Archive for March, 2009
Scientific Research into Habits and Goals
I’m working on a physics PhD, and I’ve always been a scientifically-minded person.
So when I started working on habit forming software, and reading about goal setting, I naturally turned to science journals for some concrete evidence about the statements I had read.
For instance, it is often stated that making your goals specific will make them [...]
Remind Yourself of your Goals
Big Feature coming up soon: reminders!
For each goal, you’ll be able to set reminders like:
Remind me every 2 hours, until I’ve met my target.
Remind me at 5:00pm, unless I’ve met my target.
You can then minimize HS to the System Tray, and you’ll be reminded via a small pop-up. You’ll be able to input your info [...]
Graph Features Added
I found that I often wanted to quickly check some past or future targets. But using the overview to scroll all the way to the date I wanted to check, looking for it in the enlarged view, and then scrolling back to where I was, became a pain very quickly.
So, I added crosshairs and markers [...]
Tips on Sticking to Habits through Hard Times
Just wanted to point out a post by Ian Newby-Clark at his blog, “My Bad Habits”. He gives some good tips regarding what to do when life gets in the way of your daily routines. Here’s a summary:
If things are really hectic, recognize you need to put your habits on hold for a bit.
If your [...]
Setting Goals Based on Time – Do! (sometimes)
Have a look at these smart goal examples:
I will be practicing violin for 10 measures every day, in two months.
I will be completing 1 drawing every day, by next month.
I will be doing 3 general physics problems every weekday, in two months.
Which one do you think might cause problems?
The first goal I discussed yesterday. I [...]
On Practicing – Form vs. Time
Once I achieve one of my current goals, I will tackle this one:
“I will be practicing violin for 10 measures every day, in two months.”
I was tempted to ignore my own advice, and change it to “practicing for 45 minutes each day”. Fortunately, in looking for violin practice tips, I came across the following:
Length of [...]