Hi, I'm Shingo Suzuki, also known as Suzushin.
Recently, I noticed something: my chess hasn't been improving at all, but I've kept my Duolingo streak going. Is Duolingo's habit-building system just that effective, or has protecting the streak become an end in itself? I'm not quite sure.
I'd like to write honestly about this familiar situation: keeping something going, regardless of whether I'm getting better.
I've actually kept my Duolingo streak for 286 days
A streak is the consecutive-day record you build by studying on Duolingo every day. Mine currently stands at 286 consecutive days—roughly nine months without missing a day. That's rather impressive in its own way, isn't it?
Originally, I mainly studied English on Duolingo. Partway through, I switched my main focus to chess. I started the chess course to keep learning in a way I enjoyed.
But my chess hasn't been improving
Until recently, I'd been neglecting actual games on Chess.com. I was afraid to lose and couldn't press the button to start playing. Even then, I kept protecting my Duolingo streak.
Has studying on Duolingo helped me play better on Chess.com? Honestly, I don't know yet. I do feel it may help me establish a chess-study habit. I've since returned to playing on Chess.com, but that and my streak still feel like separate activities.
I'm also running a project to see what happens if I seriously aim to become a chess GM. It's a very high bar, but I'd like to find out how far I can go.
The streak keeps growing, but my ability hasn't kept pace at all. That's frustrating, though perhaps maintaining the streak has value of its own.
The little extra effort I make to protect the streak
I sometimes push myself a little to keep it going: I study right before bed. When a notification arrives, I feel, “I'd better do it!” So studying before midnight at the latest has become a habit.
Why am I so attached to the streak?
Why care so much about not breaking a Duolingo streak?
It's an emotional reason: “I've kept this going for so long; it would be a shame to lose it now.” Losing the record feels wasteful somehow. I also have a separate shared streak with another user, which makes me feel bad about letting it break.
Honestly, I'm continuing out of reluctance to lose something, rather than purely to develop my skills. Of course, I do want to get better at chess too. If I keep studying, surely I'll improve—or at least, that's what I want to believe.
Seen another way, a streak is a very effective source of motivation to continue. Even if my motivation is passive right now, being able to keep learning chess is a big benefit for me.
That makes me think a system for consistently playing games and solving tactics might connect more directly to improvement. Perhaps introducing a habit tracker would help.
Is this enough? What I'll do next
My Duolingo streak is still going, but my chess isn't improving. Protecting the streak has become a goal in itself. That has some value, but I'd like it to lead to stronger play too. I feel I need to take chess study more seriously and be more deliberate about making time for it.
Is there anything you've kept doing for a long time? If you've found ways to stay consistent, I'd love to hear them.