i recently finished the 100 Days Doing challenge. participants set their own goals, and mine was 50 pull-ups per day to self-rehab a torn rotator cuff.
between sets i did regular exercises like pushups, hand stands, squats, lunges. i averaged 3 hours /day in the gym, sometimes 5 or more. the under desk treadmill is key here, making it ~effortless to get in a bunch of 13+ mile days while coding throughout.
before:
- could barely do 3 pull-ups in a set due to the injury
- waited 30+ minutes between sets to let my shoulder heal
after:
- back to doing 10+ pull-ups in a set
- no awkward sensation in my shoulder while pulling
- more physical discipline
sorry, no DEXA scans or heatmaps in this post. benefits were mostly pyschological.
skin in the game
my default is to trust everyone until they provide a reason not to. life is easier this way. but i don’t expect anyone to trust me.
so i filmed all 5,000 pull-ups and uploaded them to this hidden playlist. from Day 8 onward all background music is mine. either an original song or cover, ranging from high school to 2023. enjoy.
filming, editing, and dealing with huge files across multiple computers was truly not fun at all. but practicing the art of “bringing receipts” and tying my reputation to my integrity, matters.
denying excuses
dozens of people participated in the 100 Days Doing challenge and most of them gave up. it would have been easy for me to take a beat when i traveled to Vegas, Texas, and North Carolina. after all, pull-ups require gear.
so in each location i bought a pull-up bar. in Vegas i actually hid it in the attic before flying back to Atlanta. i hope some kid finds it, installs it, and chants the motto: stronger, smarter, richer.
i can’t imagine being someone who constantly lets themselves down, so i’m not. excuses are for losers.
momentum is critical
have you ever tried learning a language, got a nice Duolingo streak going, then missed 1 day and decided “F- that! i’m never learning Japanese?”
streaks are dangerous because if you obey them, they work. but fumble one time and you’re worse off than if you took intentional breaks. so i guess the natural observation is to go easy on yourself. but just remember: champions don’t.
although i no longer do 50 pull-ups /day, i do intend to work out 7 days a week instead of 3-4x, something we’ve been programmed is “healthy” and “sustainable.” when you accept that the same people who made this rule also invented the food pyramid, it starts to make sense.
(to clear the air re language streaks, i don’t give up but have heard complaints)
what’s next?
we’re only 2 weeks in but my 2024 resolutions are coming to fruition.
- today i turned down a lot of $$ because i won’t get on a phone call
- a new revenue experiment is forming – literally – in my back yard as i type this
- i’ve recruited 3 sweat equity partners for new ventures
you will not beat me at being me. but you can beat yourself with a 100 Day Challenge. go for it.
And you don’t even need a pull-up bar when you travel. Bedsheets, baby! Epstein style! ;-) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLt0JMST4iM
Pt is people will find solutions or excuses… and since constraints breed resourcefulness, the solution is usually closer and cheaper and easier than people will let themselves admit. But hey, want to buy a pull-up bar in each town, that works too obv!
Having done many of these “streaks” in the past, one lasting 700+ days of sending a daily email to my list, you want square the proverbial circle of extracting value from the streak without becoming a slave to continuing it for its own sake. The key is simple:
Provide rules IN ADVANCE of how you can allow yourself to end the streak with honor.
If it’s a defined period of time– like 100 days– then its obvious: you make it to 100 days or you don’t. But what if you set that as a MINIMUM — because, after all, a day count is inherently arbitrary to begin with and you may want to keep extracting value from the streak you didn’t know would continue being of interest to you beyond the initial commitment? Just make sure you have rules for how you will end it honorably. Because after several months or years the streak may no longer serve a purpose. That said, missing a day and calling it over doesn’t count. That’s sour grapes and its BS, as Ryan pts out.
I recommend making an honest assessment BEFORE missing a day that it would no longer serve you to continue and THEN stopping. Admit you CAN continue– but that you are choosing not to. If you want to implement an akrasia horizon to that– i.e. you must finish an ADDITIONAL X days before you can stop once you decide to stop, for example– that’s fine. But it’s the same idea. It prevents copping out– which, to Ryan’s point– is really just akin to admitting you don’t own your own life. How pitiful, indeed.
That said, this way you can account for the reality that all streaks will end, even if only due to death– and most SHOULD end before that because objectives change. Might as well prepare for it honorably and not just let things peter out out of laziness.
Great work as always!