Habits and streaks

I think most of us know that "A streak is something – anything, really – that happens over a period of time without a break. It’s a type of gamification – the process of adding game-like elements to tasks to make them [our tasks] more appealing" (Hamilton, 2024). 

For example, by using a Fitbit, I have maintained an average of over 15,000 steps a day since September 2023 (and between 10,000 and 14,000 per day since 2016). And I have been writing daily without a break on 750words (2025) since 2015, and maintained a 2200+ day streak in that time... and more than 7 million words. Because of those pieces of kit (the Fitbit wearable and phone app; and the 750Words site), the badges and acknowledgements kept me nudging me to keep going until I built habits (read more on habits here). 

And now I have those habits, the practices have become part of my daily routines. Walking for a good length of time with the dogs, getting outside and getting my heart rate up will hopefully keep me fitter for longer. And writing a daily diary helps me keep track of what I did, and when (read more here). Both of these practices can be maintained without too much effort, now. Autopilot, perhaps.

However, there is a line to be drawn between a habit and an obsession. Streaks "can become all-consuming" (Hamiton, 2024). A reporter explained that "One parent I spoke to told me her daughter is 'addicted' to her two-year long snapstreak" (Hamilton, 2024), which is a Snapchat streak. Social media is designed to keep us scrolling, potentially leading to obsessive or addictive behaviours. The process of sharing our streaks and results with our friend groups can amplify those unhealthy behaviours (Hamilton, 2024). For myself, the only sharing of these personal habits I do are here on this blog, which is a bit removed. There is less immediacy.

However, we don't have to share our data for things to get out of hand. My sister-in-law kept increasing her daily fitness regime on her wearable to beat the previous day's total and nearly burned out. She couldn't sleep until she had bettered the previous day and would be often found frantically stair-climbing close to midnight. She found that for her mental health she had to stop wearing her device. 

Doing 'enough' is quite a few notches more relaxed than obsession.

Sam

References:

750Words. (2023, June 12). New experimental feature: the Streak Fairy. https://community.750words.com/c/blog/new-experimental-feature-the-streak-fairy

Hamilton, C. (2024, September 8). Don’t break the streak! How a daily ritual can enrich your life – or become an unhealthy obsession. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/article/2024/sep/08/streak-daily-ritual-can-enrich-your-life-or-become-unhealthy-obsession