Non-zero day: What you can do today to become more productive

Completing small tasks consistently will take you further than completing a big one every few weeks.

Some eight years ago, responding to a cry for help, a Redditor outlined what may well be the I Ching of productivity. The Redditor, who only identified himself as Ryan from Canada, said that one of the things he’s been trying to achieve is having a non-zero day.

Ryan describes a zero day as one where you’ve not accomplished ‘a single thing towards your dream. Conversely, a non-zero day is where you’ve done something, anything by the end of the day, that’ll ensure you’re on the path to achieving your goal.

He acknowledges that there are days when accomplishing even tasks as seemingly minor as these can be difficult. You likely know what he means. We’ve all been there: skipped gym for two whole weeks, and even that 20-minute walk seems like a huge task. Or not written a single word in the book that’s been a WIP for far too long.

Instead of recommending a 20-minute walk or a writing an entire paragraph, Ryan suggests starting small. Really, really small. “Do one push-up,” he says. “Write one sentence. Read one page. One. Because one is non-zero.”

He points out that when you’re in “the super vortex of being bummed, your pattern of behaviour is keeping that vortex going.” Turning suddenly productive from that space isn’t just difficult, it’s impossible. The only way to get out of that vortex and start becoming productive is through a massive string of consistent non-zeros.

As a matter of fact, there is. Since that post blew up on the internet, much has been written and spoken about the non-zero day principle. However, one of the most active groups out there is the one on Reddit. r/NonZeroDay/ is perhaps the most active subreddit dedicated to the principle. With over 100k members, the subreddit is flooded with post of various Redditors’ achievements. Sometimes it’s as small has having walked 4,000 steps but you see that the person has been having a non-zero day consistently for 57 days, or 1,289 days and so on.

And that is the key. Every #productivityguru will likely tell you that completing small tasks consistently will take you further than completing a big one every few weeks.

Really by doing just that one thing: one push-up to keep you on track on your fitness journey, throwing away that one outfit you don’t need as part of your decluttering campaign, or really, just not smoking that last cigarette before you go to bed.

Also read: 5 ways to bounce back when you have had an unproductive morning