Bouncing back sounds fast. Real recovery is more like crawling back, then walking, then jogging.

The language around recovery suggests elasticity, something that springs back to shape on its own. Actual recoveries are sequential and slow, and every stage looks unimpressive from the one above it. Crawling is not failing at walking. It is the stage that makes walking possible, and skipping it is how people end up back at the beginning.

Work out which stage you are honestly in and make this week’s target the next stage rather than the finish. Mark the boring milestones, since those are the real ones. If somebody expects elasticity from you, tell them the order it actually goes in.