Day 489 – Officially Pro

This morning I am writing in a tiny library room I reserved for Wednesday mornings. It is on the side of the library that gets morning sun, so it is far too hot for my taste. I even brought a fan this week. Despite my discomfort, it is an auspicious morning. Today is the 489th …

“Time flies the older I get”

I have heard many variations on the phrase: "Time just keeps going faster." While I agree that my perception of time seems to accelerate as I get older, I find the general attitude frustrating because it assumes that nothing can be done. Are we nothing more than victims of time and age? I don't think …

Have a Goal? Raise the Stakes

Do you have a goal that you have tried countless times to achieve? Or an addiction you have tried countless times to break?  Maybe it is time to try again, but with a different approach.   First off, approach it like a scientist. Treat everything you try as an experiment. If it fails, that doesn't …

Side Effects of Not Snoozing

I have only snoozed a couple of times since I started my no snoozing habit. But I have discovered a few oddities about the habit I created that have forced me to solve some interesting problems. Maybe you haven't gotten a chance to read my recent post about How I killed the Snooze. If you have, …

Beating Resistance

Every morning I sit down to write, I feel resistance. But today, the resistance feels less like a background hum and more like an impenetrable wall. Like a massive fortress where all my words are inside and I am stuck outside trying to scale the wall. Resistance is a feeling I have been aware of …

How I killed the Snooze

I've completely changed my snoozing habits in just a few weeks. Before that, I never really thought such a thing was possible. Yesterday morning the first alarm went off and I felt like a semi truck had hit me between the eyes. I instantly decided it was acceptable to snooze that morning. The next thing …

Resolutions vs. Habits

A few weeks ago is an interesting time of year when lots of people (including me) become suddenly resolved to change. Call me a cynic, but I don't know that I have ever heard someone say "well I make a resolution every year and every year I achieve them". That doesn't mean it has never …

Matt’s Notes on – Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

This book focused on how habits are formed in the brain and how to change them. It focuses on "habit loop" which is comprised of three parts: Cue > Routine > Reward. Different chapters focus on different aspects of the loop and some key factors in changing habits. It ends with some discussion around larger social habits and how those can be changed.