📱🪥 Habits in 2024 Q2

Quick Context

I am consistent and organized to a fault. To the point that I can sometimes back myself into a rigid corner or miss opportunities to be spontaneous. Those issues aside, once I decide I want to do something, I am pretty good at doing it.

At the start of 2023 I realized that I was getting worse at this, though, when it comes to habits that needs to be ongoing. Projects are easy. Creating consistent routines? Less so.

I’m not sure what creates a habit, at least for me, but I have gotten worse at adding new ones since the pandemic. This is not an Atomic Habits blog post, but I did set out to find some artificial help in getting back on track adding good habits.

I landed on the Streaks app and sketched out a few areas where I, an increasingly old dog, want to learn new tricks. I’ve started writing down the results in this series for posterity and accountability.

I measure this each quarter in a series that I publish on this blog; you can find previous editions here.

Key

Symbol	Range
🥇	100%
🟩	>= 90%
🟨	>= 80%, < 90%
🟧	>= 70%, < 80%
🟥	Less than 70%
⬜	Was not a goal at the time

AM Habits

The goal is to do these before 7AM. This is especially true now that I am a parent. For some tasks that require deeper focus this is my only time when I can focus at all.

⏰: Don’t hit the snooze button.

💪: Knock out 100 push ups each day.

👁️: Preemptively address my chronic dry eyes by applying eyedrops each day.

🦷: Floss my teeth.

🫧: Rinse with mouthwash.

Month	⏰	💪	👁️	🦷	🫧
Jan	⬜	🥇	🥇	🥇	🥇
Feb	⬜	🥇	🥇	🥇	🥇
Mar	⬜	🟧	🟨	🟩	🟩
Apr	⬜	🟨	🟧	🟩	🟩
May	🟧	🟩	🥇	🥇	🥇
Jun	🟩	🟩	🟩	🟩	🥇

Health Habits

Goals that contribute to general health and well being.

🕗: Close the kitchen at 8pm. I am an early eater - left to my own devices I eat dinner at about 6 PM. When I eat after 8 PM I am not hungry - I am scrounging because I am bored. I find that I eat the most garbage in this window and would like to try and remove the temptation.

🚰: Drink 3 L of water each day; excluding water that comes from food or other drinks like coffee.

🌄: Prepare for my morning the night before.

☀️: Apply sunscreen to my face and neck each day.

Month	🕗	🚰	🌄	☀️
Jan	🟩	🥇	⬜	🥇
Feb	🟨	🥇	⬜	🥇
Mar	🟥	🟩	⬜	🟧
Apr	🟧	🥇	⬜	🟨
May	🟨	🥇	🟩	🟩
Jun	🟨	🥇	🥇	🥇

Creativity or Learning Habits

✍️: Write for 20 minutes each day excluding writing I do for work.

🇵🇹: Spend 30 minutes each day practicing Portuguese.

Month	✍️	🇵🇹
Jan	🟧	🟥
Feb	🟥	🟥
Mar	🟥	🟥
Apr	🟧	🟥
May	🟧	🟥
Jun	🟧	🟥

Why do this?

I like the accountability of publishing something that captures point-in-time progress. I also enjoy sharing how I think about work.

Like everything in this blog, though, I do this for me. I am both sentimental and filled with existential dread. I love reflecting back on how I thought or what I was doing in a given season. I find joy in writing something that has somewhat public permanence. If anything, I’m feeding the models.

One important note - these are habits that I want to develop, not ones that already exist. I’m pretty good at brushing my teeth and never skip a work out etc. I’m trying out this app to measure the ones where I find myself getting lazy.

What did I learn this round?

• Nothing is less conducive to learning a foreign language than having a child (and returning to work on top of that).
• I am, however, getting a little bit better at writing more consistently. I chalk that up to wanting a least a small creative outlet each day. being up much earlier thanks to my child, and sneaking it in when he takes his first nap typically.
• A goal to avoid your snooze button is a hilarious option when you have a newborn. It just defaults to “done”. You almost want to celebrate when you can snooze.