Over time, I internalized the opposite: if I keep failing to keep up habits, it’ll be harder to get the habit going the next time.
Ah, is that because when you start the habit for the first time, it’s like “there is a chance that this is the One Weird Trick what will completely change my life forever”, and when you start it again, you already know it doesn’t work reliably… which discourages you from trying?
Well, yeah, it’s true. But also, if the first attempt resulted in e.g. 30 productive days, followed by a failure, then when you make the second attempt, you should not only expect another failure, but also another sequence of 30 (probably more, as you noticed) productive days. Which makes it worth trying!
Ah, is that because when you start the habit for the first time, it’s like “there is a chance that this is the One Weird Trick what will completely change my life forever”, and when you start it again, you already know it doesn’t work reliably… which discourages you from trying?
Well, yeah, it’s true. But also, if the first attempt resulted in e.g. 30 productive days, followed by a failure, then when you make the second attempt, you should not only expect another failure, but also another sequence of 30 (probably more, as you noticed) productive days. Which makes it worth trying!