Hiren Deliwala
By Hiren Deliwala
As the year draws to a close and we start thinking about the next one, it’s natural to make resolutions. We promise ourselves to get fitter, read more, write regularly, spend less time on our phones, or finally pick up that long-forgotten hobby. But how many of these resolutions actually last? Most fade by February (ask anyone who signed up for gym in January), victims of our overambitious plans and the guilt that follows when we inevitably slip.
This year, instead of grand resolutions, what if we tried something smaller—simpler—more forgiving? What if we focused on non-zero daily(ish) habits?
Myth of Hard Work
Growing up, I was taught that hard work was everything. In our culture, “work hard and you’ll succeed” is a mantra passed down through generations. Whether it’s farming, factory work, or school, effort has always been glorified. My dad enforced the message to me and when I became a parent, I passed that same message on to my kids: “Work hard, and things will happen.” Later, as I moved through professional and social circles, another phrase entered the conversation – work smarter, not harder. It sounded clever, but I didn’t fully grasp how to be smarter about my work. Everyone I knew worked eight or ten hours a day, so what made some people more effective than others?
It wasn’t until I reread James Clear’s Atomic Habits that something clicked. Clear writes, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” Hard work and smart work both depend on the systems – or habits – that support them. Habits are what make effort sustainable and long lasting. They turn the rigor of the discipline into something almost effortless over time.
Improving 1%
Clear also popularized the idea of the “1% rule”: if you get just 1% better every day, those small improvements compound over time. It sounds magical, but let’s be honest, keeping that up daily can feel like a math problem that never ends. Most days you’re not getting 1% better; you’re just trying not to get 10% worse. And if you start calculating when you’ll finally reach 100%, well, good luck, it might be eternity. The 1% rule isn’t about perfection or hitting a finish line. It’s about showing up a little better than before, even if your “1%” today looks more like just getting out of bed and doing something small.
Think of athletes. A professional tennis player doesn’t rely on motivation to practice every morning. Their training has become a habit. The routine itself removes decision fatigue. They don’t think, Should I practice today? They just do it. Habits create freedom, from the constant negotiation between what we want to do and what we know we should do. That’s the beauty of habits. They guide us quietly, even subconsciously, toward our goals.
Goals vs Daily Habits
Most of us start the year with goals: lose weight, learn tabla, meditate, journal daily, write more. But goals are destinations; habits are the roads that get us there. A goal without a habit is like wanting to travel somewhere without planning the route. Let’s take fitness as an example. The goal might be to lose ten pounds. But what habits support that? Maybe it’s laying out your gym clothes before bed, preparing a healthy breakfast, or walking for ten minutes after lunch. These small, almost trivial actions reduce friction – the effort required to take action. Over time, the habit carries you toward the goal without needing bursts of motivation.
The problem is that we often make our habits too rigid. We tell ourselves; I’ll go to the gym every day, or I’ll write for an hour every day. That sounds great until real life intervenes – a busy workday, a sick child, a sleepless night. We miss a day, then another, and soon guilt creeps in. We think, I failed again, and give up entirely. If you manage to meditate daily without getting distracted by your phone, please teach the rest of us your Yogic powers. That’s why I’ve started thinking in terms of “Daily(ish)” habits. The “ish” matters – it’s a small word that gives you permission to be human. It recognizes that perfection isn’t sustainable, but consistency is. You don’t have to be perfect, just non-zero.
The Power of Non-Zero Days
The “non-zero” idea is simple: do something every day, no matter how small. If your goal is to work out, but you’re too tired for the gym, do one push-up. If you want to read more, read one paragraph. If you’re building a writing habit, write one line. It might sound silly, but that one small act keeps the habit alive. It keeps your identity intact. You’re not skipping, you’re maintaining momentum. As Clear says, “Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.” That single push-up or one-line paragraph is a vote for your future self.
Life will interrupt even the best intentions. There will be travel, illness, burnout, and days when you simply don’t feel like doing it. That’s fine. Be kind to your flawed humanity. Just return to the smallest possible version of your habit. One step. One line. One page. That small act keeps the flame alive.
My Own Non-Zero Story
A year ago, I started writing for Saathee. I didn’t think of myself as a writer. Writing didn’t come naturally to me. Every month, I waited until the very last day to finish and submit my article. You’d think, with all the self-help books I’ve read, this should have been easy. But it wasn’t. It still isn’t. Recently, I decided to apply the same “non-zero daily(ish)” approach to writing. Instead of forcing myself to produce a perfect article, I simply committed to writing something every day. Some days it was a paragraph, some days a line. Occasionally, it was just an idea jotted down on my phone. But it was non-zero.
And something shifted. Each day I wrote, even one line, reinforced my identity as a writer. I stopped waiting for inspiration. I stopped feeling guilty for not writing enough. I simply showed up. Slowly, the act of writing began to feel natural. The resistance faded.
So if you’re thinking about resolutions this new year, give this approach a try. Focus on small, consistent, non-zero steps. Be “Daily(ish).” Hard work, motivation, and grand resolutions all have their place, but they often burn bright and fade fast. Habits, on the other hand, build quietly in the background. They protect us from self-sabotage and keep us moving, even when life gets messy.
Be kind to yourself. Miss a day and just begin again. Because in the end, the magic isn’t in doing everything perfectly, it’s in never letting the count drop to zero.
Here’s to a new year of Non-Zero, Daily(ish) habits – where even the smallest step forward is a victory.
Hiren Deliwala is a Charlotte-based overthinker, closet philosopher, and avid board gamer. He writes about everyday life, Indian upbringing, and finding humor in the chaos. When not philosophizing over chai, he’s usually losing arguments to his wife and, shockingly, learning from them. Contact: hcdeliwala@gmail.com
