Reduce the scope, stick to the schedule

I’m trying to write 28 days in a row, but today was a bit unpredictable - I didn’t have time to write at all!

Life is often full of things that can go wrong, which is why it’s hard to stick to your goals and be consistent with them.

So how do we stick to our goals when life gets crazy?

Have the mindset of reducing the scope but sticking to the schedule. It is more important to stick to your plan than to meet your expectations on any given day.

I expect to spend 2-3 hours writing something good, but it’s more critical for me to stick to the schedule and maintain my streak than make great articles. I’m aiming for A+ consistency and B+ quality.

Why? Because I want to build a writing habit. I want to become someone who writes. I want to be someone who shows up every day, even when life gets crazy, even when I can’t produce something great.

Today, I planned to get a good solid 2-3 hours of writing in the evening. But as I’m writing this, it’s 2 AM, and I want to sleep. I have two options:

1. I say to myself, “I don’t have time to write today.” let’s do it tomorrow.

2. Reduce the scope, but stick to the schedule. Instead of writing for 2-3 hours, write for 20 minutes, and publish what you have.

I decided to take the second option today and publish something very simple. I published this rough draft. I reduced my scope, but I stayed with the schedule.

Writing for 5 minutes might look insignificant, but staying on schedule is vital here. By showing up every day, you’re telling yourself that no matter how crazy life gets, you’ll always get something done.