens if you miss 2 days in a row.
To be honest with you, the negative consequences tend to be exaggerated. If you miss 2 days, in a row, the next time you do a habit, it will be slightly harder, that's it. This does negatively scale, but if it happens a couple of times you can still bounce back.
Think of it like running a race.
Missing a habit is as if you just stopped going forward. You're not running the other way. Remember this and give yourself a break if you miss the habit.
As long as you stay in the fight you're still projected to win.