For the last year or so, I’ve been somewhat obsessed with habit formation. It started as a personal journey to be more productive and was amplified after reading Atomic Habits by James Clear. This year, instead of setting brand new goals, I’ve taken a look at my habits over the past year and looked for […]
“If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it,” is common business wisdom. It is especially important advice for startups searching for product/market fit via the build-measure-learn feedback loop, a major part of the Lean Startup ethos. Build something. Measure its effect. Learn what worked, what didn’t. Repeat. The ability to execute this loop quickly […]
There is a concept in criminology known as broken windows theory. It says that crime in a community can be significantly reduced by reducing signs of disorder (like broken windows) and policing minor but visible crimes like vandalism. The theory rests on the assumption that an area’s environment has a big influence on the behavior […]
An important lesson I’ve learned in the last year is how important environment is for forming productive habits. Good habits don’t arise from exerting more will power. Instead, they come from engineering an environment that makes good habits easier, and bad habits harder. For example, If you want to play more guitar and less video […]
Keeping a daily journal is probably the most useful habit I’ve developed. It has increased awareness of how I spend my time and been a catalyst for other productive habits. It took me almost a year of experimenting with habit strategies to develop one that stuck. Here’s what I learned. Where to journal? It should […]
One lesson I find myself learning over and over again is how important implementation intentions are for forming habits. It’s a simple premise. If you schedule a time and place for a habit, you’re more likely actually do it. The general formula is: At [time/place] I will [behaviour] I first came across this concept in […]
I’m currently trying to build a writing habit. My framework for doing so looks like this: Writing at least one sentence a day (this is my minimum viable habit). Scheduling explicit time each day for writing (see: implementation intentions). Quitting while I’m ahead. Publishing often. My goal is not to write for a living. There […]
Changing your habits is hard. Most people know this at some level (see all of your New Year’s resolutions). The mistake we all tend to make is expecting too much from ourselves. When something inspires us to change our behavior for the better (like a motivational speaker or a new beginning), we have a surge […]
I’ve been sleeping in since kindergarten. If there was somewhere to be in the morning, I was either slightly late or really late. Getting to school on time was a rarity and I was the worst paperboy my neighborhood had ever seen. As a grad student, my text history with my advisor was a long […]
‘”Quit while you’re ahead” is an effective strategy for forming new habits when it is applied locally rather than globally. I don’t mean quit a habit once you’re good at it, but quit practicing in specific instances while your enjoyment or satisfaction is high, e.g. stop writing while you still have momentum. There are psychological […]
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