“Every Day” means Every Day! means ¿Every Day? 

I have a motto: Seven days a week means seven days a week. (Except when it means five.) 

I have three categories of “Every day”: 

1. Religious Commitments 

If lightning struck me and I awoke in the emergency room, I would still write every day. 

The commitment is inflexible. The details are wishy-washy. Sometimes “day” stretches into the early morning hours of the next day. Sometimes “writing” means a scribbled sentence onto a post-it note reading “I don’t want to write today.” When I was writing two pages per day for my first book, many days started with writing “I don’t want to write today… I don’t want to write today…” until I got in the groove and shifted to the topic. Most days, I pen and publish a brief essay. 

When I injured my back, I performed a prenatal core workout as my daily 5 minute abs. 

This “every day” works because the requirement is rigid but the goal very easy. 

2. When 7 = 6 

I lift weights every day. 

(Except for ~2 days per week.) 

I tell myself I lift weights every day. Sometimes this approach is honest: Over the last two months, some weeks, I lifted 7/7 days. 

The issue: Weightlifting relies on unpredictable activities. How well will I sleep? How recovered will I be? Sometimes, I need a rest day to prevent injury. 

7 days per week therefore becomes 6. But if I aimed for 6, 6 becomes 5… and 5 becomes 4…  and very soon I’m watching cartoons with Dorito dust on my chest

This “every day” works because the requirement is flexible but the goal very intense. 

3. The Failure of Flossing 

Jeff Foxworthy’s dentist asks, “Have you been flossing every day?” 

“Not every day…” Jeff admits. “The last time I flossed… You did it!” 

Most people don’t floss. I don’t brush my teeth in the morning. (I only brush at night.) 

Turns out I brush in the morning every day the way most people floss every day. 

Default to Yes

I experience a large mental cost oscillating about action. 

Writing 5 days per week is somehow more difficult than 7. If I give myself an out, I consider and negotiate. Instead, I commit and know my category. 

Seven days a week means seven days a week.

(Except for the contexts where it should mean five.)

(Or zero.)

(Or negative one.)