Perhaps this might be a time to study in your self and the time it takes for a specific thing you realise in yourself the need of to change. For a long time the problem is there, yet no solution presents itself. Then all of a sudden by having made space in yourself (Finishing other stuff any and everywhere you have begun projects) you have space to see one further of your own unnoticed behaviours. This would be the first day to mark down on your study calendar. Often you might just have a conversation with someone, and their behaviour might be, for an example I have had: A woman came talked to me that I knew only from seeing. Wasn't very communicative to others back then, and when she went to smoke, she would go clean her teeth afterwards and exclaim she doesn't like the taste of smoke. Then I made the cognition that I behave in such a way. I smoke tobacco indirectly, mixed with other substances but don't like the taste.
Scroll 3 months forward and I am buying real tobacco to smoke in my pipe. Just received the order. This represents for me an actual change. There were many single steps in between, like tasting tobacco from ravenking, getting a pipe, finding a book about sacred pipe use and smoking. This is a gradual unfolding of me becoming a person that works with an actual pipe. An actual being in a pipe helping me and vice versa, for that being the way to use it's power. Every 3 till 6 months further bits and pieces unfold, for me to piece together.
So those 40 days are about our own personal transformations, that you work out on the outside in a flask. Coded message to spell the rhythm of change.