KEY INSIGHT: Human beings are psychologically wired to expect linear progress – steady, predictable improvement over time – but virtually all real-world change follows a nonlinear pattern with plateaus, setbacks, and fluctuations. This mismatch between expectations and reality causes many people to quit during normal plateaus, interpreting them as evidence that “it’s not working” when actually they’re just experiencing the natural pattern of adaptation and consolidation. Weight loss, fitness improvement, habit formation, and skill acquisition all follow this pattern. Understanding and expecting nonlinearity is crucial because it prevents discouragement during inevitable difficult periods. The key metric isn’t day-to-day or week-to-week performance – it’s the overall trend when you zoom out.
PERSONAL REFLECTION: Think about other skills or changes you’ve mastered in your life. Did they follow a smooth path, or were there periods of rapid improvement followed by frustrating plateaus? When you learned to drive, play an instrument, or master a skill at work, did you improve steadily every single day, or was it erratic with breakthroughs and struggles? Why would health be any different? Yet you probably expect your health journey to be linear when nothing else in life is.
TODAY’S EXERCISE:
Create a tracking system that helps you see trends rather than fixating on daily fluctuations:
Choose 3-5 metrics to track weekly (not daily):
Every Sunday, fill in these metrics for the week. After a month, you’ll be able to see trends. You might have one terrible week, but the four-week average will show improvement. This prevents you from being discouraged by normal short-term variability while giving you clear evidence of the overall trajectory.
Remember: You’re looking for the trend, not perfection. If three out of four weeks show improvement, you’re succeeding – even if one week was a disaster.