You Won't Catch Up

Today I woke up at 6:30, as I always do. Usually, immediately after that, I grab my phone from the table and lie in bed for 1-2 hours doing absolutely nothing. This morning was different. Although it was difficult to not fall back asleep, I managed to get out of bed just one minute later. I did several awkward, sleepy push-ups and went to take a shower.

Despite the fact that the routine was simple and not that difficult, the results were significant. Beginning the day with a sequence of actions gives you a lot of momentum.

Around 7:10, I was already sitting at my laptop with a cup of tea and several peanut butter sandwiches, eager to get to work. I spent all morning programming, specifically extending my website. It was such a fun and effortless experience, I didn’t even notice how the fifth hour had ended.

After 13:00 (or 1 PM), I still wasn’t tired, on the contrary, I was excited about how much I had accomplished and how much more I could do by the end of the day. But somewhere around that time, I felt a slight urge to distract myself with something. I gave in, and that was a fatal mistake.

After checking what was happening on Instagram, reading some Reddit posts, and other useless activities, I decided to go back to work.

Suddenly, something changed significantly in the way I felt. All the excitement just evaporated. Every action required a substantial amount of effort, and generally, my productivity level was at rock bottom. I spent the whole other half of the day that way, doing nothing.

It was an extremely unpleasant change. By letting distracting thoughts take over, I lost the streak and could never get back to my previous state of productivity.

Unexpectedly, I am now quite happy with the way things went. Such a strong emotional contrast caught my attention and made me aware of how an apparently insignificant decision can lead to huge payoffs. Turns out momentum plays a much bigger role than I initially thought, and it’s crucial to spot when you lose it and be able to get back on track quickly.