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 right down to me being a freelancer and a author – a mix that to non-public well being is as sawdust-flavoured tripe and a pile of useless wasps is to haute delicacies. It’s attainable 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 instructed this isn’t good for you, by precise, actual folks. Furthermore, screaming physique components (dangerous again; worse arms) have handily identified on quite a few events that getting up and transferring round could be useful to me with the ability to operate long run. Therefore: the Apple Watch.
Lately, after shopping for a standing desk, my again and arms common a mere 0.3 on the AARRRRGGH scale, however I observed 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 combo, to – deliberately this time – infuse higher habits into my routine.
Already getting common dopamine hits from ridiculous issues like swiping away notifications (activity completion!) and rabidly checking Twitter (extra activity completion!), I centred on issues that mattered. With my steely willpower 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 neatly designed and doesn’t overwhelm, as a result of limiting seen streaks to 6. I began with straightforward wins, like ‘go exterior’ and each day train, and added 5 aware minutes, an affordable variety of each day work dash periods, and restricted time on social media and boards. (Streaks consists of timers and allows you to outline adverse streaks that fail should you do them too usually.)
With me exercising each 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 full of a brief each day core exercise and truly going to mattress at a wise hour.
So, how’s it going? The work sprints, twinned with Bear Focus Timer, have boosted productiveness and diminished faffage. Counters have helped me use social media extra meaningfully and consciously. Going exterior: I do this day-after-day, however will depart 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 seems like progress – which could sound ridiculous. In spite of everything, that is self-reward for largely easy issues I must 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 loss of life of the universe. Trustworthy.
Oddly the primary downside I now have isn’t recording my streaks, that means my stats exterior of automated captures like train are poor. Maybe that doesn’t matter, since good habits are being shaped and the tech is getting used meaningfully.
Or, interested by it, possibly I want a streaks app for ensuring all my streaks are recorded. Now there’s an thought.
