[This post is part of a series on Cold Showers. If you don’t see a Table of Contents to the left, click here to view that series, where you’ll get more value than reading just this post.]

I’ve been talking to people about SIDCHAs. I’ve found something surprising that I’d consider researching if I were still in school or had students working with me.

Nearly everyone who does a SIDCHA overcomes the challenging part with a trick — something to start them. One of mine is that before starting burpees I think of doing one, not all twenty-five, then once I start I finish the rest. Another is that before starting a cold shower, I often set my timer for five minutes and ten seconds. My minimum shower length being five minutes, that gives me ten seconds to start the shower, so I can’t keep dawdling around and have to get in and start.

Most challenging things I can think of that I do regularly have tricks like that.

I thought I had a few personal little one-off ad-hoc tricks, but I’m beginning to think these tricks are more common, maybe even pervasive, among people who have productive daily habits to help them do them. I would have thought using tricks got in the way of actually learning to do it, but now I don’t think so as much. I see them as becoming part of the process.

If you don’t have little tricks to do you SIDCHAs or other challenges, think about creating them. They work. No reason not to if they help you do the job. If you do have little tricks like that, share them. I bet others would appreciate and benefit from them. I’d love to hear them.

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