Habits on MarkJacobsen.net

Habits: Challenge 01: Food Log

Mon, 14 Oct 2019 11:04:29 +0000

As originally posted on the [Habits.MarkJacobsen.net blog][1] (2 weeks ago – apparently I forgot to hit publish over here)…

Ok, here’s the first 66 day [challenge][2]/habit… Log everything you eat and the time of day. Doesn’t matter if you take photos of everything, write it down electronically, on paper, or do some combination, but by the end of the day have 1 consolidated list of everything you ate – including those little snack size Snickers I know you’re eyeing – seeing as it is near Halloween and all 🙂

Now, do that for 66 days. Every day. Every thing you eat (and drink).

See, super easy! I’m not even asking you to change anything about what you eat or drink. Just write it all down. Now, this may be simple for some, but if you’re like me I’ve tried to do this time and again. Usually by about the 4th day I miss something, then just say “ah, what’s the use” and quit.

Using [HabitShare][3] this is actually pretty easy – as I’ve been piloting it for a couple days. On any day, you can tap the circle for the day, then just click the triple ellipse “…”, I select the “Empty” icon at the start of the day, add your entry to the text area, and save. At the end of the day, just set the status to “Success” (the green check) if you’ve logged everything. You can even setup multiple reminders throughout the day so that you have a little tickler. For me I have 3 reminders for my “Log Food” habit scheduled at 7:15am, 12:30pm, and 7:15pm.

Now, obviously this is setting us up for future challenges, but for now the goal is to get in the habit of tracking and logging something daily. As I mentioned, don’t worry about analyzing or adjusting now unless you truly get the itch. Just build the logging/tracking habit.[1]: https://habits.markjacobsen.net/2019/10/challenge-01-food-log/ [2]: https://habits.markjacobsen.net/2019/09/return-of-the-challenge/ [3]: https://habits.markjacobsen.net/2019/09/habit-tracking/

Habits: Return of the Challenge

Tue, 01 Oct 2019 02:31:12 +0000

As originally posted on the [Habits.MarkJacobsen.net blog][1]…

So it’s been a few years since my last series of challenges, and a few things have changed since then 🙂

For one, as posted yesterday, [I’m now using HabitShare to track my habits][2] and that’s where anyone that wants to participate in these new set of challenges can share their progress as well. Just be sure to let me know what email address you signed up under or look me up in the app to share.

Also, between reading things like Atomic Habits and The One Thing, the challenges will be a little longer (66 days to be exact) in an effort to make the habit a little more ingrained, but feel free to work on them as long as you see fit. That said, my plan is to start a new challenge monthly until I run out of ideas or fall off the bandwagon – which is why I’m hoping some of you will join in – to make the journey a little more fun.

Now, don’t worry, I realize the holidays are coming up which is why the first few challenges will be relatively easy to get you in the habit of following a habit on a daily basis.

Hope to see you on the journey![1]: https://habits.markjacobsen.net/2019/09/return-of-the-challenge/ [2]: https://habits.markjacobsen.net/2019/09/habit-tracking/

Habits: Habit Tracking

Mon, 30 Sep 2019 02:13:14 +0000

As originally posted on the [Habits.MarkJacobsen.net blog][1]…

I’ve used habit tracking apps off and on for years to try and get my life in order. The last one I tried, Coach.me, seemed to hold promise, but then they switched their model to be more coaching centric and less focused around social sharing. Plus, let’s be honest… I fell off the bandwagon a bit myself.

Anyway, I recently started considering getting into coaching, but still wanted to find something that would be more social and flexible in terms of being able to share certain things with some people and not others – as well as not locked into sharing 50% of your income.

Well, I think I may have found that app. It’s called HabitShare. Check it out on the App Store of your choice or start by visiting https://habitshareapp.com/

Once you’ve installed it, let me know if you’re interested in joining any of my 66 day challenges, or want some free coaching on a habit of your choice! It’s my treat as I see if it’s something I want to do on an ongoing basis, and so I can build up my skills.[1]: https://habits.markjacobsen.net/2019/09/habit-tracking/