The thing about momentum

The "stop and go" class

"Getting started is the hard bit. Once you get going, it gets easier." That's what they say, right? So we put a lot of effort into starting things, anticipating that, once truly begun, they'll carry on easily.

But sometimes things that have been going consistently still die easily. The English class that has two holidays in a row-- two days of missed class might mean that it takes two weeks for all the students to show up for class again.

Or the work schedule that is consistently going well, and then someone is sick. And then another person is sick. And next thing you know it's been three weeks since everyone was at work on the same day.

Or maybe a goal that you set forth: good habits you want to adopt or bad habits you want to drop. A couple of failures can stop the momentum and then... you're fighting inertia instead of just riding the wave of your success.

As Simon Mignolet said, "Momentum is an amazing thing when it is working in your favor." 

Or to quote Ronnie Screwvala, "A good beginning is like a honeymoon; it gets over soon. The challenge is in keeping up the momentum."

Covid vaccines available again

Well, enough of the theoretical. Let's talk about the momentum of my current English class. Today I cancelled class. I have all of two lessons left in the book, but most of my students informed me that they were fasting today (because of the big holiday on Wednesday), and since class time is right during the time for breaking the fast, they wouldn't be at class. We have a big holiday on Wednesday, so there will be no class then. So my class that meets on Monday and Wednesday won't have any sessions this week. 

Small successes create momentum, and momentum propels you forward. But what about the little defeats? No class this week means not finishing the book this week which means another week of class before the exam. And after a week with no class, will I have any students show up next Monday?

Charles J Givens, "Success requires first expending ten units of effort to produce one unit of results. Your momentum will then produce ten units of results with each unit of effort."

Yeah, sure. If you can ever get that momentum going.

Things here, when not tended, die. Clubs, associations, classes, study groups, plants, businesses, they all fall apart easily, and it depends on the leader/boss to keep up the momentum throughout regular interference.

Holidays, illnesses, family problems, societal complications, supply shortages-- you name it, it can stop a project, no matter how well the project had been going.

Flour shortage = 3x the normal price

When a new shop or restaurant opens, we often prioritize visiting early, before they run out of their first supply of things and before the owner leaves it in the hands of a manager. As long as the owner is around, it's likely to go well, but when the owner travels or turns their attention to other things... well... the new enterprise dies. 

Or then there's the "placeholder" meeting. If you're trying to get everyone in the habit of coming to a meeting, you might hold multiple meetings at the intended time and place before the first "real" meeting even happens, just so when the real meetings happen people actually come. Or if there's nothing really to discuss, but you're in the habit of having a meeting, you still hold the meeting. Because as soon as you cancel something that's regularly scheduled it gets harder to gather everyone the next time.

And of course, blog posts. One the habit dies it's harder to get going again, and this quote seems particularly applicable:

Momentum begets momentum, and the best way to start is to start. - Gil Penchipa