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Ask HN: Valuable habit you've stuck with? What was key to making it stick?

8 points by cracadumi 1y ago

eimrine 1y ago
Chatting on English forums instead of just using my mother language. Dvorak keyboard made this possible.
alganet 1y ago
Smoking cigarettes is quite a comforting habit I developed. The nicotine makes it stick.
- farseer 1y ago
  I am assuming the OP meant, non self destructive habits :)
  - alganet 1y ago
    All habits are self destructive.
    - pfffff 1y ago
      Certainly not all habbits are destructive, you seem to confuse habbit with addiction. Addiction to smoking will give you cancer, you can deny it but after 30-40 years of doing this your lungs will tell you, that consequences are severe no matter what you keep telling yourself :) I lost family members to cancer due to cigareres and they were denying it pretty much till the end.
      - alganet 1y ago
        I'm not denying. I know the risks of smoking and that I will suffer a lot. Do you understand and accept the risks of your habits?
        card_zero 1y ago
        I have a habit of reading while I eat. Explain how self-destructive? I don't want to shoot this theory down, it was an interesting thing to claim.
        alganet 1y ago
        I don't know, honestly. Is that even a habit? I used to eat watching stuff. Eventually I recognized it as a bad thing. In my case, it distracted me from the food and whatever I was watching. I ultimately dropped this practice and I enjoy my meals way better. You can see it as a destructive thing, right? Whether it applies to you or not, I wouldn't know. When I said all habits are self-destructive, I meant that they are conditioning. It's a little part of you that now is in auto mode. Of course that my example, cigarettes, is also bad for my health. However, the conditioning is mostly chemical (I think), related to nicotine. It was also a way of saying "yeah, I know smoke bad", and a way to make people think of other potential harmful habits (gossip, drugs, promiscuity, stalking, drinking, cheating, etc) and how these things can go hypocritical very fast.
        card_zero 1y ago
        This "auto mode" is not a pure and simple thing. What I'm describing might be a lifetime preference, rather than conditioned. But surely an element of the automatic has crept in. I probably reach unthinkingly for reading matter like I reach for a spoon, exhibiting what I think is called utilization behavior. Then again I don't think a person's conscious intent can ever be permanently shut out; I think any supposed conditioning of a human will have a degree of conscious oversight.
        alganet 1y ago
        The important thing is: are you able to recognize and be honest? All these explanations make no difference. I smoke, I will suffer. Can you recognize the habits that will make you suffer?
        owebmaster 1y ago
rozenmd 1y ago
Working on your own thing two hours before work, every work day. The key is to wake up earlier, have a coffee, and just show up. Even if you don't feel like shipping, just write down your thoughts. Consistency keeps the habit going.
Quinzel 1y ago
Turned my afternoon unhealthy snack time to an apple and a walk to the car after work by parking 1km away from the work place and putting an apple in my bag so everyday I have instantly got an apple, and am also forced to walk. Morning me (that wakes up full of good intentions and motivation) sets up strategies for lazy afternoon me so lazy afternoon me can still be lazy but achieves the minor goals morning me see out to achieve.
- beAbU 1y ago
  Generally parking far away from your destination and walking the last mile or two is such a simple and effective way to get yourself walking I'm surprised it's not a more popular life hack. You are sitting comfortable in your car, parking close or far away is not going to impact your /immediate/ comfort (future you's problem!), and likely the parking is more open far away, so it's going to be easier to find a spot and get in/out of your car when you are far away. Win win!
owebmaster 1y ago
Intermittent fasting. The key to make it a habit was to learn that what we call hunger nowadays is not really hunger, is just space in the belly to eat more, it is fine to stay 5 days without eating and not feel weak.
- BOOSTERHIDROGEN 1y ago
  This, I've been doing this for about a month now, fasting one day, then taking a day off.
japhyr 1y ago
A long time ago I had trouble waking up without hitting snooze a bunch of times. So I started setting my alarm for the latest possible time I could get up and still get to where I needed to be. I aimed to get up the first time I woke up naturally in the morning. That was a life changing moment for me. I started waking up so much more rested, and without immediate morning stress. I got up later than I used to set my alarm for, but much earlier than I used to actually get up. Alarms that interrupt deep morning sleep are so hard to deal with.
- paulcole 1y ago
  I do the opposite. I set my alarm for the time I want to be up (in my case as early as possible) and always get up within one snooze. The life-changing “trick” for me is to just go to bed when I’m tired (which varies day to day). This is in contrast to having a “bedtime.” Some nights I tuck in at 7PM and others I’m up to 10 to 11PM and still pop right up at 4:30AM every day (even weekends).
munksbeer 1y ago
Flossing my teeth. I can't remember where I read it, possibly on here, or reddit, but a post suggested a good way to get started. I set my goal to floss one tooth a day. And the trigger for it was always before I could brush my teeth I need to complete that one goal, and then give myself a big smile and raise my arms in triumph. And then I could brush my teeth. I did that for a few days and found that it was quite easy to stick to. I then started flossing a few more teeth, until I was doing them all. That was six years ago, and to this day I floss every night. Sometimes I'm very tired, but my goal remains the same, floss one tooth, so some nights I just floss one tooth, but most of the time I do them all.
- duttish 1y ago
  I remember a saying from a dentist, "You only need to floss the teeth you want to keep"
- andrei_says_ 1y ago
  I love watching movies and have my floss next to the projector :)
duttish 1y ago
Working out. For me the key has been two things, remove thinking and at least five minutes. - Find a programme, doesn't really matter which one as long as it's one you can follow for at least six months. - Set the days you're working out. - Pack or prepare everything the evening before. Less thinking is less opportunity to go "Hmmm, I'm tired. I'll do it tomorrow". Just follow the programme. On those days do that amount of reps of those exercises. The five minutes thing is that I always do at least warm up and then five minutes more. After that I'm allowed to stop, but at that point I'm changed, at the right place, warmed up and doing it. 39/40 times I do the workout. My brain is ridiculously easy to fool, it's quite convenient.

