The Psychology of Streaks

Reading Time: 4 Minutes

What to Expect:

• The Science of Streaks

• Tips for Putting Streaks into Practice

Jerry Seinfeld is regarded as one of the best comedians of all time. Known for both his sitcom and stand-up, Seinfeld honed his skills with the precision of an elite athlete. He practiced regularly, sought feedback, tested ideas, failed, iterated, and repeated. He also leveraged one tiny tool that managed to make a big difference: streaks.

For Seinfeld, the streak was simple: write a new joke every day.

Seinfeld marked his continuation of the streak by placing an X on the day on his calendar. It served as a powerful visual reminder of his consistency and the work he’s done.

Since the beginning of 2023, I've been using streaks to hold myself accountable, with some pretty interesting results. I have a set of 10 daily habits I track, and I've noticed that my engagement is way up. Sometimes, I find myself begrudgingly just getting something done... but for the most part, the streak counter has been an interesting way to get myself to do things that are important to me, and to challenge myself on a regular basis.

I first noticed how motivated I was to maintain a streak when I started using DuoLingo. It was the only app I used that showed me every day how consistent (or inconsistent) I was. I noticed that it was also the first app I'd open each morning, and that building my streak became something I looked forward to.

Inspired by my own experience, I wanted to unpack the psychology behind keeping a streak. Here's a bit of what I've learned so far.

Streak Perk 1: Create Your Identity Every Day

Each day that Seinfeld marked off was a vote for the type of person he wanted to become. At the core of the streak was a clear commitment to being one of the best comedians of all time. It was a bit more than being a comedian - it was about being consistent, disciplined, experimental, and more. Streaks create a way to watch our identity develop in live time. Each day that we engage in the behavior, we cast a vote for the person we're working on becoming.

I suspect that this is probably operating at a deeper level for people who are using streaks to change behavior. It's the kind of thing where you might wake up one day and realize you're the type of person that does X behavior, without consciously setting out each day to become that person. Nevertheless, the change in identity is a powerful motivator and a sticky way of maintaining a habit (and getting back on the wagon when you fall off).

Streak Perk 1 is about what psychologists would call "identified motivation," one of the underlying forms of motivation in self-determination theory. Essentially, we are motivated to do things that align with our core values and goals, even if at times, they're inconvenient or uncomfortable.

Streak Perk 2: Progress is Palpable

Streaks create momentum. Each day you successfully complete your habit, you build on the previous day's success. Psychologists have called this the “winner effect.” These small wins tilt our psychology and physiology toward peak performance and ongoing success. We feel more in control, This momentum can make it easier to continue your streak and harder to break it. The longer your streak, the more invested you become in maintaining it.

I think that the main way the streaks are working for me, and can work for you, is by helping you see and feel your progress regularly. As we're working toward peak performance and potential, it can be challenging to recognize where there's real progress being made.

Much of the path to elite performance feels like a plateau. Streaks are a visual reminder of the progress we're making, and each day added shows a clear step in the right direction. This solves one of the core problems of behavior change: how do we know it's actually working?

Streak Perk 2 is about intrinsic motivation, namely, a sense of mastery and competence.

Streak Perk 3: Avoidance

The fear of breaking a streak can be a powerful motivator. Once you have a streak going, you don't want to break it. This can help you stay committed to your habit, even on days when you don't feel like it. The longer your streak, the more you have to lose by breaking it.

People are pretty motivated to avoid crappy outcomes. In the case of a streak, missing a day, if it's something you care about, probably should feel a little bit uncomfortable and disappointing. That bit of discomfort and disappointment should be enough to get you back on the wagon the next day.

Unfortunately, guilt and shame are powerful motivators (please use them sparingly).

Streak Perk 4: Automaticity

Over time, with enough repetition, our behavior starts to become automatic. Automaticity is why you can listen to music or talk while you drive - the behavior underlying getting from home to work is so neatly carved as a pathway in your brain that it takes almost no energy to execute. It's automatic. The same principle is true for elite athletes who practice a specific skill each day.

The goal is to train our brains enough that our minds get out of the way.

I think that the final way streaks work is by helping us get into the habit of executing a core set of behaviors every day. The more we do it, the less friction we should experience, and the easier it should be to maintain the behavior and streak. There should be a streak snowball of sorts.

Tips for Building and Maintaining Streaks

Now that you understand the psychology behind streaks, here are some tips for building and maintaining them:

1. Start small: Begin with a habit that is easy to accomplish, such as drinking a glass of water every morning. This will help you build momentum and confidence. Don't try to do more than 1 or 2 things at a time. I know I mentioned working on 10 habits -- but it's taken me about 3 years to build to that number.

2. Track your progress: Use a calendar or habit tracker to keep track of your streak. This will help you visualize your progress and stay motivated. One app I really like for this is Streaks. (I don't get any money for you downloading it, it's just what I use).

3. Be consistent: Stick to your habit every day, even on weekends and holidays. Consistency is key to building and maintaining a streak. Follow the rule of 2 -- don't let yourself break the chain for 2 days in a row.

4. Celebrate milestones: Celebrate when you reach milestones, such as a week or a month of consecutive days. If you don't find a way to make the daily journey enjoyable, it'll be harder to stick with it.