Hey everyone,

I'm a 24-year-old individual working a typical 9 to 7 job in India, and I've come to realize that discipline is a crucial virtue for personal growth and success in both personal and professional aspects of life. However, I struggle with maintaining discipline consistently. I'm reaching out to seek advice, tips, and resources that can help me cultivate discipline effectively. Here's a bit about my situation:

1. I recognize that discipline is key to achieving my goals, whether it's advancing in my career, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, or pursuing personal interests. However, I often find it challenging to stay focused and stick to my plans.

2. I'm eager to learn about practical strategies and techniques that can assist me in developing discipline. Whether it's advice on time management, creating daily routines, staying motivated, or overcoming procrastination, any insights or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

3. I understand that building discipline is a gradual process and that small, consistent actions can lead to significant improvements over time. I'm open to implementing small changes in my daily life that can help me establish better habits and increase my self-discipline.

If you have any suggestions, personal experiences, or resources that you believe could benefit someone like me in my journey to become more disciplined, please share them. Your insights could make a meaningful difference in my life.

I'm not sure how common a practice this is, but for those of you who have or are making (or interested in making) your own gamified systems--whether a bunch of data in excel or a polished app you are working on--for regulating your habits, there is a new subreddit where we can discuss experiences, techniques, design principles, etc.: https://www.reddit.com/r/GamifyingLife/

This is not a subreddit for marketing existing apps or for exploring the other uses of gamification, such as its applications in education and management. Rather, it is for people who are using personalized gamification for self-improvement and self-regulation. I myself have a sprawling fantasy-themed habit game that has been helping for many years, and there are others there who are designing and running their own such games, albeit with surprisingly varied mechanics, themes, motivations, etc.. It can be a lonely endeavor crafting these things, so you are heartily welcome if you are (or want to be) such a habit gamifier!

After reading through the posts on this subreddit, I noticed many of you mentioned struggling with procrastination and being unable to complete important tasks on time. I can totally relate - a few years ago when I was trying to build better habits, I was in the same boat, constantly putting things off until the last minute.

Since then, I've discovered some proven techniques to squash procrastination, and I made a short 6 min video sharing the top 7 strategies that helped me the most. I think these tips could be really useful for folks here who are working on overcoming procrastination, so let me summarize the key takeaways:

The video dives into the psychology behind procrastination and identifying your unique procrastination patterns. It then covers practical habit-building techniques like:

• Breaking big goals into small, manageable steps
• Using time blocking to dedicate focused work sessions
• Getting an accountability partner to stay on track
• Designing your environment for optimal productivity
• Batching similar tasks together
• Using "if-then" planning to pre-commit when/where you'll work
• Prioritizing what's truly important with decision matrices

I really hope these anti-procrastination strategies can help some of you build better habits like they did for me. Let me know if you have any other questions! I'm happy to expand on anything covered in the video. https://youtu.be/Uw-PulyVeYM

To everyone who’s used or looking for a habit tracker app. What is the biggest thing you want in a habit tracker/builder that isn’t there?

Maybe gamification? Challenges? Looking to build an app. Want to understand what the community wants.

Mine is mainly a way to go to the app or enter the data in the frictionless manner. I track or undergo a challenge for about 7-10 days and then poof🥲

Any replies are appreciated, thanks!

The shaking of legs intensifies as I get more nervous. It happens only when I am sitting on a chair. It happens while studying, eating, etc. I have tried many things. Any suggestions?

K, so since i was just a kiddo i used to twirl my hair, got made fun of alot cuz ima dude. 'specially male friends. not sure why either, maybe an implication with it being "girly" or "flirtatious". still dunno why i do it, i twirl my hair lots when im stressed out, bored, or just want something in my hand. ive asked multiple people on the common reasons and ive been told things related to OCD, Autism, or ADHD. while im not sure i fall under any of those, i just think its a weird habit of mine.

Hey everyone,

I'm reaching out because I'm really struggling with a pattern of self-sabotage when it comes to studying, and I could really use some advice or support.

I'm studying for a bachelor's degree in IT, and I'm finding courses pretty challenging. Despite knowing the importance of studying and the consequences of not doing so (like difficulty finding a job, wasting my education investment, and missing out on graduate opportunities), I keep procrastinating until the last minute.

One of my biggest distractions is my phone. I find myself mindlessly scrolling through social media for hours every day, which often leads me down a rabbit hole of unproductive activities like watching porn and masturbating. I've tried deleting social media apps, but I always end up reinstalling them out of boredom.

I'm already in my 30's, studying in a foreign country, with no relative job experience and feeling the pressure of a competitive job market in my field. I'm worried that if I don't break this cycle soon, I'll end up sabotaging my future prospects even further.

