Screw it Spiral
The “Screw It” Spiral: Stop Letting a Bad Day Ruin your Progress
I started back on my marathon/iron man fitness journey last October. Before that, I was in what I would call a screw-it spiral. A screw it spiral is a behavior loop that starts when you slip-up or miss a habit and it cascades into quitting a goal or falling back into negative habits. It starts with small things like a ‘screw it, I’ll skip the gym today,’ which turns into ‘screw it, I’ll just grab takeout,’ and before you know it, ‘screw it, I’ll start over Monday.’ And then you look up six months later and you realize you flat out quit.
We’ve all been there.
We miss a workout.
We blow the clean eating plan with a burger and fries.
We skip making sales calls or following up with a potential account.
And suddenly, that little voice in your head says, “Screw it. I blew it. I’ll start over Monday.” Besides “it’s too hard”, “they’ve already won”, “things will never change”, “I’ve already lost the deal”.
But here’s the thing— you don’t need to quit. You just need to reset! Because success isn’t about perfection. It’s about doing the very next step that you can do right now.
One “off day” doesn’t mean you quit. It just means you need to pick up the thread where you left off.
Understanding the Spiral
When you fall off track, your brain loves to pile on:
All-or-nothing thinking: “I missed my goal today; the whole week is ruined.”
Shame loops: Repeating the negative until the action feels impossible.
Cognitive bias: Our brains are wired to search for repetition, crave comfort and search for the negative, so when things are hard or once we’ve “failed,” it whispers, “Well, just go ahead and quit… it’s easier, it’s not going to happen anyway.”
But it doesn’t have to be that way you can break the cycle.
How to Break the Cycle:
There are three quotes that I think say it best:
“You don’t rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”- James Clear
“Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most." — Abraham Lincoln
“Consistency is not about never missing. It’s about never missing twice.” — James Clear
It’s simple if you think about it. It’s not about having a perfect day everyday— It’s about knowing your why, not skipping days in a row and building systems to make it hard to spiral too far. These three things are anchors that keep you steady when things get rocky. If you don’t have system or a strong why, it will make your goal very hard to achieve.
Reframe the “Off Day”
A bad day is a data point, not the story.
Reframe: You didn’t “blow it.” You just collected information about what triggered you, what threw you off, and how you can adjust forward.
Reframe: Your progress is the trend line, not the day. One bad day in a week of consistent effort is just a blip — unless you decide to turn it into a slide.
Harness the Power of the Reset
The goal isn’t to avoid setbacks — it’s to shorten your recovery time.
Focus on progressing forward. What’s the very next thing you can do right now to move that goal in a forward fashion. Don’t quit, reset.
Design your environment for success. Make the healthy or productive choice the easy one. Remove all the friction for the habit and make it easy to accomplish the habit every day. Think about what you can do to make the habit easier for you to accomplish. (Ex: download a prebuilt running plan and put your running shoes and workout clothes where you can see them when you get up) see below for more on this
Anchor to your why. Progress sticks when it’s connected to something deeper than “checking the box.” Be very clear on why you want to accomplish the goal. Revisit the why when you fall off the wagon.
Practice the pause. Notice where you are and what’s causing the distraction. Ask yourself “why did I make the chouse to skip”. “What did I do or feel that caused me to choose the negative habit. “You can’t change what you don’t notice.” – Jeff Haden
Reset in Real Time
The faster you reset, the faster you win.
Immediate Reset
Take a deep breath.
Notice the miss, think about why
Do one small thing that makes you feel in control and back to winning — a walk, a quick journal entry, or even cleaning your workspace.
Create Micro-Wins Tomorrow
Set a ridiculously easy goal for tomorrow. Something so small you can’t fail:
10 minutes of movement.
One clean meal.
Making your bed first thing.
2 min prayers
Momentum is built by stacking small wins, not chasing perfection.
Get Back to Baseline
Create a reset ritual — your personal anchor that gets you back to baseline. Create a habit loop that is easy for you and is something that helps you reset and get back on track. Here are a few ideas.
Morning journal
Do a brain dump of action items
Read a book
Watch inspirational videos
Review your monthly/ weekly tracker
Review your weight
Create a Gratitude List
Fast
Review your why
Take a moment of silence before the day takes over
Build the Routine:
Design a Daily Reset Practice
Tonight:
Write down one win from today.
Write down one lesson from today.
Write down one action for tomorrow.
This micro-reflection will train your brain to focus on progress, not perfection.
Eliminate Friction
Make the habit easy to accomplish
Make the good choice the easy choice. Lay out your workout clothes the night before or prep your meals on Sunday.
Reduce decision fatigue. Automate simple tasks — schedule workouts, pre-plan meals, set reminders.
Remove triggers. Hide junk food, silence notifications, or move distracting apps off your home screen.
Simplify the first step. If the goal is a 30-minute run, start with putting on your shoes. Momentum builds from there. Make the first step so easy you can’t miss it.
Design your Success
Find what works for you and build around it
Design your environment. Place cues for positive habits in plain sight (e.g., water bottle on your desk, running shoes by the door).
Anchor new habits to existing ones. Use Habit Stacking. Pair a new habit with an existing routine — like journaling right after your morning coffee.
Replace Bad Habits with new ones. “To break a habit, you have to replace it, not erase it.” James Clear —Ex: switch your nightly cocktail routine for a yummy homemade mocktail
Track your progress visibly. Use a habit tracker or simple checklist to create small dopamine wins daily.
Automate accountability. Join a class, set-up a group accountability text, get a workout buddy, or schedule recurring reminders to stay consistent.
Focus on consistency, not perfection. Try a setting a stupid simple goal like walking 15 minutes and then level it up when you’re consistent. See “streaking” for more detail on this.
Remember This…..
One bad day isn’t the end. It’s just one chapter. The story — your story — is still being written. You only lose when you quit.
So, pick up the thread, pound the rock, and keep moving forward!
Notes that Resonated
It’s not enough to work hard you have to work hard at the right things
Progress doesn’t come without discomfort
Push for relentless progress
Be brave enough to live the life you want
When you lack purpose, you fall into boredom
Always on the offensive (constant steady pressure forward)
Handle Hard Better
Mental toughness is about getting to the starting line
Obstacles don’t block the path they are the path
One positive thought in the morning can shape your whole day
When God says GO, don’t look back - Toby Mac
Things to read
Videos to watch
This is such a great video for entrepreneurs, loan officers and other growth focused individuals. So many great nuggets of wisdom from a very successful seemingly genuine guy.
Top Quotes
“Everyone is one decision away from a new life” - Mel Robbins
”Today might be the best chance you have to take action… It will never be easy, but it may also never be easier than it is right now.” James Clear
“People may admire your talent, but they trust your consistence”
Things to Discover
Cool little rappi, poppi uplifting play list… Gotta love Lemonade. Thanks for sharing Shelly!
Food & Drink
Iced Spanish Latte