8 points by cracadumi 1y ago

eimrine 1y ago

Chatting on English forums instead of just using my mother language. Dvorak keyboard made this possible.

alganet 1y ago

Smoking cigarettes is quite a comforting habit I developed. The nicotine makes it stick.

farseer 1y ago
I am assuming the OP meant, non self destructive habits :)
- alganet 1y ago
  All habits are self destructive.
  - pfffff 1y ago
    Certainly not all habbits are destructive, you seem to confuse habbit with addiction. Addiction to smoking will give you cancer, you can deny it but after 30-40 years of doing this your lungs will tell you, that consequences are severe no matter what you keep telling yourself :) I lost family members to cancer due to cigareres and they were denying it pretty much till the end.
    - alganet 1y ago
      I'm not denying. I know the risks of smoking and that I will suffer a lot. Do you understand and accept the risks of your habits?
      - card_zero 1y ago
        I have a habit of reading while I eat. Explain how self-destructive? I don't want to shoot this theory down, it was an interesting thing to claim.
        alganet 1y ago
        I don't know, honestly. Is that even a habit? I used to eat watching stuff. Eventually I recognized it as a bad thing. In my case, it distracted me from the food and whatever I was watching. I ultimately dropped this practice and I enjoy my meals way better. You can see it as a destructive thing, right? Whether it applies to you or not, I wouldn't know. When I said all habits are self-destructive, I meant that they are conditioning. It's a little part of you that now is in auto mode. Of course that my example, cigarettes, is also bad for my health. However, the conditioning is mostly chemical (I think), related to nicotine. It was also a way of saying "yeah, I know smoke bad", and a way to make people think of other potential harmful habits (gossip, drugs, promiscuity, stalking, drinking, cheating, etc) and how these things can go hypocritical very fast.
        card_zero 1y ago
        This "auto mode" is not a pure and simple thing. What I'm describing might be a lifetime preference, rather than conditioned. But surely an element of the automatic has crept in. I probably reach unthinkingly for reading matter like I reach for a spoon, exhibiting what I think is called utilization behavior. Then again I don't think a person's conscious intent can ever be permanently shut out; I think any supposed conditioning of a human will have a degree of conscious oversight.
        alganet 1y ago
        The important thing is: are you able to recognize and be honest? All these explanations make no difference. I smoke, I will suffer. Can you recognize the habits that will make you suffer?
      - owebmaster 1y ago

