A couple of years again, I unwittingly ended up with a wrist-based contraption having me do its bidding. Why? It seems I don’t have many habits, however a few of these I do have are dangerous.
A lot of that is all the way down to me being a freelancer and a author – a mixture that to private well being is as sawdust-flavoured tripe and a pile of useless wasps is to haute delicacies. It’s potential freelance writers are a subspecies of vampire, given our pure tendency to lock ourselves in rooms for limitless hours, as if we’re scared of the solar.
I’m informed this isn’t good for you, by precise, actual folks. Furthermore, screaming physique elements (dangerous again; worse arms) have handily identified on quite a few events that getting up and shifting round could be helpful to me having the ability to operate long run. Therefore: the Apple Watch.
Not too long ago, after shopping for a standing desk, my again and arms common a mere 0.3 on the AARRRRGGH scale, however I seen broader wellbeing and productiveness have been taking a kicking. Maybe it was COVID. Maybe it was one thing else. Regardless, I had a necessity for change. My crafty plan: add the iPhone into the combination, to – deliberately this time – infuse higher habits into my routine.
Already getting common dopamine hits from ridiculous issues like swiping away notifications (job completion!) and rabidly checking Twitter (extra job completion!), I centred on issues that mattered. With my steely dedication and stubbornness to maintain Apple Watch train, transfer and stand streaks going – to a degree that borders on obsession – I reasoned I’d profit from doing a lot the identical with a extra versatile system.
I plumped for Streaks on iPhone, which I’d used ad-hoc for some time. It’s well designed and doesn’t overwhelm, as a consequence of limiting seen streaks to 6. I began with simple wins, like ‘go outdoors’ and every day train, and added 5 conscious minutes, an affordable variety of every day work dash classes, and restricted time on social media and boards. (Streaks consists of timers and allows you to outline unfavorable streaks that fail when you do them too usually.)
With me exercising every day anyway (thanks, Apple Watch!), having that in Streaks felt like dishonest. However I did cease checking boards so usually. Each duties have been thereby consigned to the void (as in, web page two of Streaks). The gaps have been stuffed with a brief every day core exercise and really going to mattress at a wise hour.
So, how’s it going? The work sprints, twinned with Bear Focus Timer, have boosted productiveness and decreased faffage. Counters have helped me use social media extra meaningfully and consciously. Going outdoors: I try this on daily basis, however will go away the duty on web page one to cease me locking myself away when winter gloom rolls in. Mindfulness and going to mattress on time… I’ll get again to you on these.
Nonetheless, it appears like progress – which could sound ridiculous. In spite of everything, that is self-reward for largely easy issues I needs to be doing anyway. However what works, works, proper? And it’s good for as soon as that when my telephone goes ‘ding’, it’s saying “hey, good job” or reminding me about my streaks, moderately than filling my notifications with a billion Slack messages and emails I’ll completely reply to sooner or later earlier than the warmth demise of the universe. Sincere.
Oddly the primary drawback I now have will not be recording my streaks, that means my stats outdoors of automated captures like train are poor. Maybe that doesn’t matter, since good habits are being fashioned and the tech is getting used meaningfully.
Or, occupied with it, perhaps I want a streaks app for ensuring all my streaks are recorded. Now there’s an concept.
