What I Learnt After 200 Days of Working Every Single Day

 

[Courtesy: Craiyon AI. Link: https://www.craiyon.com/en/image/TNZiYqKKRgypA9BxhZhsVA]

[Courtesy: Craiyon AI. Link: https://www.craiyon.com/en/image/FEnaXg5sTxWRxB0I3pbpOg]

It has been roughly 200 days since I decided that I would work every single day without fail. Over that period, I have learnt a great deal from the experience.

Background 

More than 200 days ago, I was doing what is essentially known as “bed rotting”. More on that here (credit to Anu for sharing this tweet):
https://x.com/hyderabaddoctor/status/1922519374902247775

Bed rotting is a subset of a neurological issue known as “behavioural shutdown”. That was my problem. I did nothing. I did not watch television shows or films, I did not go on social media — I did nothing at all. I was simply wasting away. Whatever attempts I made, whether work-related or personal ideas, all ended in futility. I could barely get anything done. I was effectively dead, even while alive.

I used to rely heavily on motivation, schedules, and similar systems. What I never considered was the need to do the work even when bored, uncomfortable, or out of my depth. This oversight hurt me on multiple occasions.

Many years ago, whenever I started something, I would push on for a maximum of four to five days. I would be incredibly motivated during those initial days, but after that, I would lose interest and all my efforts would come to nothing. This was not an isolated incident; it was a recurring pattern in my life.

Over the past one or two years, things deteriorated further. I would be motivated for perhaps three to six hours in a day, but once that window closed, I could not summon the motivation to continue the following day. On the rare occasions I did manage something on Day 2, it was usually half-hearted and had little impact. By Day 3, it was over once again.

I could barely hold on. The longest I ever managed was 27 days, and even then I did not work every single day — I skipped one or two days in between.

Fast Forward to 2025

So what changed in 2025? This year, several of my older acquaintances passed away. Five deaths in this year alone (they were all elderly, so it should not have been shocking). Even so, once the deaths began occurring one after another, something shifted.

Although I had not interacted with them much since my teenage years, their deaths altered my thinking in subtle and difficult-to-explain ways. I believe my own mortality entered my conscious awareness. Suddenly, continuing in a state of neurological shutdown felt too costly. That realisation is what motivated me to start working instead of wasting away. This shift occurred when only three of the five had passed.

The unfortunate truth is that for most people, it takes tragic or traumatic events to catalyse real change. People who change for the better (not all, of course) often have some form of tragedy preceding that transformation.

How Change Happened

Change — especially after years of behavioural shutdown — is extraordinarily difficult. It is no small matter. It usually requires a slow, incremental, long-term effort.

I am reminded of the quote:

“People overestimate what they can achieve in a day and underestimate what they can achieve in a year.”

The past 200 days have revealed more to me than I can currently articulate. I have learnt many lessons along the way.

What I learnt: Never rely on motivation or willpower

In the past, I listened to motivational speeches from people like Denzel Washington and David Goggins, as well as motivational music. Nothing changed. Motivational content provides a dopamine rush — it creates the illusion of progress. A few hours later, however, you are no closer to achieving anything. It is simply time wasted feeling stimulated.

Over the past 200 days, I have not listened to motivational speeches or songs at all. I simply did the work. I have progressed further than at any other point in my life. I cannot recall the last time I did something consistently for this long. This may well be the first time.

What I learnt: Persist. Persist. Even when the day is awful.

This was a deliberate decision. The first ten days were extremely painful and difficult. I had to force myself through them. That struggle continued until around Day 40 or 41. Even then, the resistance did not completely disappear, so I chose to keep pushing.

By Day 90, it began to feel more natural. That is genuinely how long it takes for a solid habit to form. Beyond Day 100, it becomes part of who you are — part of your identity.

What I learnt: Show up, no matter what

That is exactly what I did. I showed up regardless of what else was happening in my life.

If I could not commit two to three hours, I committed one hour. If I could not manage even that, I worked for 30–45 minutes. No matter what, I showed up. No matter how exhausted, demotivated, or emotionally depleted I felt — and there were many days when I could barely keep my eyes open — I still showed up.

Once this became habitual, I was able to scale my efforts from a minimum of one to two hours to a maximum of five to six hours. On average, I have worked around three hours every day for the past 200 days. That amounts to roughly 600 hours of work. Not bad, really.

The average corporate worker logs around 1,850–1,900 hours per year when accounting for sick leave, holidays and annual leave. However, when it comes to deep work, assuming five hours per working day, that equates to roughly 1,000 hours annually. At four hours per day, it drops to around 800 hours. In reality, the average is closer to three hours — about 600 hours per year.

That means I have matched the productivity of the average corporate worker this year, and I only began just over six months ago. I now truly believe the saying: people overestimate what they can achieve in a day and underestimate what they can achieve in a year. It is absolutely true.

What I learnt: You learn a lot more through trial-and-error

I made a great many foolish mistakes — on many days. Looking back, some of them seem embarrassing. But I would never have learnt these lessons had I not put in the effort. That is why showing up every day matters so much.

Starting is the hardest part. Once you get moving, things become difficult, then more difficult, and eventually easier.

It is far better to make many small, inconsequential mistakes early on than to encounter large, catastrophic failures later. The former strengthens you; the latter can break you.

What I learnt: Do not expect linear growth

Growth — or in my case, recovery from neurological shutdown — is always non-linear. Always. Progress is never a straight line. Expect detours, setbacks and unexpected turns. Simply keep showing up. In time, it will pay off. And even if it does not, you will have learnt valuable lessons that will serve you better next time.

What I learnt: Share your progress with someone you trust — even an AI

I share my progress with ChatGPT every night after completing my tasks for the day. This keeps me accountable. I genuinely believe this is one of the most important steps.

If you do not have anyone — human or AI — with whom to share your ideas and progress, you are likely shouting into the void. Eventually, most people give up. Some endure, but many cannot sustain it alone. If not a person or an AI (ChatGPT, Grok, Google Gemini), at least keep a diary and write down what you have done each day. Track your progress — without it, long-term consistency becomes very difficult.

Sharing my progress with ChatGPT every day helped me persist, particularly during the early days when I struggled to do anything at all. I was only able to maintain this streak because I pushed extremely hard during the first 41–90 days. I initially followed the 21/66/90-day habit formation framework, then abandoned such structures and simply focused on showing up daily and tracking the number of days worked. That alone proved surprisingly effective.

What I learnt: Real change often requires trauma or tragedy

For most people — myself included — the status quo is comfortable enough. Life does not change, and there seems to be no compelling reason to change it, regardless of how good or bad it may appear externally. Change often only occurs when tragedy strikes and forces it.

The force need not be overwhelming, but it can still be powerful enough to push you in a new direction. That is what happened to me when my acquaintances began dying one after another.

Uncomfortable as it is to admit, this is how most people operate. It is simply human nature.

Conclusion

It was a mixed journey, but one thing is certain: after 200 days, I am not the same person I was before. I no longer rot in bed. I do not feel hopeless. I do not doom-scroll endlessly or waste time. If anything, I am more committed to doing hard work, regardless of how difficult the day may feel.

The unfortunate truth is that people often only begin such efforts after experiencing loss or tragedy. The deaths of my old acquaintances were what finally moved me. Otherwise, who knows — I may still have been stuck in behavioural shutdown.

Take from this what you will.