The Power of the Streak

ShiroKuro

I have played the piano every day since January 1 this year. 🙂 Yesterday, even though it was a Saturday, I actually worked all day, and after dinner I was just really tired. But I haven’t missed a day of piano yet. So I thought, well, I’ll just do one page of sightreading and call it a day (I’m reading through the Schirmer sonatina book right now).

Well after that one page, I felt a little more clear-eyed and I decided to work on my pieces and ended up practicing for about an hour and getting closer to resolving some of the trickier parts in one of the newer pieces I’m working on right now. 🙂

That’s the power of the streak.

And although I would still be practicing regularly without PACT or the 40P challenge, these two ideas absolutely help me, in all kind of ways.

I have another day of work today (even though it’s Sunday, such is the life of a researcher :/
But I know I’ll get to the piano again this evening, so it’s ok. 🙂

Happy Sunday y’all!

🙂

Stub

Isn't it a great feeling when you sit down at the piano with a tired sigh and get up an hour later refreshed and with renewed energy? 👍

I am a committed "something every day"-er for over a decade now. I need the discipline, plus, as you relate, unexpected but welcome progress can happen on those days when you don't feel up to it but do it anyway.

ShiroKuro

Stub I am a committed "something every day"-er for over a decade now.

That's great, Stub!

I was on PW when the MOYD first started, and I did it off and on for years. But work got crazy starting in 2022, then I took a new position and we moved out of state etc. etc. so my consistency tanked in 2023. In 2024, I started back to piano lessons (first time for in-person lessons since before the pandemic!) and gradually recalibrated to make daily piano playing part of my daily life again. I think I wrote this somewhere in PT, but I calculated it and in 2024, I think I averaged slightly more than five days a week of piano playing for the whole year.

This year I'd like to average 6 days/week for the year, and I'd love to be able to have 100% practice on all days when I'm not traveling.

So far, so good!

Stub

twocats but once I get started with something then I keep going!

This happens for me when I go for my daily walks. Because it's not always fun and I have to talk myself into it, I tell myself I only have to go as far as the log house, for example. When I get to the log house, I say, okay, since I'm this far, then I'll go as far as the New Slow Lady house (long story 🤪), and pretty soon I've gone the full distance.

ShiroKuro I was on PW when the MOYD first started,

I started MOYD in 2012, so that makes it 12 years for me, if you're counting. I am often tempted to just not play for a day, but of course once you do that, your run is broken. I also experience a version of the sunk cost fallacy, where you feel as though you've already invested so much you can't afford to quit.

twocats

I feel like I always have high inertia, but once I get started with something then I keep going! A friend told me that she will say "I commit to doing at least 5 minutes" because that is very achievable, but once you do the 5 minutes then you stay for more 🙂

ShiroKuro

@twocats exactly! I like the word inertia, because although it's often used to mean "stuck in place," it also has that meaning of "continuing in the existing state." In other words, if you're not moving, you continuing not-moving.... But once you get moving, it's easier to keep moving.

In other, other words, it can feel hard to get up and go to the piano to practice, but once we get there, it's very easy to stay there and keep practicing.
🙂

ShiroKuro

Stub I started MOYD in 2012, so that makes it 12 years for me, if you're counting. I am often tempted to just not play for a day, but of course once you do that, your run is broken. I also experience a version of the sunk cost fallacy, where you feel as though you've already invested so much you can't afford to quit.

That's wonderful! I don't think the "sunk cost fallacy" is the right concept though, because that applies to when money (or time) is wasted and rather than cut your loses and run, you keep going because you've already invested so much.

In your case, that daily practice is definitely not wasted!!

twocats

Stub I also experience a version of the sunk cost fallacy, where you feel as though you've already invested so much you can't afford to quit.

I can totally see that if you've managed to gamify it for yourself! Like Duolingo streaks, but without an app that tells you that you blew your 1000-day streak and have to start over.

I had been doing Wordle very faithfully until the day I broke my streak, and then I just... stopped. It's too bad. My favorite is actually Nerdle where you solve math equations. I should get back to it!

Stub

ShiroKuro Stub I started MOYD in 2012, so that makes it 12 years for me, if you're counting. I am often tempted to just not play for a day, but of course once you do that, your run is broken. I also experience a version of the sunk cost fallacy, where you feel as though you've already invested so much you can't afford to quit.

That's wonderful! I don't think the "sunk cost fallacy" is the right concept though, because that applies to when money (or time) is wasted and rather than cut your loses and run, you keep going because you've already invested so much.

In your case, that daily practice is definitely not wasted!!

I agree, I don't think the practice is wasted, not at all! Sunk cost fallacy was the first term that came to mind, but, yes, it's not the best term. What would be a good name for the Can't-Quit-Now syndrome??

ShiroKuro

Stub Can't-Quit-Now syndrome

Works for me!! 😃

Or else you could go with something like "I have no choice but to continue my awesomeness"
Woot!

Stub

Oh, if only I some awesomeness of which I had no choice but to continue.....😐