Streaks, missed days and shame: what happens after you slip

A streak counts how many days in a row you have done something. It is one of the most common features in habit apps, and one of the most debated. The research supports both sides: streaks motivate, and breaking one can make people stop altogether.

What the evidence says

Streaks work while they last. In six experiments in which people were paid for a series of work tasks, rewards that grew with consecutive successes increased persistence more than a larger fixed reward ¹.

A missed day does little harm to the habit itself. In a study of habit formation, missing one opportunity did not materially affect how automatic the behaviour became ². Habits take a long time to form in any case: in a meta-analysis, the four studies that reported it put the median at 59 to 66 days, with individuals ranging from 4 to 335 ³.

What does the harm is how the miss is read. In one experiment, dieters who perceived the slice of pizza they had been given as large tended to eat more cookies afterwards, while non-dieters tended to eat fewer ⁴. The portion was not the point; the sense of having already broken the diet was. In a study of people quitting smoking, those who felt like giving up after a first slip reached the next slip sooner, while those who acted to recover straight away were less likely to slip again that day ⁵. When slips repeated, drops in confidence were associated with reaching the next slip sooner ⁶.

All-or-nothing rewards can backfire. At one company, an attendance award led to worse punctuality among employees who had previously had excellent attendance, during the periods when they were not eligible for it ⁷.

Why this may weigh more with ADHD. In a survey, adults with ADHD reported both more criticism from others and lower self-compassion than adults without ADHD ⁸. A systematic review of 17 studies found self-stigma showing up as labels such as “lazy” ⁹. For someone with that history, a record that displays every miss can read as more of the same.

What we don’t know

None of the streak or lapse studies above were done with people with ADHD. Whether a broken streak is more damaging in ADHD is a reasonable guess from the stigma research, not a tested finding.

Things to try

• Give yourself skips in advance. In a step-count field study, people given a goal with built-in “emergency” slack met it on up to 40% more days ¹⁰.
• Reward the return. Across 54 approaches tested on gym members, the most effective was a small reward for coming back after a miss ¹¹.
• Be kind after a failure, then carry on. In a laboratory experiment, students encouraged to treat themselves with compassion after failing studied for longer than those whose self-esteem was raised ¹². Programmes that teach self-compassion reduced self-criticism in a meta-analysis of 19 trials ¹³, and people who procrastinate more tend to be lower in self-compassion ¹⁴.
• Stop tracking if the record is the problem. Not looking is a legitimate choice.