I'd really appreciate any specific advice or strategies on how to overcome this self-sabotage and develop better study habits or even habits in life. What has worked for you in similar situations? How can I break free from this cycle and make the most of my education and opportunities?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer. It means a lot to me. This is not a prank post and i am really just in a desperate situation to find help..

Hey there, habit hackers! If you're feeling like you're constantly racing against the clock, never having enough time for the things that truly matter, I've got some game-changing tips for you. By tweaking just four habits, I was able to reclaim a whopping 24 hours from my week. That's an entire day's worth of time to invest in personal growth, passion projects, or simply recharging.

1. **Batching Tasks**: Instead of constantly switching between different tasks and dealing with the mental fatigue that comes with it, I started batching similar activities together. For instance, I dedicated a 30-minute slot in the morning to clearing my inbox without any other distractions. This simple change eliminated the constant context-switching and saved me hours each week.
2. **Curbing Social Media Scrolling**: The average person spends over 2 hours per day mindlessly scrolling through social media. That's a massive time sink! To break this habit, I started my day with journaling or mindfulness practice, and whenever I had idle moments, I resisted the urge to reach for my phone. Instead, I took a short walk or did some deep breathing exercises. Small changes, big impact!
3. **Embracing Single-Tasking**: While multitasking might seem like a productivity booster, it often backfires. Instead, I started combining "no-brainer" activities with flexible tasks. For example, I now listen to audiobooks or podcasts during my daily dog walks, effectively knocking out two tasks at once. Identify your own "no-brainer" activities and pair them with flexible tasks to make the most of your time.
4. **Time Blocking**: This habit involves dedicating specific time blocks in your daily schedule for tasks that require your full attention. By reserving these sacred intervals when your energy levels are at their peak, you can eliminate decision fatigue and significantly boost your productivity.

These four simple habit changes have been absolute game-changers for me. They've not only helped me reclaim 24 hours from my week but also reduced stress, increased focus, and allowed me to dedicate more time to the things that truly matter.

If you'd like to dive deeper into these strategies and learn the exact steps I took to implement them, feel free to check out this video: https://youtu.be/m2KGDTkJ1Jk?si=-5imvngTWv9LLHlx I also share a bonus tip towards the end that you won't want to miss! The video is completely free, no strings attached. I'm just passionate about sharing what worked for me

Here's to cultivating habits that empower us to make the most of our time and live with intention. Happy habit-building, my friends!

I've been thinking about how to help make it easier for folks to make and/or break habits. I was wondering if you all would be open to taking a short Google Form survey? https://forms.gle/qmeMh98V41LEuP7w7

Thank you!

Is there an upper limit to the number of habits you can or should establish it once? If there is what is that upper limit?

I’m wondering if there is an app to help hold us accountable to the following rules:

-fast food only 1 per month -chips only 1 per month -ice cream 2 per month -family breakfast 1 per month -date night 2 per month -hike trail 2 per month

I know this must sound ridiculous but my husband and I are going through a hard time (teething) with our one year old and the stress and emotional toll has allowed us to pick up some not so great habits!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

I make these commentary videos on the way there and back. How would you improve them, if you had to?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WylvzR2R_HI

Hi, Habits community!

I'm interested in personal development and building good habits in my day-to-day life and I wanted something that will help me in this context. I'm a mobile developer and I said to myself what if I will build an app for this stuff. I wanted something simple and easy to use, something where I can define my activities and the habits that I want to inject into my lifestyle and be able to track them. After 2 years of development, I've ended up with something much bigger. Now I don't only track my habits but I also start journaling, tracking mood, saving memories, and much more which help me to reflect and stay focused on the important things in my life.

I will leave the link to the app in the comments if you are interested.

Tw: I’m so sorry, I know this is super gross.

So I have picked my nose for my whole life (in secret ofc), but decided to stop. I actually managed to quit really well, and had turned the bad habit in just a few days.

What I’m wondering about, is what do I do now? How do I get rid of boogers? I have to go to the bathroom all the time, and use some tissue to pick them out, is that the normal way? And what do I do when tissue is unavailable? Do I have to carry tissue with me all the time?

I know this is a stupid and gross question, but I honestly don’t know how to do it. I’m autistic and adhd, and things that come natural to most people don’t always come naturally to me. I will do whatever you tell me is the normal way

Please be kind to me. I know how gross this is, that is the reason why I’m asking anonymous on Reddit. I don’t want anyone I know finding out about this. I’m really shameful about it :(

Thank you in advance for your answers!