rozenmd 1y ago

Working on your own thing two hours before work, every work day. The key is to wake up earlier, have a coffee, and just show up. Even if you don't feel like shipping, just write down your thoughts. Consistency keeps the habit going.

Quinzel 1y ago

Turned my afternoon unhealthy snack time to an apple and a walk to the car after work by parking 1km away from the work place and putting an apple in my bag so everyday I have instantly got an apple, and am also forced to walk. Morning me (that wakes up full of good intentions and motivation) sets up strategies for lazy afternoon me so lazy afternoon me can still be lazy but achieves the minor goals morning me see out to achieve.

beAbU 1y ago
Generally parking far away from your destination and walking the last mile or two is such a simple and effective way to get yourself walking I'm surprised it's not a more popular life hack. You are sitting comfortable in your car, parking close or far away is not going to impact your /immediate/ comfort (future you's problem!), and likely the parking is more open far away, so it's going to be easier to find a spot and get in/out of your car when you are far away. Win win!

owebmaster 1y ago

Intermittent fasting. The key to make it a habit was to learn that what we call hunger nowadays is not really hunger, is just space in the belly to eat more, it is fine to stay 5 days without eating and not feel weak.

BOOSTERHIDROGEN 1y ago
This, I've been doing this for about a month now, fasting one day, then taking a day off.

japhyr 1y ago

A long time ago I had trouble waking up without hitting snooze a bunch of times. So I started setting my alarm for the latest possible time I could get up and still get to where I needed to be. I aimed to get up the first time I woke up naturally in the morning. That was a life changing moment for me. I started waking up so much more rested, and without immediate morning stress. I got up later than I used to set my alarm for, but much earlier than I used to actually get up. Alarms that interrupt deep morning sleep are so hard to deal with.

paulcole 1y ago
I do the opposite. I set my alarm for the time I want to be up (in my case as early as possible) and always get up within one snooze. The life-changing “trick” for me is to just go to bed when I’m tired (which varies day to day). This is in contrast to having a “bedtime.” Some nights I tuck in at 7PM and others I’m up to 10 to 11PM and still pop right up at 4:30AM every day (even weekends).

munksbeer 1y ago

Flossing my teeth. I can't remember where I read it, possibly on here, or reddit, but a post suggested a good way to get started. I set my goal to floss one tooth a day. And the trigger for it was always before I could brush my teeth I need to complete that one goal, and then give myself a big smile and raise my arms in triumph. And then I could brush my teeth. I did that for a few days and found that it was quite easy to stick to. I then started flossing a few more teeth, until I was doing them all. That was six years ago, and to this day I floss every night. Sometimes I'm very tired, but my goal remains the same, floss one tooth, so some nights I just floss one tooth, but most of the time I do them all.

duttish 1y ago
I remember a saying from a dentist, "You only need to floss the teeth you want to keep"
andrei_says_ 1y ago
I love watching movies and have my floss next to the projector :)

duttish 1y ago

Working out. For me the key has been two things, remove thinking and at least five minutes. - Find a programme, doesn't really matter which one as long as it's one you can follow for at least six months. - Set the days you're working out. - Pack or prepare everything the evening before. Less thinking is less opportunity to go "Hmmm, I'm tired. I'll do it tomorrow". Just follow the programme. On those days do that amount of reps of those exercises. The five minutes thing is that I always do at least warm up and then five minutes more. After that I'm allowed to stop, but at that point I'm changed, at the right place, warmed up and doing it. 39/40 times I do the workout. My brain is ridiculously easy to fool, it's quite convenient.