Day 80: 10 Days to Go!!!

10 Days to Go!!!

Do we know the 90-day rule? Probably not. I suspect most don't. It's this bizarre dating probation period where you're meant to withhold... physical affection... for 90 days to ensure the bloke actually likes you rather than just what he can get. Quite the strategy, that.

I was discussing this with a colleague yesterday, and she asked the pivotal question: "What happens when you give it up on day 80?"

"Then you give it up!" I replied, rather obviously. "But it's not a guarantee that he will stay with you forever."

This got me thinking about my own 90-day challenge. Not about cookies (the euphemistic kind or otherwise), but about this bloody morning routine I've been attempting since January 6th. Eighty days in, and here we are.

The Grand Morning Plan (That Went Predictably Pear-Shaped)

Ah, January. That magical time when we all collectively lie to ourselves about becoming entirely new people. I made this grand commitment (don't we all in the beginning of every year?) that I would be a morning person, waking up at 03:30 am every weekday and starting my day with personal development blogging.

Yep, I really thought I were that disciplined and a man of my word.

I'm not.

Today for example, I'm already 11hr 30 min into the day. No blog. As humans, that can be very discouraging, innit? So what do we do? Pack up, turn back to the old comfortable self-habits?

I Will Quit Tomorrow

I read a quote in the beginning of this morning blogging journey: "I will quit tomorrow." Quite a very simple but way so profound quote. Most alcoholics have a tendency of saying "I will quit tomorrow" and tomorrow never comes. Imagine how transforming that could be if we could take that same attitude to good habits. For example, saying "I will quit blogging when I reach 90 days."

It reminds me of that scene in "The Shawshank Redemption" where Andy Dufresne is chipping away at his prison wall. "Geology is the study of pressure and time," he says. Just a little each day. Not quitting tomorrow.

I wonder if the apostle Paul had something similar in mind when he wrote to the Galatians: "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9, NIV). Paul wasn't just talking about spiritual disciplines; he was addressing that fundamental human tendency to start strong and fizzle out.

The Dip (As Seth Would Call It)

Seth Godin talks about "The Dip" – that slump between initial excitement and meaningful success. According to Godin, every worthwhile endeavour has a period where it gets harder before it gets easier. The difference between those who achieve something significant and those who don't isn't starting – it's pushing through The Dip.

I'm definitely in The Dip with this morning routine business. Eighty days in, the novelty has worn off, the Instagram posts about "my morning routine" have slowed, and now it's just... hard.

According to research from University College London, it takes anywhere from 18 to 254 days to form a new habit, with the average being about 66 days. So I should be well past the formation stage at 80 days. But perhaps that research didn't account for getting up at half three in the bloody morning?

The Moses Delay

You know who else had a 40-year dip? Moses and the Israelites. Talk about commitment issues! What should have been an 11-day journey from Egypt to the Promised Land turned into a four-decade wandering.

Moses must have had mornings where he woke up, looked at the same bloody desert, and thought, "Really? Again with the sand?" But he kept going. Step after step. Day after day.

As Deuteronomy 1:2 casually mentions: "It takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by the Mount Seir road." ELEVEN DAYS. And it took them FORTY YEARS.

Sometimes I look at my 90-day challenge and think perhaps I'm being a bit dramatic. Moses would probably roll his eyes at me.

The Last Mile

There's something psychological about that last stretch before a goal. The last kilometre of a marathon is often described as the hardest, not because the body is more tired (though it certainly is), but because the mind knows relief is coming.

According to sport psychologists, this phenomenon is called "the goal gradient effect" – our motivation increases as we get closer to a goal. But alongside that increased motivation comes increased temptation to ease off, to say "close enough."

Ten days to go.

Two hundred and forty hours.

Fourteen thousand four hundred minutes.

I can hear my bed calling from here. "Just five more minutes," it whispers seductively. "No one will know if you skip just one morning."

But I will know, won't I? And so would Moses. And Paul. And probably Seth Godin too.

The Cookie Jar (Not the Dating Kind)

David Goggins, ex-Navy SEAL and ultramarathon runner, talks about "the cookie jar" – not the one my colleague was discussing regarding the 90-day rule, but a metaphorical one. It's where you store memories of the hard things you've done, the times you've pushed through when you wanted to quit. You reach into this jar when you need strength.

My cookie jar feels a bit empty at the moment. Too many mornings hitting snooze. Too many blogs written at 11:32 at work instead of 04:00 at my desk.

But maybe, just maybe, these last ten days could be different. Maybe they could be the cookies that fill the jar.

What's Your 90-Day?

Perhaps you're reading this and thinking about your own 90-day challenge. Maybe it's fitness related. Maybe it's learning Italian. Maybe it's not checking your ex's Instagram (harder than waking up at 03:30, I reckon).

Whatever it is, I'm guessing you're somewhere in The Dip. The novelty has worn off. The progress isn't as obvious. The temptation to quit is real.

But what if we held onto that alcoholic's promise in reverse? "I'll quit tomorrow." And when tomorrow comes? "I'll quit tomorrow." Rinse and repeat until we've created something worth creating.

As Proverbs 13:4 reminds us: "The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied." (ESV)

Well, it's now 11:58 am. I've spent nearly 30 minutes writing this instead of the report I'm supposed to be finalising. Another sign of my remarkable discipline, clearly. But for the next ten days, I'm making a commitment.

03:30. Alarm. No snooze. Write. Repeat.

And if you see me posting on Instagram at 03:35, you'll know I've kept my word. And if you don't... well, feel free to send me a gently mocking message. Public accountability might be just what I need to push through these final 10 days.

Because unlike the 90-day dating rule, this is one cookie I'm determined to earn.

And now back to that report before my boss notices I've been blogging again. Though if he does, perhaps I could pitch a company-wide 90-day challenge? Corporate wellness and all that...

Mhm... actually, that's not a terrible idea. 90-Day Corporate Challenges. Could be a business there. Should I trademark that? Register the domain?

Or maybe I should just finish the bloody report and save the empire-building for 03:30 tomorrow.

10 days to go...