Humans are creatures of habit

People love to execute their daily tasks as a function of habit. Habit is a means to reduce cognitive load/”brain cycles” we consume while simply living. Habits are hard to form though. A person on an average takes 66 days to form a habit. Research suggests that morning habits are easier to form than evening/night habits. Also, it’s interesting to note that habit development is not linear; a asymptotic growth curve demonstrates that initial repetitions have the greatest impact on habit development.

Why do companies promote habit formation ?

Habits reduce the friction the user experiences while using a product. When users form habits around a product, companies see an increase in customer lifetime value, more flexibility in increasing prices, and form the basis of companies moat due to inertia of users against change of status-quo. Customers who regularly use the product are also more likely to help in spreading the good word.

Companies which we have trusted in the past keep getting chances by the user. I am often tempted to check google search and see if they are back in reckoning w.r.t Open AI and Perplexity.ai.  This stems from the fact that old habits die hard, habits are etched in our brains and we all are trying to go back to our old ways all the time. 

Example: Apple keyboard is made to lock in the customer into premium experience space. The keyboard keys are different, once a user starts using Apple keyboard, will the user then switch to Keyboard in windows or Unix machines. Fat chance the answer is no. Vice versa is also true though. In my own experience, I struggled to give a coding interview in a reputed company because I was given an Apple instead of Windows/Unix for a coding exercise.

Do habits still need reinforcement? 

Duolingo urges you to form a habit by permitting notifications from the app. When the user permits usage and notification frequency is measured, he feels respected. Notifications barrage - are a nuisance to users and too many notifications at best desensitize us towards notifications from that app. Zomato sends interesting notifications, trying to remind you to build a habit by engaging people with humor. Question is does humor overcome the nuisance tag that notifications have come to represent it.  It is best to personalize the frequency of notifications. Every user will have a sweet spot of frequency of notifications they are willing to consume, before to them it starts looking like suffering. Deep dive into data will give ranges before the customer decides to drop off the notifications. 

Twitter users had a certain number of followers, before they started using twitter daily and formed a habit. Followers count correspond to likes and comments and that means that users will have established feedback loops for their content. Twitter’s current engagement has fallen since it does not permit users to reach others users organically; with the main objective to increase Twitter’s revenue. But when people do not get engagement they drop off. Habits need to be actively reinforced.

When can addictive habits start hurting the company's bottom-line?

When companies start exploiting dark patterns and start maximizing things like time on app, they might be setting themselves up for failure. Take a look at Facebook. Almost everyone of the millennial generation, posted actively on the app. But now the app looks like a ghost town. In my perception, the app seems to have used dark patterns to increase time on the app so as to increase the number of advertisements shown and consequently the revenue earned. In doing so they left the user resenting time spent on the app as wasted time. The same holds true for Instagram or YouTube shorts. Both leave the user (at least me) with the feeling that the time spent on the app was wasted. Instead, these apps should find a metric which enables the user to feel that his/her time was well spent and it aided his/her emotional well being or mental well being or any other positive emotion for that matter. Social networks that try to inculcate negative habits in the short run, are running the risk of obliteration in the long term.

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Originally posted : https://buildstartupinpublic.substack.com/p/startup-secrets-the-role-of-habits

To juge how advance I am so we can match in our levels here is how my mornings unfold, everday:

6.15 am :wake up 6.15 > 6.45 : relaxation/anxiety relieving nervous system techniques + lemon juice mixed with water for hydration + 2min cold shower (associated with same exact music everyday since 6 months) 7.00 : 10min mindfulness meditation + post meditation thought labelling 7.30 : go outside and walk 3000 steps to watch the ocean (i'm doing 10k steps a day everyday) 8.00 > 9:20 : journalling with my own framework + reading 20 thought provoking questions to relfect (they are randomly selected among my personal set of approx 70 questions) + gratitude prayer + watching photos of 10 best moments of my life 9.30 : i'm free to take a class online with a mentor to elevate myself OR 3x / week I go the the gym (for weight lifting) 11.00 : I'm free for a second class or I have a 1H slot for work/personal stuff to do 12.00 : lunch

Trying to help everyone aspiring to become a better version of themselves. One tweet at a time.

Not trying to shame anyone, but to assist those who seek advice.

