Starting a meditation practice is easy. Day four is where almost everyone quits. The problem is rarely motivation, it's usually the structure around the practice, not the practice itself.
Start smaller than feels reasonable
A common mistake is committing to 20 or 30 minutes a day from the very first sitting. That's a lot to ask of a habit with zero momentum behind it yet. Three minutes, done every day, builds more real momentum than twenty minutes done three times before stopping.
The goal in week one isn't depth. It's simply proving to yourself that the sitting happens, reliably, regardless of mood.
Anchor it to something that already happens daily
"I'll meditate sometime today" almost never survives contact with a real day. "I'll meditate right after I brush my teeth in the morning" survives much better, because it's attached to something that already happens without willpower.
Track the chain, not the quality
Don't grade each sitting on how calm it felt. Some of the most valuable sessions feel restless and short. Track only one thing: did it happen today, yes or no. A visible, unbroken chain of "yes" is one of the most reliable habit-formation tools there is, mostly because missing a day and breaking the chain becomes something you actively don't want to do.
Have a real structure, not just an intention
Intentions are fragile. A structure with a defined start, a defined length, and a real reason to check in each day is much sturdier. That's exactly why the 21-Day Challenge exists: one check-in a night, twenty-one nights, a visible chain, and something real waiting at the end of it. It's built to solve exactly the problem described here.