A Sustainable Routine Needs a Smaller Version

I keep coming back to this distinction: a routine that works only when capacity is high is a good-week routine, not yet a sustainable one.

Imagine a weekly practice that matters to you but becomes hard to keep during a demanding stretch. Instead of treating the choice as “keep it exactly as planned” or “give it up,” define a smaller version that still protects its purpose. You choose what counts as enough, what can be paused, and when you’ll revisit the plan.

That isn’t lowering the standard by default. It’s making the commitment honest enough to last—and keeping the decision in the hands of the person whose energy and priorities are involved.