Dru's Notes

I got back to my apartment at midnight. My flight was at 5am.

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I got back to my apartment at midnight. My flight was at 5am.

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Dru Riley
Founder of Trends.vc

What is Dru's Notes?

One mental model each day in a few minutes. Habits, business, building products and thinking clearly. From Dru Riley, founder of Trends.vc.

I got back to my apartment at midnight. My flight was at 5am. Fourteen hours of travel ahead.

My habits were staring at me. Running: 26-day streak. Mobility: 50-day streak.

I wanted to skip both.

The next day would be chaos. New city, new country, unknown gym situation. Mobility is portable. Give me a room and I'm set. Running requires a gym, access, safety. So I banked the fragile habit first.

I went to the gym at midnight. Three minutes of mobility. Six minutes of running. Both streaks covered.

The next morning, before my ride to the airport, I did mobility from the room. Three minutes. The running was already banked. Streak survived again.

If I hadn't seen the number, I would've skipped. I was exhausted. Every excuse was ready. "Sleep is more important." "You can restart tomorrow." "One day off won't matter."

The streak changed the decision. Twenty-six days, sitting on screen, staring back at me.

That's what visible progress does. You see twenty-six days on screen and you know exactly what you'd be giving up.

Which habit would survive your worst day if you could see the streak?

2. "What would you show up for if the cost of skipping were visible?" (Constraint Flip)
3. "What could you make visible about your progress this week?" (Micro-Action)
4. "Which daily effort has no scoreboard yet?" (Spotlight)
5. "Where in your life would a number on screen change what you do?" (Transfer)
6. "What's one habit you'd protect if you could see how far you've come?" (Identity)