is keeping streaks really that important?

on day 16th of the 30-day writing challenge

Jun 25, 2024

hi there,

how have you been? it’s great to see you here again (or the first time). I’m currently joining a 30-day writing challenge called Writing On The Net, in which I would publish one piece of content every calendar day from the day the challenge started.

honestly, this is a question that I have asked myself both before and during the challenge, although our instructors already give 25 blogs as a milestone for you to be considered completing the challenge, and a gently reminder that we can always have our buffer (just don’t skip two day on a row).

to address this topic, I would answer these following questions throughout this blog:

what is a streak?
why is keeping streaks a good thing?
what are the side effects of trying to maintain streaks?

let’s get started.

the definition

streak (n) something that happens or is done over a period of time without a break (Cambridge Dictionary)

so when I mentioned about the 30-day writing challenge of WOTN, it means that I’m having a daily blogging streak of 16 days up till now.

let me give you some other examples of streaks in the context of digital products, since streaks have always been one of the top methods product companies use to push user retention through daily app engagement:

Duolingo (a language learning app): A streak is the number of days in a row you have completed a lesson.
Snapchat (a multimedia instant messaging app): “Snapstreak” counts consecutive days two users send each other Snap photos.
GitHub (a developer platform): The current streak is the number of consecutive days ending with the current day on which you have made at least one contribution.

the good

streak as a source of motivation in forming new habit or lifestyle

long time ago there was a myth saying that people need 21 days to form a new habit.

according to this study, it takes around 66 days for a new habit to stick, but even the research itself suggests that this can vary from 18 days to 254 days, depending on other aspects.

besides other variables that help people form a new habit, keeping it consistently even with a small commitment can definitely helps. for example people would try to build streak towards mini challenge to adopt a new lifestyle, whether it’s about keeping yourself healthy or reading a book. across Youtube or Tiktok, you can see people do experiments trying 5 minutes stretching before bed for 30 days, walking up on 5am for a month, or 3 weeks of reading 5 pages a day, etc.

finishing an activity/ a task gives you an instant dopamine boost thanks to the sense of accomplishment.

then seeing a growing streak gives you motivation to continue the behavior to not breaking the chain.

when the act is repetitive enough over a certain period of time, you start to feel like this habit is kicking in, which makes it easier to maintain over time.

a streak though is still different from a end habit, in which you do things unconsciously and without the need of motivation, like when you always make the bed after waking up, or brush your teeth before going to sleep every night.

streak as a multiplier towards your self belief and confidence

when you’re able to keep a streak going, you suddenly build a sense of progress. you feel super rewarding ticking that habit tracker you have on Notion, Google Sheet or your notebook,

or seeing the streak icon amazingly featured in your favorite app.

the more you do it, the more sense of self-efficacy you can build up for yourself. by taking small action every calendar day, streaks promote a can-do attitude and mindset towards your confidence in achieving a goal. even seeing the cheering message from Duolingo feels differently when you’re able to keep the streak aka you actually use the app to learn some language continuously for the past… 365 days. the visually-appealing gamification method gets people addicted to it by simple reinforcement and encouragement via notifications and alerts.

(my streak during the 30-day writing challenge, not gonna lie this is quite satisfying to look at even though it has only been half the way)

those were about keeping up with the good habit, imagine applying the streak mentality to avoiding bad habit, such as keeping a streak of not drinking alcohol, smoking or even controlling caffeine intake. what do you think?

the side effects

streaks keep us in a competitive game, as if our lives aren’t pressured enough from the society (lol). the psychological effects of streaks are similar to having a scored/point system in an app or at a classroom environment. some participants don’t just keep the streak for their own benefit, yet keep it to compete with other players in the game.

this side effect starts to result in someone losing control towards other important things in their life instead of losing a streak. for example, I read somewhere on the Internet that a dad was struggling with his daughter being too addicted and committed to Snapchat streaks while not completing her homework at school.

the success of streaks could also lie on how deeply the activity resonates with a person’s identity and character. let’s say if I hate social media and sharing on the Internet (regardless of platforms/channels), how could I even start the public writing streak to begin with, or even if I start, it could slowly adds up on my fear and make me feel demotivated instead.

also, too big of a streak’s performance goal to commit could makes you feel like you’re being controlled and obligated instead of having positive challenges and the joy when the streak started. for example, if you start a running streak of 5km every calendar day while you’re the one who usually has to travel across cities for work, chances are you’re gonna end up losing your running interest even sooner before you lose the streak.

some hidden thoughts

while the method is being used widely across digital platforms or even offline activities, not every activity needs a streak count. like we don’t keep streaks when we send good morning and good night texts to our beloved people. we don’t keep streaks when we share cute lil things going on our days via our Instagram story. we don’t keep streaks on how many days we call our parents but mainly because we truly care and want to check up on them.

keeping streaks is effective as long as you understand all the technique and psychological effects behind it. I have my own reasons and goals by keeping this writing streak, and you have yours too. and whether or not you want to believe that losing a streak is a lost, it’s your choice ;). just don’t feel like losing yourself for the streaks after all.

thank you for supporting my writing streak journey :P, it’s great having you here!

mindfully yours,

Han from work in progress

a 30-day writing challenge of Writing On The Net.

#wotn6