Non-Zero Days

Non-Zero Days is a concept I always return to when I’ve been stuck in a rut and unable to make progress. I tend to fall into a cycle of highly productive, consistent months followed by stretches where nothing seems to move forward.

It’s starting to look like a quarterly rhythm. One quarter of hard, fun, meaningful work, followed by a quarter of stagnation. As I grow and evolve, I’m trying to figure out how to manage this. Best case, I learn to embrace it and see it as a gift. Worst case, it’s just a character flaw I’ll have to live with.

The idea of Non-Zero Days comes from a Reddit post by u/ryan01. You can read it here.

My version of the four pillars is five pillars. These are my summaries of each rule. (Note: There’s some swearing, used intentionally to shift your mindset. If that’s not your thing, skip this part.)

Rule 1: No More Zero Days. Promise yourself right fucking now that you'll never have another zero day again – period. A non-zero day means you do ONE THING, just one tiny goddamn thing, that moves you toward your goals. Read one page, write one sentence, do one pushup, clean one dish – I don't care how small it is, but it cannot be ZERO. Your brain lights up with accomplishment when you do something, ANYTHING, and that builds the momentum to do more tomorrow.

Rule 2: Be Grateful to Past You, Kind to Present You, and Helpful to Future You. Past You has done some good shit that Present You is benefiting from right now, so take a second to say "thanks, past me" for those positive choices. Present You is doing the best they can with what they've got, so stop being such an asshole to yourself when you fall short – you wouldn't talk to your friend that way, so why do it to yourself? Future You is counting on Present You to set them up for success, so do at least one thing today that Future You will appreciate tomorrow.

Rule 3: Forgive Yourself. Holy shit, this one's important – you HAVE to forgive yourself for your past zeros and mistakes or you'll stay stuck in that guilt-shame loop forever. Forgiveness isn't some fluffy concept – it's the practical skill of letting go of the weight that's keeping you from moving forward. When you mess up (and you will mess up), acknowledge it, learn from it if you can, and then let that shit GO. Carrying around guilt and shame doesn't serve you or anyone else – it just keeps you paralyzed.

Rule 4: Exercise and Books. Your body and your mind both need to be challenged and fed if you want to level up your life. Move your body somehow every day – I don't care if it's just stretching or a walk around the block, just get your blood pumping. Books are literal mind food, so read something that makes you think and expands your perspective every damn day. These two habits alone will transform your mental clarity and energy levels faster than just about anything else.

Rule 5: Don't Skip Two Days in a Row. Look, shit happens and you might have a true zero day sometimes – that's life. But here's the crucial part: never, EVER let yourself have two zero days in a row. One missed day is a stumble; two becomes a fucking landslide. Momentum works both ways – positive momentum builds more positive momentum, but negative momentum does the same damn thing in the opposite direction. When you mess up (not if, WHEN), immediately recommit to a non-zero day tomorrow without beating yourself up.

I’ve built a website to help me track it all: nzd.avisantoso.com.

If I’m going to embrace this quarterly cycle, I need to define projects in a way that leaves very little room for overruns. I’m currently experimenting with a set of PRD templates, which I’ll share in a future blog post.