[METHOD] I locked in for 60 days straight and here’s what actually happened

i committed to 60 days of complete focus. no half-assing, no excuses, just showing up every single day for myself. ended up completing all 60 days and i’m literally a different person now.

here’s what worked, what failed miserably, and the stuff nobody talks about when they post their transformation.

what DIDN’T work:

trying to change everything at once - week one I tried to wake at 5am, workout twice daily, meal prep, quit all social media, study 4 hours, meditate. lasted 3 days before completely crashing. too much too fast just guarantees failure.

relying on motivation - spent the first week watching motivation videos and reading success stories. felt pumped for like 2 hours then went back to scrolling. motivation is useless without systems.

telling everyone my plans - announced on social media I was “transforming my life.” people asked about it constantly. created pressure that made me want to quit. should’ve stayed quiet and just done the work.

waiting to feel ready - kept thinking “i’ll start when I feel more prepared” or “when I have more time.” never felt ready. had to just start feeling completely unprepared.

punishing myself for bad days - whenever I slipped up I’d spiral and think I’d ruined everything. self-hatred doesn’t create discipline. just made me want to give up entirely.

what ACTUALLY worked:

starting stupidly small - week one goal was wake at 10am (not 5am), workout 15 mins twice, read 5 pages once. so easy I couldn’t fail. built from there gradually.

progressive difficulty - every week increased slightly. week four I was waking at 8:30am, working out 40 mins four times, reading 15 pages daily. slow enough to stick.

external enforcement through structure - this was the game changer for me. I found this app called Reload on Reddit at like 2am while desperately searching for something that could help. it creates these progressive 60 day plans based on where you actually are and blocks all your time-wasting apps until you complete your daily tasks. couldn’t scroll Instagram or play games until I’d done my workout and reading. completely removed my ability to negotiate with myself which was critical because I have zero self-control.

one day at a time mindset - stopped thinking about “60 days.” just focused on today. can I do my tasks today? yes. tomorrow I’ll ask again. 60 days is just 60 todays stacked.

tracking green vs red days - green day if I completed tasks. red if I didn’t. goal was more green than red each week. removed all-or-nothing thinking that usually kills me. the app tracks this automatically which made it easy to see progress.

replacing bad habits not removing - couldn’t just delete games and have nothing. when I wanted to game I’d go for a walk or read instead. redirect energy don’t suppress it.

the weird stuff that helped:

same routine every morning - wake, glass of water, workout clothes on, 10 pushups, then full workout. same order daily trained my brain this sequence equals productivity mode.

phone in different room at night - couldn’t scroll in bed if phone was in kitchen. forced better sleep and better mornings.

competing on leaderboard - Reload has this ranked system where you compete against other people trying to improve. my gamer brain latched onto climbing ranks. turned discipline into a game I could win. sounds dumb but it genuinely kept me going on days I wanted to quit.

celebrating small wins loudly - completed week one and bought myself nice headphones. week four got new shoes. rewarded consistency not results.

biggest lessons:

discipline isn’t about being perfect. it’s about showing up more days than you don’t. had plenty of red days scattered throughout. still won because green days outnumbered them.

systems beat willpower every time. couldn’t rely on motivation or discipline alone. needed app blocking distractions, needed structure telling me what to do, needed external accountability.

your baseline changes without you noticing. week one waking at 10am was hard. week eight waking at 7:30am felt normal. you adapt slowly then suddenly you’re different.

where I am now (day 69):

wake at 7:15am consistently without alarm. impossible 10 weeks ago.

work out 5 times per week and actually enjoy it. used to dread exercise.

read 8 books in two months. more than previous 3 years combined.

got promoted at work because productivity skyrocketed. boss noticed I was “more focused.”

lost 19 pounds without really trying. just stopped eating garbage and moved more.

have actual energy throughout the day instead of constant brain fog.

most importantly don’t hate myself anymore. feel proud instead of ashamed.

if you’re trying to lock in:

start so small it feels insulting. week one should be laughably easy. you’re building momentum not sprinting.

use tools that remove choice. I genuinely don’t think I could’ve done this without something forcing me to follow through because my willpower alone is terrible. find whatever works for you but don’t rely purely on discipline.

focus only on today. forget the 60 days. just win today. then tomorrow ask yourself again.

track something simple. green days vs red days. more green than red means you’re winning.

accept you’ll have terrible days. I had full weeks that sucked. didn’t matter. just got back on track next day.

replace don’t just remove. take away games but add books. take away scrolling but add walks. fill the void or your brain fills it with old habits.

celebrate consistency not outcomes. reward yourself for showing up not for results. results come later.

the honest part:

wasn’t smooth. week 3 I slept until 2pm for 4 days straight. week 5 I skipped gym entirely. week 7 I ate fast food 3 times in one day.

each time I thought I’d failed completely. but one bad day doesn’t erase 20 good days. that’s the difference between failing and succeeding. I didn’t let bad days become bad weeks.

60 days ago I was waking at 2pm, gaming 14 hours daily, eating garbage, zero energy, hated myself, going nowhere.

today I wake at 7:15am, work out regularly, read daily, have energy, feel proud, and I’m actually building something.

60 days. two months. that’s all it took to become unrecognizable.

two months from now you could be completely different. or exactly where you are now just older.

start today. just win today. tomorrow worry about tomorrow.

btw the Reload thing I mentioned, I know it sounds like I’m selling it but I’m genuinely not. it’s just what worked for me when nothing else did. the combination of having a structured plan that tells you exactly what to do each day plus the app blocking until you complete tasks plus the competitive leaderboard made discipline feel achievable for the first time in my life. if you’re someone who struggles with willpower like I do, external enforcement is the only thing that works.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​