Momentum is one of those forces that feels almost invisible until it is working for you. At first, progress can be slow, even when you are doing “the right things.” But then something shifts, and before you realize it, the actions that used to feel like effort start to feel like it is part of you. You stop pushing the boulder uphill and start walking beside it while it rolls on its own.
That is what consistent habits can do. They are the building blocks of unstoppable momentum, and once you have momentum, success stops feeling like a constant struggle and starts feeling like a natural progression.
Momentum is built in small, ordinary moments
Most people imagine momentum as a big burst of energy. A surge of motivation. A fresh start on a Monday. But real momentum is quieter than that. It is created when you show up in small ways, over and over again, especially when nobody is watching.
It might be ten minutes of writing. A short walk after dinner. Five minutes reviewing your goals. One outreach email. One healthier meal choice. Nothing flashy. Just repeatable.
The truth is that each small action does not just move you forward. It makes the next action easier. That is the ripple effect. One win nudges you into the next win, and soon you are moving with a kind of steady forward pull.
Habits simplify decision-making
One of the sneakiest things that drains people is decision fatigue. That endless internal debate:
- Should I work out today or skip it? (Spoiler Alert – Yes, you should…)
- Should I write now or later? (Spoiler Alert – If not now, when?)
- Should I reach out to that prospect or wait until I feel more prepared? (Spoiler Alert – are you ever REALLY fully prepared?)
When you rely on motivation, every day becomes a negotiation. But when you build habits, you remove the negotiation entirely. You create a default mode of action.
Habits turn “Should I?” into “This is what I do.”
And that is huge, because it frees up mental energy. Instead of using your brainpower to argue with yourself, you use it to execute. You stop planning your life and start living it.
Momentum makes setbacks survivable
Setbacks are part of the deal. It might come in the form of bad sleep, or a stressful day or an unexpected problem or a missed workout or a disappointing result.
It is all about what happens next. What are you going to do when these things happen?
When you do not have momentum, a setback feels like proof that you are failing. It becomes a story that you tell yourself over and over. And stories can sometimes last for weeks. And you know that aint good!
When you do have momentum, a setback is just a little bump in the road. A single bad day does not blow away the track record you have built. You do not spiral because your routine is bigger than your mood. You simply return to what you normally do and keep moving. As I have said before, Keep on, keepin’ on!
Consistency gives you resilience. It makes you harder to knock you off your course.
Start small and protect the streak
I was just talking with my Mastermind group today about this very thing. If you want to build momentum, start smaller than you think you should.
Pick habits that are easy to repeat daily. Not easy in the sense that they are meaningless, but easy in the sense that they are doable even on tough days. The goal is to create a habit you can protect when life gets messy. Another goal is to get started! Sometimes it is easy to avoid a bigger task, or a task we are not excited to do.
Here are a few examples:
- Write for 10 minutes a day.
- Walk for 15 minutes a day.
- Do one small strength set a day.
- Spend five minutes planning tomorrow.
- Read two pages of something helpful.
- Do one meaningful outreach message each weekday.
Then, as those actions become second nature, you can gradually increase intensity or duration. The key is not to stop. Even when you cannot do the full version, do the “minimum viable” version. That tiny step is how you keep the wheels turning.
Because momentum loves continuity.
Keep the momentum alive, even on hard days
On tough days, your win might be smaller. But it still counts. I made 4 calls today that I have been putting off and honestly, it resulted in mixed feelings! I was happy to finally get them done! Yeah me! And on the other hand, I felt terrible for not doing them originally! Look how easy it was… why didn’t I do it when I originally scheduled them?!?! Now, I am trying to lean into the celebration that they were made, and moving on. No need to beat myself up. Time to keep on, keepin’ on!
My point is… if you cannot do everything, do something. If you cannot sprint, take a step. If you cannot produce, prepare. Show up in a way that keeps the habit intact.
This is not about perfection. It is about persistence.
And once momentum is on your side, your goal starts to feel less like a distant mountain and more like a destination you are already moving toward.
Have you been putting something off? How come? Leave a comment and share it!
Ugh, yes, overcoming the “I know I should, but I don’t feel like…” And you’re absolutely right, once you tackle the “10 minutes a day” they may quickly become 20 minutes, and we may even enjoy them.
In hockey we often talk about momentum. Surviving a 2-minute penalty while shorthanded without conceding a goal creates momentum. A quick attack, a hard check, an unexpected screened shot—all of these can generate momentum, and the team gains confidence that it can build on.
Yesterday I had several wins:
Finished typing up the last page of church board notes (I began them after our meeting – then was rehearsing with both choir and bells, and harp for the Sunday before Christmas (plus of course, the test of life stuff)… and there was Christmas … )
Finished and sent the email announcement for Thursday and Sunday’s creative circle and class (mostly – i was waiting to hear from my virtual circle Co-host, who’s been on her own holiday adventures! She’s taking the lead on this one, which is a blessing! So the event posts in our fb and meetup groups needed minor edits to match the flyer she made…)
And – I went to ballet class with my daughter and a middle granddaughter (22)!
My daughter and I began taking class with our teacher Emma’s mother 47 years ago, and we always intend to get there more often than we manifest! We plan to go to class again next Tuesday!
It was fun when Emma told us those of us over 18 could choose whether or not to turn when we were doing center floor work! And – we all three turned!
For me, no matter how much I try to find a reason to “skip it” at times I know in the long run that will end my goal. Starting over always takes forever if I do skip it so I just bite the bullet and tell my self to get moving. I feel so much better even if I can’t make the entire 2 miles but at least I didn’t give up totally.
The theme of your blogs could not have come at a better time for me as I am leaning into showing up for myself in the ways that matter to me. I appreciate all of the encouragement and solid reminders to keep showing up, so I am!
Your point about decision fatigue is so good – as is protecting the streak – especially with the smallest things. Because ignoring them – even occasionally- takes its toll. I know that as a writer, the one thing I must do every single day is write. I used to think – oh well – today I will research -I don’t need to write. But that didn’t work. Each day I write and maintain that daily streak, the easier it is for me to just begin writing. And using whatever tools you can to do that is helpful. I also saw this as a tool for measuring avoidance. When I worked within the supply chain industry, you could see signs in every warehouse – [#} days injury free – or [#] shipments damage free – those streaks made the measurement of the positive over-ride the fear of what you were avoiding. But as you mentioned, even if the streak was broken, there was a renewed sense of urgency to get it back. Great insights.