Quick update: I've stopped filling in the google sheets habit tracker. I've been doing that and a physical paper copy, and it's wasted time and brain cycles. I prefer analog, pen and paper to computer, so that's the one I'm sticking with. Just got out a shiny new sheet and re-organized it a bit, for the new month. The habit tracker has been going pretty well, as has the beeminder tasks. So far, I've kept up, and the various methods (habit tracker, monetary repercussions and social accountability) have been sufficient. I removed one (or two?) habits from my previous habit tracker, though I also added several that I hadn't thought of initially.
The one thing I'm not quite happy with is my 'deep work' habit on beeminder. It is perhaps a bit too vague. What I really want is help doing things that are a bit challenging or uncomfortable, but super important for making progress on my main goal (work I love). Sometimes that's not classical 'deep work', sitting somewhere with no distractions doing something, it may be writing an email or reaching out to someone, in my case. The vagueness of that makes it hard to quantify. That means when I succeed, I'm not totally sure I actually succeeded, and when I've maybe failed, I'm not sure I've actually failed. I think perhaps the best I can do for now is state that I will come up with one or more "#1's" for the day. Whatever task(s) seem like the most important ones to work on. And then I time how long I work on those, without distraction, and that's my 'deep work' hours.
The next question of course is what constitutes the best use of my time. Do I just start working on projects I'm excited about? Or do I start taking on part time jobs/volunteer work to test out my hypothesis about kinds of work I enjoy? One way is more externally shaped, the other starts from internal shaping.
Currently listening to "The How of Happiness" by Sonja Lyubomirsky. It is fascinating to learn the science and facts behind what makes us happy and what does not. Also, the nitty gritty behind the more simplistic things you hear bandied around, like how gratitude is good. To use that example, yes, scientifically it is one of the effective strategies. But only if done properly. If the ritual becomes rote, for example if you end up saying the same things over and over, not really feeling and connecting to the things you mention, the practice of gratitude can lose its effectiveness. How it's done matters. Same for acts of kindness.
OK, I should wrap up this post, good-bye for now ^_^
-IO
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