Compounding Habits

Lately, It's been more difficult to write each day. When I'm struggling to find something to write about, or am short on time, I've often defaulted to writing a short reflection on one of the highlights from a book I've read.

I don't think there is anything wrong with this, but at the moment it feels a little like there isn't much to gain from this. It feels like I'm cutting corners so as not to break the streak.

Is that a fair assessment? Am I really just cutting corners?

It's often the case with any behaviour that is small enough to seem insignificant. But the truth is, habits compound over time, they become more than their sum.

And so I've been asking myself, is it enough to sit down every day and just write a small reflection on a highlighted passage from a book?

Well, first I must keep reading, otherwise, I'll run out of fuel. Second, I'll need to read through my highlights daily to find something that sparks an idea. And finally, I need to reflect on the passage and articulate my thoughts, feelings and observations about this quote. I think there is probably a lot to be gained from doing each of these things daily.

While the output may seem underwhelming or a bit low effort, I have to remind myself why I am doing this. It's not because I'm trying to write a work of art every day, but rather, I'm building good habits.