3 ms·

You can get a guy online to call you every day and yell at you if you didn't do the thing.[0] That's probably what's missing here, some kind of external pressur

by andai 2mo ago

You can get a guy online to call you every day and yell at you if you didn't do the thing.[0] That's probably what's missing here, some kind of external pressure to do the thing. At least that's what I've found helpful, I couldn't rely on willpower for long term behavior change, so I just change my environment in a way that makes doing the thing become the path of least resistance. Or you could tie it to an existing habit like, "I'm not allowed to brush my teeth in the morning until I logged how shit I feel today." But I'd definitely consider just getting the guy who checks "did you do the thing?" [0] I've seen ads online for people doing this for like $1/day. I also found this very helpful and refer to it on a regular basis: https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits-summary https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits-summary

Abh1Works 2mo ago
Im shocked that this is a service, thats really interesting. And yes, ive tried logging based on psychological checkpoints, but I found how I really felt is lost by the time I log something at the end of the day.
- andai 2mo ago
  You can find people who will do it for free, there are forums dedicated to that. (Called accountability partner, accountability buddy, things like that.) I set up a project with a friend once, where every evening, for several months straight, we sent each other one piece of creative work. (He'd send me a drawing, I'd send him a song.) This was even more interesting because beforehand we'd send each other a prompt for what to make, so it was always a bit of a fun challenge. But eventually he lost interest, so if it something you intend to do indefinitely, I'd recommend paying someone, instead of relying on them not getting bored / demotivated. When he lost interest, the way I solved the problem was by just making a rule for myself: I had to do my task every single day, as soon as I woke up. I structured my environment to make this inevitable, i.e. every night before bed I'd turn off the internet, turn off my phone, and get things ready for the next morning, so that everything would be smooth and "automatic", even if I stumbled out of bed barely sentient. Kinda like that hack where you put your running shoes next to your bed, so you step on them as soon as you get out of bed. Or putting an important briefcase in front of the door, so you trip over it on the way out. Environmental design!

by andai 2mo ago

Abh1Works 2mo ago

Im shocked that this is a service, thats really interesting. And yes, ive tried logging based on psychological checkpoints, but I found how I really felt is lost by the time I log something at the end of the day.

andai 2mo ago
You can find people who will do it for free, there are forums dedicated to that. (Called accountability partner, accountability buddy, things like that.) I set up a project with a friend once, where every evening, for several months straight, we sent each other one piece of creative work. (He'd send me a drawing, I'd send him a song.) This was even more interesting because beforehand we'd send each other a prompt for what to make, so it was always a bit of a fun challenge. But eventually he lost interest, so if it something you intend to do indefinitely, I'd recommend paying someone, instead of relying on them not getting bored / demotivated. When he lost interest, the way I solved the problem was by just making a rule for myself: I had to do my task every single day, as soon as I woke up. I structured my environment to make this inevitable, i.e. every night before bed I'd turn off the internet, turn off my phone, and get things ready for the next morning, so that everything would be smooth and "automatic", even if I stumbled out of bed barely sentient. Kinda like that hack where you put your running shoes next to your bed, so you step on them as soon as you get out of bed. Or putting an important briefcase in front of the door, so you trip over it on the way out. Environmental design!