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As some one who had lot of bad habits, using stream method really helped me. I will give you an example. Smoking - I used to smoke a pack a day since I was 21.
by iamsb 7y ago
As some one who had lot of bad habits, using stream method really helped me. I will give you an example.
Smoking - I used to smoke a pack a day since I was 21. 5 years ago I decided to quit. I started a stop watch on my wrist watch to count number of hours since last smoke. Once that went up 250 hours, I used a wall calendar to mark of days. I tend to break the stream couple of times a year by smoking socially. But when I see my wall calendar, I always get back to maintaining the streak. I have not quit the habit, but I went from going a pack per day to 2 packs per year, which health wise is good enough. Having said that, I found that having a wall calendar, bigger the better, really helps. Apps with notifications etc not so much. I am currently working on an app which turns your android wall paper into a streak tracker, will of course post on HN when ready.
- nefitty 7y agoA wall calendar helped me as well with a meditation habit. My longest streak was 100+ days of at least 20mins sitting. I tried with apps later on, but nothing matches a huge calendar and marking the box with a big X. I'm glad to hear someone else had the same experience. I wonder what it is that causes one to work better than the other...
- iamsb 7y agoI think wall calendar is always there. I have it in my bedroom, so I see pretty much first thing when I wake up and last thing when I sleep. App - you have to look for it and it is constantly in your face, so to say.
- TeMPOraL 7y agoIt's still somewhat dependent on the person. I tried the wall calendar and even large whiteboard in my room to track streaks and habits, and then discovered my brain has repurposed its internal adblock to remove these habit trackers from my conscious attention. :/. I have the same problem with TODO lists, so I have to switch the way I track tasks every couple weeks.