I must ask: which one do you want to be?

https://preview.redd.it/7h5ae00uumyc1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a349714c859d2a3a3639c659cff4ee5e44c02a4b

Hi! I was reading articles online about habits millionaires have, and although I try to stay optimistic, I can’t believe some of the stats. Some millionaires wake up at 4:00am, for example, and read 6 hours a week, workout X hours (for the record, I work with successful people in real life, and nobody works out, 6 figures salary), sleep 3 hours (only 1 CEO claimed sleeping 3 hours, so it’s plausible)

How do we know if they accurately keep track of those stats and aren’t finessing? What about if they don’t even do those things and just say it during this kind of research? 😂

So since nobody in this subreddit wants to sale me any life improvement program, I want to ask high earners, what are things you actually do?

Hours working out per week, if at all. Do you actually read? What do you read? Maybe a lot of the readable content is in video and you watch it instead of reading it. How many hours do you sleep? Followed by at what time do you wake up? Do you plan your whole week in advance or one day at a time? Etc.

What are some stats you hear on surveys of successful people which happen to be your stats, or which activities do you also do and believe the survey takers may be exaggerating?

One thing that really helped me when I was looking to get into the habit of exercising (doing cardio) consistently was celebrating each time I finished my exercise and hence gaining conviction that I can do it again the next time.

To inspire others to cultivate a similar mindset, I built an iOS app called Rosier (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/rosier/id6479997748) which lets users journal every success in their journey to build difficult habits to help them gain the confidence that they can also succeed the next time. Users can also use the app together with a family member/significant other and exchange gifts (e.g., hugs, kisses or actual goods like new clothes, cookies) to incentivize each other to keep building healthy habits.

The app is totally free (though only available in the US for iOS). Feel free to take a look, and I'd welcome any feedback!

Cheers!

The Power of 2s  

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” -MARK TWAIN 

James Clear set out to draft the greatest book ever written about building and maintaining habits. Given that 20 million people have already purchased his book, he has a compelling argument that he may have accomplished this goal. The guy 10x-ed his competition.  

 I am not going to attempt to summarize the amazingness of Atomic Habits in a 3- minute online article, but I would like to outline what he refers to as his number one strategy (if he could only choose one). I am combining his favorite strategy with my favorite strategy, and both involve the number 2. Clear’s choice is the 2-minute rule. The 2-minute rule requires you to break down the new desired habit into the smallest form. Working out becomes putting your shoes on, walking out the door and coming back inside [less than 2 minutes to complete]. He uses Newton’s law of motion to explain why this strategy works. You create the inertia to change your identity to become the person you desire to become. Jordan Peterson said that his clients find accomplishing the change they want difficult, not because the change is too hard, but because the start of the road to change is so easy that they feel guilty for not starting yet. “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” - Lao Tzu.   

To complete the power of 2s! I combine the 2-minute rule with another rule from ‘Atomic Habits’ called never miss twice. Never miss twice is a new habit savior. Most people start a diet and do well for a week, a few days, or maybe at least until lunchtime and then it happens... Your job bought takeout for employee appreciation week for lunch in the breakroom, and it is from your favorite Italian restaurant and your broccoli and quinoa just does not look as dazzling as it did before you smelled those luscious carbohydrates. Never miss twice is a way to have your carbs and eat them too! The catch is you only cheat once, not twice! If you do not have the rule of never miss twice you will be eating carbs all employee appreciation week and you can kiss your habit and slimming waste line goodbye. I believe in a 90%/10% lifestyle so you can still enjoy life but make the changes that you want to make and progress into the person you desire to be.  

This article starts to address the “how" to get healthy/change your life, but I must stress the importance of having a “why" first and then moving to “how." Once you obtain a “why" you can use the 2-minute rule and never miss twice to become unstoppable. Break any habit into the first initial step to create the inertia you need to start the change and then never miss twice. Want to start meditating? Get in position, meditate for one minute, go an entire month without missing, and now you can start calling yourself a meditator. Although according to this article it takes an average of 66 days to create a new habit so I would suggest making it 2-3 months to make sure you have a solid foundation to build from. You want to become a reader, read one page every day and become a reader. Clear says that you start to make this habit a part of your identity and eventually you will feel comfortable adding complexity to your new habit/identity. In my last article, I wrote about how important it is to change your identity to progress and achieve optimal health. Use these two rules and become the best version of yourself!!! 

The Power of 2s - by Brian Anguiz - Universal Progress (substack.com)

Making progress or change in our lives can require some boldness. The choice to take action can be challenging especially when we often talk ourselves out of doing things. This changed for me when I learned about the 5 Second Rule.

Autor Mel Robbins talks about the 5 second rule and counting down from 5 and acting on something with those 5 seconds. That’s what makes all the difference in ultimately breaking procrastination and getting stuff done.

Much of this has to do with habit building science and the way our brain is wired. I break this down in depth here if you’d like to know more. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkG2f_sAYVk

Hope this help you take practical action for your life going forward.