I have a long history with streaks.
I like them. I track them. I get a weird satisfaction seeing a chain of green checkmarks, completed days, or logged walks. But here’s the thing: when I break a streak… it breaks me a little too.
One missed day? I don’t just stumble—I spiral.
The self-talk kicks in. The guilt. The “you always do this” narrative.
And before I know it, one skipped task has become a full-on derailment.
That’s why a single line from Atomic Habits by James Clear hit me like a ton of bricks this week:
“Missing once is an accident. Missing twice is the start of a new habit.”
Read that again.
I’ve Been Doing It Backwards
I’ve spent years thinking that missing one day meant the whole thing was ruined. I’ve told myself things like:
- “If you really cared, you wouldn’t have missed.”
- “You’ll never be consistent.”
- “Why even try again?”
But what James Clear reminds us is that the second day is the one that really matters. Not because it’s when you’re back on track—but because it’s when a new track is starting, whether you realize it or not.
Inaction, like action, compounds.
Life Happens. Grace Needs to Happen, Too.
You’re going to miss a workout.
You’ll skip journaling.
You’ll eat the cereal-for-dinner combo and not the healthy meal you planned.
And you know what? That’s okay.
It doesn’t mean you’re broken or lazy or undisciplined.
It means you’re alive.
What matters most is what you do next. Do you forgive yourself and show up again? Or do you let that second day start pulling you into a different kind of rhythm?
The Rule of One
So here’s the new policy I’m trying to live by:
It’s okay to miss one. Just don’t miss twice.
Day 1 is recovery. Day 2 is resistance.
Day 1 is real life. Day 2 is a decision.
That second day matters not because it’s dramatic—but because it’s quiet. Easy to dismiss. Easy to put off. Easy to say, “I’ll get back to it Monday” when it’s only Wednesday.
And that’s the voice I’m learning to watch out for.
You Don’t Need to Be Perfect. You Just Need to Come Back.
So if you’ve fallen off your routine, missed your goal, or lost your streak—welcome. You’re in good company.
Just come back.
Miss once, but not twice.
Let your new streak start with the return, not the perfect run.
And if today is your Day 2? Let’s get back to it. Together.